Regular French -ER Verbs
The verb form that ends in -ER is called the infinitive (in English, the infinitive is the verb preceded by the word "to"), and -ER is the infinitive ending. The verb with the infinitive ending removed is called the stem or radical. To conjugate -ER verbs, remove the infinitive ending to find the stem and add the endings in the table below.
To conjugate regular -ER verbs in the present tense:
Remove the infinitive ending and then add the appropriate endings. For example, here are the present tense conjugations for the regular -ER verbs parler (to speak), donner (to give), and visiter (to visit):
To conjugate regular -ER verbs in the present tense:
Remove the infinitive ending and then add the appropriate endings. For example, here are the present tense conjugations for the regular -ER verbs parler (to speak), donner (to give), and visiter (to visit):
Regular -ER verbs share conjugation patterns in all tenses and moods.
The infinitive is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb, sometimes called the name of the verb. In English the infinitive is the word "to" followed by a verb: to talk, to see, to return. The French infinitive is a single word with one of the following endings: -er, -ir, or -re: parler, voir, rendre. We usually learn French verbs in the infinitive, since that is what you start with in order to conjugate them.
French verbs that end in -ier are conjugated according to the same rules as regular -er verbs, but there is a letter combination in certain conjugations that makes -ier verbs seem strange.
In the present tense, there is potential for confusion. The present tense stem of -ier verbs ends in -i; for example, the stem of étudier is étudi. This means that the nous and vous forms of -ier verbs end in -ions and -iez, which leads some students to think, mistakenly, that they are looking at an imperfect conjugation:
j'étudie
tu étudies
il étudie
nous étudions
vous étudiez
ils étudient
French regular -ER verbs, by far the largest group of French verbs, share a conjugation pattern. Here are just a few of the most common regular -ER verbs:
aimer to like, to love
arriver to arrive, to happen
chanter to sing
chercher to look for
commencer* to begin
danser to dance
demander to ask for
dépenser to spend (money)
détester to hate
donner to give
écouter to listen to
étudier** to study
fermer to close
goûter to taste
jouer to play
laver to wash
manger* to eat
nager* to swim
parler to talk, to speak
passer to pass, spend (time)
penser to think
porter to wear, to carry
regarder to watch, to look at
rêver to dream
sembler to seem
skier* to ski
travailler to work
trouver to find
visiter to visit (a place)
voler to fly, to steal
*All regular -ER verbs are conjugated according to the regular -ER verb conjugation pattern, except for one small irregularity in verbs that end in -ger and -cer, which are known as spelling-change verbs.
**Though conjugated just like regular -ER verbs, watch out for verbs that end in -IER
** All current information in this lesson taken from www.about.com
The infinitive is the basic, unconjugated form of a verb, sometimes called the name of the verb. In English the infinitive is the word "to" followed by a verb: to talk, to see, to return. The French infinitive is a single word with one of the following endings: -er, -ir, or -re: parler, voir, rendre. We usually learn French verbs in the infinitive, since that is what you start with in order to conjugate them.
French verbs that end in -ier are conjugated according to the same rules as regular -er verbs, but there is a letter combination in certain conjugations that makes -ier verbs seem strange.
In the present tense, there is potential for confusion. The present tense stem of -ier verbs ends in -i; for example, the stem of étudier is étudi. This means that the nous and vous forms of -ier verbs end in -ions and -iez, which leads some students to think, mistakenly, that they are looking at an imperfect conjugation:
j'étudie
tu étudies
il étudie
nous étudions
vous étudiez
ils étudient
French regular -ER verbs, by far the largest group of French verbs, share a conjugation pattern. Here are just a few of the most common regular -ER verbs:
aimer to like, to love
arriver to arrive, to happen
chanter to sing
chercher to look for
commencer* to begin
danser to dance
demander to ask for
dépenser to spend (money)
détester to hate
donner to give
écouter to listen to
étudier** to study
fermer to close
goûter to taste
jouer to play
laver to wash
manger* to eat
nager* to swim
parler to talk, to speak
passer to pass, spend (time)
penser to think
porter to wear, to carry
regarder to watch, to look at
rêver to dream
sembler to seem
skier* to ski
travailler to work
trouver to find
visiter to visit (a place)
voler to fly, to steal
*All regular -ER verbs are conjugated according to the regular -ER verb conjugation pattern, except for one small irregularity in verbs that end in -ger and -cer, which are known as spelling-change verbs.
**Though conjugated just like regular -ER verbs, watch out for verbs that end in -IER
** All current information in this lesson taken from www.about.com