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French Conjugation Guide

 There are 3 types of verbs:

Additionally, we can classify them into:



Auxiliary Verbs

In French grammar, an auxiliary verb (verbe auxiliaire) serves similar functions to those in English, primarily aiding in the formation of compound verb tenses, passive voice, and sometimes questions.

Avoir is used with transitive verbs.

Être is used with intransitive verbs. Examples include:

  • Verbs of movement including their compound forms, when not followed by a direct object (verbes de mouvement):
    • aller (to go)
    • apparaître (to appear)
    • arriver (to arrive)
    • descendre/redescendre (to descend)
    • entrer (to enter)
    • monter/remonter (to go up)
    • partir/repartir (to leave)
    • passer (to pass)
    • retourner (to return)
    • sortir (to go out)
    • tomber (to fall)
    • venir/revenir (to come)
  • Verbs of state (verbes d'état):
    • devenir (to become)
    • rester (to stay)
    • naître (to be born)
    • mourir (to die)
  • Reflexive verbs (verbes pronominaux):
    • s'appeler (to be called)
    • s'inscrire (to register)
    • se coiffer (to do one's hair)
    • se parler (to talk to oneself)

To put it simple:
❌👎No Object Direct → Être
✔️👍Object Direct → Avoir


Verbs that can be conjugated with both auxiliaries:

  • monter (to go up)
  • descendre (to descend)
  • entrer (to enter)
  • sortir (to go out)
  • retourner (to return)
  • passer (to pass)
  • demeurer (to remain)

and, moreover, the verbs derived from the previous verbs follow the same rule:

  • remonter (to go up again)
  • redescendre (to descend again)
  • rentrer (to re-enter)
  • resortir (to go out again)
  • repasser (to pass again)

 

Semi-auxiliary Verbs

1.  Temporal verbal periphrasis

Le passé récent

Use: It is used to describe actions that have just occurred.

Formation: venir (to come) in the present tense + de + infinitive of the main verb.

  • Je viens de manger- I have just eaten.
  • Tu viens de manger - You have just eaten.
  • Elle vient de partir - She has just left.
  • Il vient de rentrer à la maison - He has just come back home.
  • Nous venons de finir notre travail - We have just finished our work.
  • Vous venez de recevoir un message - You have just received a message.
  • Ils viennent de commencer le cours - They have just started the class.

Le futur proche

Use: It is used to describe actions that are planned or intended to happen in the immediate future, often referring to things that are about to occur or are in the process of happening soon.

Formation: "aller"(to go) in the present tense + infinitive form of the main verb.

Examples:

  • Je vais manger - I am going to eat.
  • Tu vas chanter - You are going to sing.
  • Elle va étudier - She is going to study.
  • Nous allons partir - We are going to leave.
  • Vous allez écrire - You are going to write.
  • Ils vont venir demain - They are going to come tomorrow.

Difference from futur simple: Unlike futur simple (simple future), which is used for more distant or hypothetical future actions, futur proche is used for actions that are imminent or planned in the near term.


2. Modal verbal periphrasis 

The use of modal verbs like "devoir" (must), "pouvoir" (can), "savoir" (know), and "vouloir" (want) combined with an infinitive verb to express various shades of meaning:

  • Devoir:
    • Use: Indicates obligation or necessity.
    • Example: Je dois partir (I must leave).
  • Pouvoir:
    • Usage: Indicates ability, permission, or possibility.
    • Example: Tu peux venir (You can come).
  • Savoir:
    • Use: Indicates knowledge or knowing how to do something.
    • Example: Il sait nager (He knows how to swim).
  • Vouloir:
    • Use: Indicates desire or willingness.
    • Example: Elle veut étudier (She wants to study).

3. Factitive verbal periphrasis

Faire + infinitive (to make/cause something to be done): it means that someone is making or causing someone else to do something. It's like asking someone else to do something for you.

Examples:

Present Tense:

  • Elle fait nettoyer sa chambre tous les samedis.
    • She has her room cleaned every Saturday.

Past Tense:

  • Il a fait réparer son vélo hier.
    • He had his bike repaired yesterday.

Future Tense:

  • Ils feront préparer un gâteau pour l'anniversaire.
    • They will have a cake prepared for the birthday.

Negative Form:

  • Je ne fais pas faire mes devoirs par quelqu'un d'autre.
    • I don't have someone else do my homework.

Interrogative Form:

  • Est-ce qu'il fait construire une nouvelle maison?
    • Is he having a new house built?


4. Passive verbal periphrasis

Se faire + Infinitive = Passive Construction (the subject undergoes the action):

Présent (Present tense):

  • Elle se fait souvent réprimander par le professeur.
    • She often gets scolded by the teacher.

Passé composé (Present perfect tense):

  • Ils se sont fait remarquer lors de la réunion.
    • They got noticed during the meeting.
  • Je me suis fait couper les cheveux.
    • I got my hair cut.

Imparfait (Imperfect tense):

  • Il se faisait souvent taquiner par ses camarades.
    • He used to get teased often by his classmates.

Futur simple (Future tense):

  • Nous nous ferons entendre lors de la prochaine réunion.
    • We will make ourselves heard at the next meeting.

Conditionnel présent (Conditional present):

  • Tu te ferais pardonner si tu t'excusais sincèrement.
    • You would get forgiven if you apologized sincerely.

Le présent de l’indicatif

Uses:

Current Actions: Describing what is happening right now.

  • Example: Je mange. (I am eating.)

General Truths: Stating facts or universal truths.

  • Example: L'eau bout à 100 degrés Celsius. (Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.)

Habitual Actions: Talking about actions that happen regularly or habits.

  • Example: Il va à la gym tous les jours. (He goes to the gym every day.)

Near Future: Indicating events that will happen soon, often accompanied by a future time expression.

  • Example: Nous partons demain. (We are leaving tomorrow.)

Ongoing actions that have been happening for some time.

  • Example: J’étudie le français depuis trois ans. (I´ve been learning French for three years.)

📖Le présent continu (Progressive present) être in present tense + en train de + infinitive

  • Je suis en train de lire mes livre. → I’m reading my book.
  • Je suis en train d’étudier le français. → I am studying French.

Keep in mind!👀

Spoken French

People often rely on the présent and passé composé for simplicity. The imparfait is also frequently used to provide background information in the past, while the futur proche is preferred over the futur simple for talking about near-future events. The conditional is common in polite speech or hypothetical situations.

  • Présent (Present Tense): Used to describe actions that are currently happening or general truths.
  • Passé Composé (Compound Past): Used to describe actions that have been completed in the past.
  • Imparfait (Imperfect Tense): Used to describe ongoing or repeated past actions, or to set the scene in the past.
  • Futur Proche (Near Future): Used to describe actions that will happen in the near future, often equivalent to "going to" in English.
  • Futur Simple (Simple Future): Used to describe actions that will happen in the future.
  • Conditionnel Présent (Present Conditional): Used to describe actions that would happen under certain conditions, often used for polite requests.
  • Impératif (Imperative Mood): Used for giving commands or making requests.

Written French

Several additional verb tenses are used to convey more complex or nuanced ideas. Here are some of the tenses you might encounter more often in writing than in everyday speech:

  • Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect): Used to describe actions that had been completed before another past action.
  • Passé Simple (Simple Past): Used primarily in literary or formal writing to describe completed actions in the past. It is rarely used in spoken French.
  • Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect): Used to describe actions that will have been completed by a certain future point.
  • Conditionnel Passé (Past Conditional): Used to describe actions that would have happened under certain conditions in the past.
  • Subjonctif Présent (Present Subjunctive): Used to express doubt, emotion, desire, or necessity. It is used after certain expressions and conjunctions.
  • Subjonctif Passé (Past Subjunctive): Used to describe actions that are seen as having occurred before the action in the main clause, under the same conditions as the present subjunctive.
  • Imparfait du Subjonctif (Imperfect Subjunctive): This tense is used mainly in literature and formal writing, often in hypothetical or counterfactual situations.
  • Plus-que-parfait du Subjonctif (Pluperfect Subjunctive): Rarely used in modern French, but it can still be found in classical literature.



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