FrenchLesson 1 of 1 in the course French verbs

French Verb Forms: Conjugation, Moods, Tenses, and Agreement

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

Save course
Lesson progress
0 / 5

Your progress is kept in this browser only.Sign up to save it

Summary

French verbs change form through conjugation. The form depends on grammatical features such as person, number, tense, mood, aspect, and voice. This lesson introduces verb stems, endings, and the traditional three conjugation classes.

To conjugate a verb, identify its stem and add an ending appropriate to the grammatical context. In many first- and second-class verbs, the stem is relatively easy to identify and remains mostly stable.

All flashcards

How is a conjugated French verb form commonly built?
An appropriate ending is added to a verb stem; some verbs use more than one stem.
How is the French gérondif formed?
It combines en with the present participle, as in en faisant.
How do linguists classify the French conditional?
Some treat it as a mood, while others classify it as a tense within the indicative.
What is the French perfect infinitive?
A compound infinitive formed with an auxiliary and past participle, such as avoir fait.
Which verbs use être as an auxiliary in compound forms?
All reflexive verbs and a set of non-reflexive verbs use être.

Quiz questions

  1. What feature identifies many second-group verbs ending in -ir?Answer: Their present participle ends in -issant or -ïssant.
  2. Which construction commonly expresses the near future in French?Answer: Present-tense aller followed by an infinitive.
  3. How is the French passive voice formed?Answer: Être followed by the main verb's past participle.
  4. What does the imperfect commonly express in past narration?Answer: An ongoing, repeated, or background past event.
  5. Which verbs form the diverse third conjugation group?Answer: Verbs that do not fit the first two groups.

Based on the Wikipedia article French verbs, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

More in French

All French lessons
FrenchBelgian French: Regional History, Pronunciation, and Vocabulary5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →FrenchOld French: Dialects, Origins, Literature, Sounds, and Grammar5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →FrenchQuebec French: History, Variation, and Linguistic Features5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →