In this French grammar lesson we will learn about regular -re verbs conjugation in the present tense. In this lesson you will learn about:
- how regular -re verbs are conjugated in French,
- how regular -re verbs are used in French,
- how regular -re verbs are pronounced in French,
- how regular -re verbs are used in sentences in French,
- how regular -re verbs conjugation Anki files can be downloaded.
By the end of the lesson you will know all about regular -re verbs conjugation in the present tense!
Table of Contents
Regular -re Verbs Conjugation Table
| new ending | vendre (to sell) | |
| je | s | vends |
| tu | s | vends |
| il/elle/on | – | vend |
| nous | ons | vendons |
| vous | ez | vendez |
| ils/elles | ent | vendent |
Regular -re Verbs Conjugation Method
This section will show you how regular -ir verbs are conjugated. There is a three step method that will make everything very easy for you.
In French some regular verbs end with -re such as vendre.
In order to conjugate verbs that end with –re in the present tense one must:
- Find the infintive (full verb)
- Cut off the -re ending
- Add the new ending
In the conjugation table above you can see the verb vendre which means to “to sell” in English. We will take this verb and conjugate it in the “je” form using the three step method.
- vendre
The full verb of “to sell” is vendre in French
- vend
Once you cut of the re ending all that is left is vend
- vends
When we add the new ending s the final conjugated form will be vends
So when you wish to say “I sell” in French you get:
Je vends
Usage of Regular -re Verbs
French has three regular verb groups
- regular -er verbs
- regular -ir verbs
- regular -re verbs
The regular -ir verbs group is the third biggest group. Many French verbs fall in this group. Here is a list of common verbs that you are sure to encounter in day-to-day life:
| attendre | to wait |
| descendre | to go down |
| entendre | to hear |
| mordre | to bite |
| prendre | to take |
| répondre | to answer |
| vendre | to sell |
Pronunciation of Regular -re Verbs
In this section on regular -re verbs conjugation we will focus on pronunciation. There are 4 important rules to take into account when we want to pronounce regular verbs that end with -re in French.
- The je, tu, il/elle/on form all have the same prononciation. We do not pronounce the endings of these verbs. They are all silent.
Je vends
Tu vends
Il vend
These VERBS are all pronounced in the same exact way. The last letter that you’d hear is the “n“
- In the ils/elles form we do not pronounce the ent ending.
Ils vendent
The last letter we pronounce here is the “d“.
- If the first letter of the verb is a vowel or an “h” then we must remove the first “e” in the “je” form and replace this with an apostrophe.
attendre
J‘attends
Please note how it is NOT “je attends”. This would be wrong.
We don’t pronounce the “a” in “je” but immediately move onto the “a” sound of “attends”
- If the first letter of the verb is a vowel or a “h” then we must perform a liason. This happens in the nous, vous, and ils/elles form. This means that the final “s” of nous, vous, and ils/elles will have a “z” sound.
attendre
Nous attendons
Vous attendez
Ils attendent
Please note how the final “s” in all of the subject pronouns sounds like a “z”
Example Sentences with Regular -re Verbs
The final section of this lesson on regular -re verbs conjugation is about seeing it in action, so you can improve your understanding on how regular -re verbs are used in practice. Here are some example sentences that show how regular -re verbs are used French.
attendre
J’attends un appel très important.
I’m waiting for a very important call.
descendre
C’est ici que tu descends.
This is where you get out.
entendre
On entend souvent cette déclaration dans nos communautés.
This is a statement we hear often in our communities.
vendre
Nous vendons des chaussures.
We sell shoes.
mordre
Vous mordez votre langue.
You’re biting your tongue.
répondre
Trop de gens répondent sans réfléchir.
Too many people respond without thinking.
Anki File for Regular -re Verbs Conjugation
It is important to do the Anki excercises for this lesson, so that you can better remember what you just studied.
By downloading the Anki File for French A1, you can practice every French A1 lesson that is on Language Atlas.
You can also choose to just get the Anki File for French A1 Verbs. This only has the verbs for French A1.
If you don’t know why you should use Anki, or if you don’t know what Anki is, then please click here.
Anki can be downloaded from here.
