French Verbs
When learning French, it helps to know several French verbs. While there are many different French dialects, for our purposes we will be working with standard French. As you will probably notice, many of these words sound similar to English words that mean the same thing. To illustrate these common factors, the following is a list of the simpler French verbs followed by their English definitions as well as similar English words:
French Verb - English meaning
parler to speak (to parley, Parliament)
figurer to represent (like a figurehead)
habitue r to accustom (ex: habits)
habiter to live (to inhabit)
accepter to accept
acclamer to cheer (acclaim)
inciter to encourage (to incite)
hanter to haunt
inventer to invent (inventor)
aggraver to aggravate
agréer to agree
agrandir to make bigger, to enlarge (grand)
affamer to starve ( to be famished)
advenir to happen (adventure)
invalider to invalidate
appeler to call (to appeal)
anticiper to anticipate
justifier to justify
jurer to swear, to vow (jury)
laver to wash (to lather)
lever to lift
labourer to plow, dig (laborer)
mandater to appoint, commission (to mandate)
attaquer to attack (attacker)
manifester to show, indicate (to manifest)
menacer to threaten (to menace)
marier to marry
mourir to die (mourn)
Many French words have found their way into the English language. As you can see, you could probably understand many parts of French conversation by listening carefully.
Conjugating French verbs can also be accomplished easily. We will start with the French verbs that end in –er. Using the list above, we will now show how these French verbs are conjugated:
Verb Present Tense - Translation
parler
je parle - I speak
nous parlons -We speak
tu parles -You speak (informal)
vous parlez -You speak (formal)
il parle -He speaks
ils parlent -They speak
figurer
je figure -I represent
nous figurons -We represent
tu figures -You represent (informal)
vous figurez -You represent (formal)
il figure -He represents
ils figurant -They represent
travailler
je travaille -I work
nous travillons -We work
tu travaille -You work (informal)
vous travaillez -You work (formal)
il travaille -He works
ils travaillent -They work
Past tense is performed in much the same way as the present tense. Here is an example of “parler” and “figurer” in the past tense:
Past Tense - Translation
parler
je parlai -I spoke
nour parlâmes -We spoke
tu parlas -You spoke (informal)
vous parlâtes -You spoke (informal)
il parla -He spoke
ils parlèrent -They spoke
figurer
je figurai -I represented
nous figurâmes -We represented
tu figuras -You represented (informal)
vous figurâtes -You represented (formal)
il figura -He represented
ils figurèrent -They represented
These conjugation patterns differ somewhat when dealing with French verbs that do not end in “-er.” For example, here is the conjugation of the word “mourir”:
Present Tense - Translation - Past Tense - Translation
mourir
je meurs -I die
je mourus -I died
nous mourons -We die
nous morûmes -We died
tu meurs -You die (informal)
tu mourus -You died (in.)
vous mourez -You die (formal)
vous mourûtes -You died (fr.)
il meurt -He dies
il mourut -He died
ils meurent -They die
ils moururent -They died
Again, French verbs are easy to learn as many of them are similar to their English counterparts. Once you have learned a few of these verbs, you can use a number of Web sites or language software programs that will illustrate the method in which these verbs are conjugated. With a little practice, you will find yourself able to use French verbs fluently.