Class Note: French Present Tense – RE Verbs (Language Tutor French)

Objective

Learn how to conjugate regular French verbs ending in -re in the present tense.

Key Points

1. Introduction

• This lesson focuses on regular -re verbs in the present tense, which are commonly used in French.
• The lesson is part of a three-part series on different present tense verb types.

2. Common -re Verbs Introduced

• Attendre: to wait, to wait for
• Entendre: to hear
• Perdre: to lose
• Répondre: to answer, to respond (note similarity to “respond” in English)
• Vendre: to sell

3. Steps to Conjugate Regular -re Verbs

Step 1: Remove the -re ending

• Example: attendre → attend-

Step 2: Add the following endings:

• je : -s
• tu : -s
• il/elle/on : - (nothing; just the stem + 'd')
• nous : -ons
• vous : -ez
• ils/elles : -ent

Example Conjugation: attendre (to wait)

| Person | Form | Example | ||-|--| | je | attends | j’attends | | tu | attends | tu attends | | il/elle/on | attend | il attend | | nous | attendons | nous attendons | | vous | attendez | vous attendez | | ils/elles | attendent | ils attendent |

• Note: For "je attends" → written as j’attends due to vowel elision.

4. Observations

• The endings are mostly predictable and similar to regular -er present tense endings.
• Once you identify a verb ending in -re, you can apply this straightforward rule to conjugate it.

5. Next Steps & Encouragement

• Coming next: lessons on two other types of present tense verbs.
• Students are encouraged to leave questions in the comments and subscribe for more lessons.

Summary

• Regular -re verbs are easy to conjugate in the present tense by removing the -re and adding standard endings.
• Common verbs include: attendre, entendre, perdre, répondre, vendre.
• Mastering these will greatly enhance your conversational French!