BASIC GRAMMAR
Third-group verbs are irregularly conjugated and have different endings. In general, verbs in the third group end in "re", but some verbs ending in "er" or "ir", such as "venir" (to come) and "aller" (to go), are classified in the third group because of their irregular conjugation.
The best way to learn how to conjugate third group verbs is to practice a lot. Nevertheless, we're going to conjugate at least four verbs with different endings. First of all, let's take a look at some third-group verbs.
Verbs | Meaning |
---|---|
attendre | to wait |
mettre | to put |
faire | to do |
comprendre | to understand |
comprendre | to understand |
prendre | to take |
apprendre | to learn |
vendre | to sell |
mordre | to bite |
craindre | to fear |
peindre | to paint |
vivre | to live |
venir | to come |
devenir | to become |
dormir | to sleep |
coudre | to sew |
résoudre | to resolve |
dissoudre | to dissolve |
courir | to run |
souffrir | to suffer |
couvrir | to cover |
faillir | to fail |
voiir | to see |
tenir | to hold |
Now, how to conjugate them ?
They are conjugated differently following the conjugation tenses. That's why we have to
conjugate them in the simple tenses and compound tenses of the
conjugation.
The rule is the same : there are four (04) simple tenses in French and the same for the simple past too. The negative, interrogative and interronegative forms are also formed in the same way. Since the third group requires at least four (04) verbs to be conjugated, we'll just conjugate the affirmative form. But the main characteristic of these verbs is that they are irregular. Two verbs with the same ending can be conjugated differently.
When the third group verbs end in re their endings can vary by prouns and vebrs. Let's consider the following tables :
Type one Verbs ending in "dre", "ttre"
Subject pronouns | Endings |
---|---|
je | s |
tu | s |
il | d |
elle | d |
nous | ons |
vous | ez |
ils | ent |
elles | ent |
Attendre (to wait) :
J'attends
: I
wait.
tu attends
: you
wait.
il attend
: he
waits.
elle attend
: she
waits.
nous attendons
: we
wait.
vous attendez
: you
wait.
ils attendent
: they
wait.
elles attendent
: they
wait.
Mettre (to put) :
Je mets
: I
put.
tu mets
: you
put.
il met
: he
puts.
elle met
: she
puts.
nous metons
: we
put.
vous mettez
: you
put.
ils mettent
: they
put.
elles mettent
: they
put.
Prendre (to take) :
Je prends
: I
take.
tu prends
: you
take.
il prend
: he
takes.
elle prend
: she
takes.
nous prenons
: we
take.
vous prenez
: you
take.
ils prennent
: they
take.
elles prennent
: they
take.
Coudre (to sew) :
Je couds
: I
sew.
tu couds
: you
sew.
il coud
: he
sews.
elle coud
: she
sews.
nous cousons
: we
sew.
vous cousez
: you
sew.
ils cousent
: they
sew.
elles cousent
: they
sew.
Type two Verbs ending in "indre" "udre"
Subject pronouns | Endings |
---|---|
je | s |
tu | s |
il | t |
elle | t |
nous | ons |
vous | ez |
ils | ent |
elles | ent |
Resoudre (to resolve) :
Je résous
: I
resolve.
tu résous
: you
resolve.
il résout
: he
resolves.
elle résout
: she
resolves.
nous résolvons
: we
resolve.
vous résolvez
: you
resolve.
ils résolvent
: they
resolve.
elles résolvent
: they
resolve.
Peindre (to paint) :
Je peins
: I
paint.
tu peins
: you
paint.
il peint
: he
paints.
elle peint
: she
paints.
nous peignons
: we
paint.
vous peignez
: you
paint.
ils peignent
: they
paint.
elles peignent
: they
paint.
Craindre (to fear) :
Je crains
: I
fear.
tu crains
: you
fear.
il craint
: he
fears.
elle craint
: she
fears.
nous craignons
: we
fear.
vous craignez
: you
fear.
ils craignent
: they
fear.
elles craignent
: they
fear.
Type three Verbs ending in "ir", "er" and "ire"
Subject pronouns | Endings |
---|---|
je | re / s |
tu | res /s |
il | re / t |
elle | re / t |
nous | rons / sons |
vous | rez / tes |
ils | rent / ont |
elles | rent / ont |
Souffir (to suffer) :
Je souffre
: I
suffer.
tu souffres
: you
suffer.
il souffre
: he
suffers.
elle souffre
: she
suffers.
nous souffrons
: we
suffer.
vous souffrez
: you
suffer.
ils souffrent
: they
suffer.
elles souffrent
: they
suffer.
Couvrir (to cover) :
Je couvre
: I
cover.
tu couvres
: you
cover.
il couvre
: he
covers.
elle couvre
: she
covers.
nous couvrons
: we
cover.
vous couvrez
: you
cover.
ils couvrent
: they
cover.
elles couvrent
: they
cover.
Faire (to do) :
Je fais
: I
do.
tu fais
: you
do.
il fait
: he
does.
elle fait
: she
does.
nous faisons
: we
do.
vous faites
: you
do.
ils font
: they
do.
elles font
: they
do.
Aller (to go) :
Je vais
: I
go.
tu vas
: you
go.
il va
: he
goes.
elle va
: she
goes.
nous allons
: we
go.
vous allez
: you
go.
ils vont
: they
go.
elles vont
: they
go.
Important !!
One thing to keep in mind is that, these verbs are very irregular. By the
way, they must be learnt by heart.