To break down a verb according to tense and subject (subject pronoun) Conjugation To break down a verb according to tense and subject (subject pronoun) In order to conjugate, we must be aware of some key terms…

A pronoun replaces a noun. In French, there are 8 subject pronouns. We I She You (singular) They (masc.) He You (plural or formal) They (fem.)

French Pronouns Je = I

Tu = You

Il = He

Elle = She

Nous = We Also known as, first-person plural. You are performing the action with another person, or a group a people. Examples: We are going to the beach. We are happy. We took a photo to remember that special day.

Vous = You You plural You formal You plural: When you are talking TO more than one person VS. You formal: When you are talking TO someone that you don’t know very well, or they are in a position of respect (example: teacher, principal, boss, doctor…) You plural You formal

Ils = They (m.) ALL males OR males and females

Elles = They Must be ALL women

Infinitive This is the purest form of the verb. In French the infinitive has one of three different endings, -er, -ir , or –re. When translated into English, it always starts with “to ________”. Examples: jouer – to play chanter – to sing choisir – to choose finir – to finish vendre – to sell perdre – to lose

parl er Finding the stem The first step in conjugating a verb is finding the stem. Look at the infinitive and determine the ending (-er, -ir, -re). Once you locate the ending, drop it from the verb. You now have the stem. The stem remains the same, no matter the pronoun, it is the ending that changes. parl er

Endings for “REGULAR”–er verbs Je – add “e” to the stem parl e

Tu – add “es” to the stem parl es

Il and Elle – add “e” to the stem parl e

Nous – add “ons” to the stem parl ons

Vous – add “ez” to the stem parl ez

Ils and Elles – add “ent” to the stem parl ent Don’t forget that the “ent” is silent.