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Pronominal (Reflexive) Verbs
These verbs are conjugated like normal verbs, but they require an extra pronoun before the verb. Most indicate a reflexive action but some are idiomatic and can't be translated literally. The pronouns are:
Some Pronominal Verbs
| s'amuser |
to have fun |
se reposer |
to rest |
| se lever |
to get up |
se souvenir de |
to remember |
| se laver |
to wash (oneself) |
s'entendre bien |
to get along well |
| se dépêcher |
to hurry |
se coucher |
to go to bed |
| se peigner |
to comb |
se brosser |
to brush |
| s'habiller |
to get dressed |
se maquiller |
to put on makeup |
| se marier |
to get married |
se casser |
to break (arm, leg, etc.) |
Note: When used in the infinitive, such as after another verb, the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject of the sentence. Je vais me coucher maintenant. I'm going to go to bed.
| Sample Irregular Pronominal Verb |
| s'asseoir - to sit down |
| je m'assieds |
mah-see-ay |
nous nous asseyons |
noo-zah-say-ohn |
| tu t'assieds |
tah-see-ay |
vous vous asseyez |
vous-zah-say-yay |
| il s'assied |
sah-see-ay |
ils s'asseyent |
sah-say-ee |
Irregularities in Regular Verbs
1. Verbs that end in -ger and -cer: The nous form of manger isn't mangons, but mangeons. The e has to stay so the g can retain the soft sound. The nous form of commencer isn't commencons, but commençons. The c must have the accent (called a cedilla) under it to make the c sound soft.
| manger-to eat |
commencer-to begin |
| mange |
mawnzh |
mangeons |
mawn-zhohn |
commence |
koh-mawnz |
commençons |
koh-mawn-sohn |
| manges |
mawnzh |
mangez |
mawn-zhay |
commences |
koh-mawnz |
commencez |
koh-mawn-say |
| mange |
mawnzh |
mangent |
mawnzh |
commence |
koh-mawnz |
commencent |
koh-mawnz |
2. Verbs that add or change to an accent grave: Some verbs add or change to an accent grave (è) in all the forms except the nous and vous.
| acheter-to buy |
|
espérer-to hope |
| j'achète |
zhah-shet |
achetons |
ahsh-tohn |
|
j'espère |
zhess-pehr |
espérons |
ess-pay-rohn |
| achètes |
ah-shet |
achetez |
ahsh-tay |
|
espères |
ess-pehr |
espérez |
ess-pay-ray |
| achète |
ah-shet |
achètent |
ah-shet |
|
espère |
ess-pehr |
espèrent |
ess-pehr |
3. Verbs that are conjugated as -er verbs: Some -ir verbs are conjugated with -er endings. For example: offrir-to offer, give, ouvrir-to open, couvrir-to cover, découvrir-to discover and souffrir-to suffer.
offrir-to offer
| j'offre |
zhaw-fruh |
offrons |
aw-frohn |
| offres |
aw-fruh |
offrez |
aw-fray |
| offre |
aw-fruh |
offrent |
aw-fruh |
4. Verbs that end in -yer: Change the y to an i in all forms except the nous and vous. Examples: envoyer-to send (awn-vwah-yay), nettoyer-to clean (nuh-twah-yay), essayer-to try (ess-ah-yay)
envoyer-to send
| j'envoie |
zhawn-vwah |
envoyons |
awn-vwah-yohn |
| envoies |
awn-vwah |
envoyez |
awn-vwah-yay |
| envoie |
awn-vwah |
envoient |
awn-vwah |
5. Verbs that double the consonant: Some verbs, such as appeler-to call (ahp-lay), and jeter-to throw (zheh-tay) double the consonant in all forms except the nous and vous.
appeler-to call
| j'appelle |
zhah-pell |
appelons |
ahp-lohn |
| appelles |
ah-pell |
appelez |
ahp-lay |
| appelle |
ah-pell |
appellent |
ah-pell |
The Past Indefinite Tense or Passé Composé
You have learned the present indicative so far, which expresses what happens, is happening, or does happen now; but if you want to say something happened, or has happened, you have to use the passé composé. The passé composé is used for actions that happened only once, a specified number of times or during a specified period of time, and as a result or consequence of another action. All you need to learn are the past participles of the verbs.
Regular Verbs: Formation of the Past Participle
Then conjugate avoir and add the past participle:
| J'ai aimé le concert. |
I liked the concert. |
| Tu as habité ici? |
You lived here? |
| Il a répondu au téléphone. |
He answered (or has answered) the telephone. |
| Nous avons fini le projet. |
We finished (or have finished) the project. |
| Elles ont rempli les tasses. |
They filled (or have filled) the cups. |
To make it negative, put the ne and pas around the conjugated form of avoir.
| Je n'ai pas aimé le concert. |
I didn't like the concert. |
| Il n'a pas répondu. |
He didn't answer (or hasn't answered) . |
| Elles n'ont pas rempli les tasses. |
They didn't fill (or haven't filled) the glasses. |
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French - Pronominal (Reflexive) Verbs, Irregularities in Regular Verbs, The Past Indefinite Tense or Passé Composé
