French Er Verbs

French -er verbs make the most common group of verbs in French. The majority of verbs in French are -er verbs and therefore tend to pose the least problems to students. As a group, there are very few irregular -er verbs as well. . .making them the most predictable, most commonly used verbs in the language.

Elle parle.

French -er verbs follow a very basic conjugation pattern. To conjugate an -er verb, you should first drop the -er on the end. This root form is called a radical. To the radical, you then add endings according to the subject of the verb:

je parle
tu parles
il parle
nous parlons
vous parlez
ils parlent

It is impossible to list all of the -er verbs in French. However, you will find that these are the most commonly used. The following verbs have no irregularities and are conjugated normally:

• abaisser - to lower
  
• accepter - to accept
  
• accompagner - to accompany
  
• accorder - to admit
  
• admirer - to admire
  
• adorer - to adore
  
• aider - to help
  
• aimer - to like (to love)
  
• ajouter - to add
  
• amuser - to amuse
  
• apporter - to bring
  
• approcher - to approach
  
• arrêter - to stop
  
• arriver - to arrive
  
• assister - to attend
  
• avancer - to advance
  
• bavarder - to chat
  
• blesser - to hurt or offend
  
• brosser - to brush
  
• brûler - to burn
  
• cacher - to hide
  
• casser - to break
  
• causer - to cause or to chat (informally)
  
• chanter - to sing
  
• chercher - to look for
  
• commander - to order
  
• compter - to count
  
• conseiller - to advise or to give advice
  
• continuer - to continue
  
• contrôler - to control
  
• coucher - to put to bed (se coucher means to go to bed)
  
• couper - to cut
  
• coûter -to cost
  
• crier - to cry out
  
• danser - to dance
  
• décider - to decide
  
• déjeuner - to eat lunch
  
• demander - to ask for
  
• dépêcher - to hurry
  
• détester - to hate
  
• deviner - to guess
  
• dîner - to dine
  
• discuter - to discuss
  
• donner - to give
  
• douter - to doubt
  
• échapper - to escape
  
• écouter - to listen
  
• employer - to use
  
• encourager - to encourage
  
• enseigner - to teach
  
• entrer - to enter
  
• étudier - to study
  
• excuser - to excuse
  
• exsister - to exsist
  
• expliquer - to explain
  
• explorer - to explore
  
• fâcher - to get angry
  
• fermer - to close
  
• fumer - to smoke
  
• gagner - to win or earn
  
• garder - to keep
  
• gaspiller - to waste
  
• goûter - to taste
  
• habiller - to dress
  
• habiter - to live
  
• insister -to insist
  
• intéresser - to interes
  
• inviter - to invite
  
• jouer - to play
  
• laisser - to leave
  
• laver - to wash
  
• manger -to eat
  
• monter - to climb
  
• montrer - to show
  
• neiger - to snow
  
• occuper - to occupy
  
• oublier - to forget
  
• pardonner - to forgive
  
• parler - to talk
  
• passer to pass or spend time
  
• peigner - to comb
  
• penser - to think
  
• pleurer - to cry
  
• préparer - to prepare
  
• présenter - to present
  
• quitter - to leave
  
• raconter - to retell
  
• regarder - to look at
  
• refuser - to refuse
  
• remarquer - to notice
  
• rencontrer - to meet
  
• rentrer - to return
  
• reposer - to rest
  
• rester - to remain
  
• sembler - to seem
  
• séparer - to separate
  
• souhaiter - to wish
  

Stem changing verbs still follow the regular conjugation patterns; however, they still have two different stems or radicals: one for the je, tu, il, and ils. The stem changes are as follows:

• Verbs ending in -e_er, and -é_er change the e to è
• Verbs ending in -eler change, have an extra l before the ending
• Verbs ending in -yer, substitute an "i" for the "y" in the conjugation.

Some common stem changing verbs include:

• acheter - to buy
  
• achever - to achieve
  
• amener - to take
  
• appeler - to call
  
• céder - to give up
  
• compléter - to complete
  
• considérer - to consider
  
• ennuyer - to bore or annoy
  
• envoyer - to send
  
• éspérer - to hope
  
• essayer - to try
  
• inquiéter - to worry
  
• jeter - to throw
  
• lever - to lift or stand
  
• nettoyer - to clean
  
• payer - to pay
  
• préférer - to prefer
  
• promener - to walk
  
• protéger - to protect
  
• répéter - to repeat
  
• suggérer - to suggest
  
• tomber - to fall
  
• travailler - to work
  
• trouver - to find
  
• utiliser - to use
  
• visiter - to visit
  

-ER verbs that end in -ger, and -cer require a slight spelling change in the "nous" and "vous" forms to maintain the soft "g" or soft "c". Verbs ending in -ger add an "e" in the "nous" and "vous" form, and verbs ending in -cer use a "ç" in the "nous" and "vous" form. Common verbs that change spelling include:

• changer - to change
  
• commencer - to begin (to commence)
  
• corriger - to correct
  
• exiger - to demand
  
• nager - to swim
  

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