Most Widely Used French Verbs and Their Conjugation (2024)

The three words that make most French learners shudder are “French verb conjugation.”

And we get it. Learning regular verbs that adhere to a set conjugation pattern is challenging enough. Yet, you also need to master irregular verbs, each with its own unique conjugation rules. But fear not! We’ve crafted a list of essential verbs packed with examples and grammar tips to guide you through the twists and turns of French conjugation.

In this article, we’ll focus on the most common French verbs in their infinitive form. We’ll also look at their conjugations in four different tenses: Présent (present first tense), passé composé (present perfect past tense), imparfait (imperfect past tense), and futur simple (future).

When you get the hang of these common French tenses and equip yourself with some basic French vocabulary, there’ll be no stopping you from mastering the language of love.

20 most common French verbs and their conjugations

Conjugating verbs correctly is integral to successful communication. Even if you’re a pro at French question words, nouns, and pronouns, it’s difficult to express oneself confidently if you’re not confident in your French verb conjugations.

Want to ensure you sound like a native when speaking to French people? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with the following list of the 20 most common French verb conjugations, featuring examples of their use in everyday life and grammar tips. Scroll down to add these vital French tenses to your repertoire.

1. Être(to be)

Example:

Ils sont devant le musée. (They are in front of the museum.)

Grammar tip:

“Être” is one of the two most important French irregular verbs to know when you’re learning French, alongside “avoir” (to have). “Être” has irregular verb conjugations in just about every tense. It also serves as an auxiliary verb in several compound tenses and moods in French (e.g., passé composé).

For example:

• Il est parti tard (He left late).

2. Avoir (to have)

Example:

Nous avons eu deux réunions hier. (We had two meetings yesterday.)

Grammar tip:

Like “être,” “avoir” is an essential French verb with irregular conjugations. For the majority of French verb conjugations, “avoir” serves as the auxiliary verb in the compound tense and moods.

Don’t worry, it’s less complicated than it sounds! In English, we use the verb “to have” to form sentences like “I have danced” or “She has eaten.” French does something similar with “avoir.” For example, “J’ai dansé” means “I have danced.” Here, “J’ai” combines “Je” (I) and “ai” (have). So, just like “to have” supports the main verb in English, “avoir” does the same in French.

For example:

• Ils ont déjà vu le film (They have already seen the film).

3. Aller (to go)

Example:

Ils allaient au parc tous les jours. (They went to the park every day.)

Grammar tip:

Verbs whose auxiliary verb is “être” must show agreement of their past participles in gender (masculine or feminine — add e) and number (singular or plural — add s). For example:

• Masculine subject → Je suis allé.
• Feminine subject → Je suis allée.
• Masculine plural → Ils sont allés.
• Feminine plural → Elles sont allées.

For a mixed group, always use the masculine form. For example:

• Thomas et Catherine sont revenus. (Thomas and Catherine came back.)

4. Parler (to speak/talk)

Example:

Tu parles si bien l’espagnol ! (You speak Spanish so well!)

Grammar tip:

“Parler” fits the normal pattern for French verbs ending in -er. So, by learning how to conjugate this regular verb, you’ll simultaneously know the different tenses of all regular verbs that finish in -er. Just insert the infinitive stem before the endings above, and voilà!

5. Faire (to do)

Example:

Je fais le gâteau pour son anniversaire. (I’m making the cake for her birthday.)

Note: Unlike in English where the present tense has three different forms (the present simple, the present progressive, and the present emphatic), there is only one present tense in French. Le temps présent in French is used to express both momentary action and progressive action. So, “je fais le gâteau” could be translated as “I make the cake”, “I’m making the cake”, and “I do make the cake”.

Grammar tip:

“Faire” is found in many French idiomatic expressions and is the key to the causative construction (“faire” + infinitive). For example:

• Il fait froid. (It’s cold.) *Notice that in expressions about the weather, “faire” becomes equivalent to “to be”.
• Nous faisons du ballet. (We do ballet.)
• Elle fait des économies pour un voyage au Japon. (She is saving for a trip to Japan.)
• La pluie fait pousser l’herbe plus vite. (The rain makes the grass grow faster.) *causative construction

6. Prendre (to take)

Example:

Ils ont pris ses bagages par accident ! (They took her luggage by accident!)

Grammar tip:

Like “avoir” and “faire”, the verb “prendre” is one of the most commonly used and comes up in a wide variety of idiomatic expressions in French. For example:

• Prendre du poids (to gain weight)
• Prendre son temps (to take one’s time)
• Prendre garde (to watch out/be careful)

7. Vouloir (to want)

Example:

Voulez-vous une salade avec votre repas ? (Do you want a salad with your meal?)

Grammar tip:

“Vouloir” can be used to express a want/desire or to request something politely. It can also be used to give strong commands or to agree to something willingly.

• Desire: Je veux devenir astronaute ! (I want to become an astronaut!)
• Polite request: Voulez-vous tenir ça pour moi ? (Would you please hold this for me?)
• Strong command: Je veux qu’il finisse ses tâches avant de sortir. (I want him to finish his chores before he goes out.)

8. Savoir (to know)

Example:

Nous savions que cela arriverait. (We knew this would happen.)

Grammar tip:

“Savoir” is an irregular French -ir verb, like ouvrir, devoir, falloir, pleuvoir, pouvoir, recevoir, tenir, venir, voir or vouloir.

9. Pouvoir (to be able to)

Example:

Peux-tu s’il te plaît préparer le dîner de ce soir ? (Can you please cook the dinner tonight?)

Grammar tip:

French people often use “pouvoir” to express politeness. Therefore, learning this verb is vital if you want to make the right impression when speaking or sending messages. For example:

• Je suis vraiment désolé, mais je ne peux pas vous aider avec ça. (I’m really sorry, but I can’t help you with this.)

10. Venir (to come)

Example:

Tu viens demain ? (Are you coming tomorrow?)

Grammar tip:

Like “aller,” “venir” is conjugated with “être.” “Venir de” means to “come from.”

• Je viens de Moscou (I come from Moscow).

If “venir de” is followed by a verb, then it means “have just.”

• Elle vient de terminer son devoir (She has just finished her paper).

11. Dire (to say/tell)

Example:

Il a dit à tout le monde que nous allions nous marier. (He told everyone we were getting married.)

Grammar tip:

Most French irregular verbs can be organized into five patterns, but “dire” does not fit into any of them. This means you have to learn its conjugation by heart.

12. Donner (to give)

Example:

Non, elle ne lui a pas donné ses livres. (No, she didn’t give him her books.)

Grammar tip:

“Donner” is also used in many idiomatic expressions. For example:

• Donner l’exemple (to set an example)
• Donner l’heure à quelqu’un (to tell someone the time)
• Donner une fête (to throw a party)

13. Penser (to think)

Example:

Ils y penseront plus tard. (They will think about it later.)

Grammar tip:

When using this first-group verb, remember that the preposition you place after it changes the meaning slightly. “Penser à” means “to think about” as in “to have someone on your mind.” For example:

• Tu penses à elle, n’est-ce pas ? (You are thinking of her, aren’t you?)

“Penser de” means “to think about” in the sense of “having an opinion on.” For example:

• Que pensez-vous de cet hôtel ? (What do you think about this hotel?)

14. Aider (to help)

Example:

Elle les aidera à déménager. (She will help them move apartments.)

Grammar tip:

“Aider” is a first group verb, so it follows the regular conjugation pattern of the first group verbs that end in -er:

You first remove the -er from the end of the infinitive form of the verb (aider becomes aid). Then, you add the appropriate endings (e.g. in present tense it’s: e, es, e, ons, ez, ent).

15. Aimer (to like/love)

Example:

Ils aimaient jouer ensemble quand ils étaient enfants. (They used to love playing together when they were children.)

Grammar tip:

You can use “aimer” to express fondness for something or to declare your love in French. Therefore, mastering the conjugation of this verb is crucial, especially if you want to make it clear who you’re speaking to!

16. Devoir (to have to, to need to)

Example:

Vous devez boire plus d’eau. (You need to drink more water.)

Grammar tip:

Navigating the nuances of “devoir” and “falloir” can be challenging, as both express obligation or necessity. Think of it this way, “devoir” points to a personal obligation or something one must do, while “falloir” hints at a general necessity or something that simply needs to happen.

If you’re scratching your head, you’re not alone. Grasping this subtle distinction takes time, but with practice and the right guidance, it’ll become second nature. For example:

• Je dois lui dire ça. Je ne peux pas mentir ! (I have to tell him this. I can’t lie!)
• Il faut que je parte. Je vais être en retard ! (I must leave. I’ll be late!)

17. Habiter (to live)

Example:

Elle habitera en Allemagne l’année prochaine. (She will live in Germany next year.)

Grammar tip:

“Habiter” is often followed by a preposition (such as à, en, aux etc.) , but it technically doesn’t require one.

For example, we can say both:

J’habite Londres.

J’habite à Londres.

However, nowadays it’s much more common to place a preposition after the verb “habiter” than not.

18. Regarder (to look, watch)

Example:

Ses parents regardaient la télé tous les soirs quand on n’était pas là. (His parents watched TV every night when we were away.)

Grammar tip:

In French, “regarder” is used in an active sense, implying intention and focus. In contrast, “voir” carries a passive meaning, suggesting casual or incidental observation. When you’re actively directing your attention, you’d use “regarder.” For those moments you just happen to notice something, “voir” is the word to choose.

Here are some sentence structure examples to illustrate the difference between the two:

• La semaine dernière, j’ai regardé les oiseaux dans la forêt (Last week, I watched the birds in the forest).

Last week, I intentionally observed the birds in the forest.

• La semaine dernière, j‘ai vu beaucoup d’oiseaux dans la forêt (Last week, I saw many birds in the forest).

Last week, when I was in the forest, I saw a lot of birds. I didn’t focus on them. It wasn’t my intention to see them. I just became aware that they were there.

19. Utiliser (to use)

Example:

Avez-vous déjà utilisé cet ordinateur ? (Have you used this computer before?)

Grammar tip:

“Utiliser” is a regular -er verb. It uses the same infinitive endings as the majority of French verbs (e.g. “aimer”, “aider”, “parler”).

20. Essayer (to try)

Example:

Ils ont essayé de se rendre au Panama, mais leur vol était surbooké. (They tried to fly to Panama, but their flight was overbooked.)

Grammar tip:

Usually, with French verbs that end in -yer, such as the verb “nettoyer” (to clean), the -y changes to -i before -e, -es and -ent. However, with the verb “essayer,” the -y can change into an -i, but it doesn’t always have to.

So, “j’essaye” and “j’essaie,” for example, are both correct. This is also the case with other verbs ending in -ayer, such as “payer” (to pay).

Feeling swamped by the rules surrounding sentence structure and verb conjugation? Don’t worry! We understand that diving into the intricacies of conjugated forms when learning French isn’t easy. But always remember, with each verb pattern you master, you’re making significant strides toward fluency.

When you’re ready to learn more French verb conjugations, check out Reverso Conjugation. Simply type the verb in English and click conjugate to get all the verb tenses of the equivalent word in French.

French verb conjugation: Five memory hacks

Now you have a list of the 20 most common French verbs, the next step is to memorize them. Check out the following five tips to become a pro at conjugating verb tenses of the fifth most spoken language in the world.

1. Start with the present

When learning French conjugation, start with the present tense. Focus on -er verbs first – they have an easy pattern you can quickly grasp. That way, you’ll gain confidence early on. Once you’re comfortable with the present tense, the subjunctive, conditional, and past tenses will be much easier to tackle.

This step-by-step approach ensures you grow your skills steadily without feeling overwhelmed.

2. Embrace the irregulars

Those pesky irregular verbs can seem daunting, but instead of avoiding them, tackle them head-on. Start with the giants, such as “être,” “avoir,” and “aller” – as they are common verbs, coming across them won’t be a struggle. Remember, frequent exposure (also known as the spacing effect) is the best way to retain new information and, therefore, master French conjugations.

3. Speak, spell, succeed

Take a page from the popular French learning YouTuber behind MyFrenchStory by saying the conjugations out loud and spelling the words without their endings. This technique, commonly used by French children in schools, is incredibly effective. Watch this video by MyFrenchStory to learn more about this French conjugation technique.

4. Immerse yourself in the language

Let French and its conjugations seep into your daily life. Set your gadgets (smartphone, tablet, Fitbit, etc.) to French, indulge in French cinema, browse French news, and tune into French podcasts. By weaving the language into your daily routine, you can transform mundane tasks into enriching learning experiences.

5. Make mistakes

According to renowned language-learning expert Benny Lewis, making mistakes is the only way to learn a language. Therefore, get stuck in and try out new sentence structures when speaking. To ensure you master those tricky irregular verbs, team up with a French-speaking buddy or professional tutor who will point out your errors so you can learn from them.

Let’s start conjugating!

You just made an important step! With this list of French verb conjugations, you’re one step closer to parler le français with confidence.

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