Last updated on October 26th, 2026 at 07:00 pm
Conjugation is the part of French grammar that worries learners most. The good news: once you see how the system is organised, most verbs follow a small number of patterns. This guide gives you the map: the three verb groups, the moods and tenses, and the irregular verbs worth learning first.
Key points
- French verbs fall into three groups: -er verbs, regular -ir verbs, and everything else.
- About 90% of French verbs belong to the first group and follow the pattern of parler.
- To conjugate a verb you need three things: the mood, the tense and the person.
- Learn être, avoir, aller and faire by heart first: they are irregular and you use them all the time.
The three groups of French verbs
| Group | Infinitive ending | Model verb | Regular? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st group | -er | parler (to speak) | Yes, except aller |
| 2nd group | -ir, with -issons in the nous form | finir (to finish) | Yes |
| 3rd group | -ir, -oir, -re | prendre, pouvoir, partir | No |
First group. Verbs ending in -er, like parler, manger, travailler, aimer, regarder, écouter. New verbs that enter the language join this group too: googler, liker.
Second group. Verbs ending in -ir that add -iss- in the plural: nous finissons, vous réussissez. Many come from adjectives, especially colours: rougir (to blush), jaunir (to turn yellow), vieillir (to grow old).
Third group. All the other verbs: être, avoir, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, prendre, savoir, devoir, partir. They are irregular, but they share families: prendre, apprendre and comprendre are conjugated the same way.
Watch out: aller ends in -er but belongs to the third group: je vais, nous allons, ils vont.
Present tense of the two regular models
| Person | parler (1st group) | finir (2nd group) |
|---|---|---|
| je | parle | finis |
| tu | parles | finis |
| il / elle / on | parle | finit |
| nous | parlons | finissons |
| vous | parlez | finissez |
| ils / elles | parlent | finissent |
The -ent ending of ils parlent is silent: parle, parles and parlent sound exactly the same.
Mood, tense and person
Every conjugated verb answers three questions:
- The mood: indicatif (facts), subjonctif (wishes, doubt, necessity), conditionnel (hypotheses, politeness), impératif (orders and advice).
- The tense: présent, passé composé, imparfait, futur, plus-que-parfait and so on.
- The person: je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles.
For example: Il faut que j’aille au supermarché. Faut is the present indicative, third person singular. Aille is the present subjunctive of aller, first person singular. And in Si nous étions riches, nous achèterions une maison, étions is the imparfait and achèterions the present conditional, both in the nous form.
Which tenses to learn first
You do not need every tense to hold a conversation. A practical order:
- Present tense, for most everyday situations.
- Passé composé, to tell what happened.
- Imparfait, to describe the past. Our page on passé composé vs imparfait shows when to use each.
- Futur proche and futur simple, to talk about plans.
- Imperative, for instructions and advice.
- Subjunctive, after il faut que, je veux que, bien que.
The irregular verbs to learn by heart
Ten verbs cover a large share of what you say every day: être, avoir, aller, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, savoir, prendre, venir. Learn their present tense and their past participle (été, eu, allé, fait, pu, voulu, dû, su, pris, venu) and you can already build most sentences.
Tip: use a conjugation table such as Le Conjugueur to check a form, but practise in sentences. A verb you have said out loud ten times sticks far better than a table you have read.
Going further
Spot the classic traps in our article on common French mistakes, or test yourself with a free French level test. To practise conjugation in real conversation, try our French conversation lessons.
Frequently asked questions
How many groups of verbs are there in French?
Three. The first group is -er verbs like parler, the second group is -ir verbs with -issons in the nous form like finir, and the third group gathers all the irregular verbs.
Is aller a first group verb?
No. Aller ends in -er but is irregular (je vais, nous allons, ils vont), so it belongs to the third group.
Which French tenses should a beginner learn first?
The present tense, then the passé composé, the imparfait and the futur proche. Those four cover most everyday conversations.
What are the most important irregular French verbs?
Être, avoir, aller, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, savoir, prendre and venir. Learn their present tense and past participle first.
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