French Bites Open the app

Verb patterns

French -er, -ir, and -re verbs

Most everyday French verbs follow one of three regular patterns — -er (parler), -ir (finir), or -re (vendre). Learn one model verb per group and you can conjugate hundreds of others without starting from zero each time.

You do not need a separate table for every verb in every tense — you need three stems drilled in the five tenses you actually use. New to conjugation? Start with the roadmap.

You don't need to know every tense. You need to actually remember the ones you use.

How to read an infinitive

The infinitive ending tells you which pattern applies. Strip it to get the stem, then attach the endings for the person (je, tu, il…) and tense. That is the whole system for regular verbs.

Group 1 — Regular -er verbs (start here)

The vast majority of French verbs are regular -er: parler, aimer, travailler, manger (with spelling tweaks in some forms). -er is by far the largest group — most new verbs entering French (tech terms, borrowed words) default to this pattern. Model verb: parler (to speak).

Présent

Pick any new -er verb — écouter, habiter — and run the same six endings on its stem. In French Bites, search the verb and drill the yellow présent column until the pattern feels automatic.

Same stem in other core tenses (regular -er)

Group 2 — Regular -ir verbs (finir pattern)

Regular -ir verbs use the finir pattern — not every verb ending in -ir is regular. Partir, dormir, and ouvrir look like -ir but skip the -iss- endings in nous / vous and use a different present set instead.

Présent — model: finir (to finish)

Same pattern on choisir, réussir, grandir. Notice nous and vous insert -iss- before the ending — that is the signature of this group.

Other core tenses (regular -ir)

Irregular -ir subgroup — model: partir (to leave)

Same shape on sortir and dormir — no -iss- in the plural. Search any of these in French Bites to drill the full matrix; a dedicated guide to this subgroup is on our guides roadmap.

Group 3 — Regular -re verbs

The smallest regular group. Model verb: vendre (to sell). Many common -re verbs — prendre, mettre, faire — are irregular; learn the regular pattern first, then add those as exceptions.

Présent

Third person singular has no extra ending — just the stem vend. Same idea on attendre, descendre, entendre.

Other core tenses (regular -re)

Common mistake — futur simple with -re verbs: vendre → je vendrai, not vendreai. The final -e of the infinitive always drops before futur and conditionnel endings (je vendrais, not vendreais).

Quick comparison (present tense)

Same six persons, three different ending sets:

What this does not cover (and that is fine)

Three regular patterns get you far — but several high-frequency topics deserve their own pages. We are building them on the guides column; for now, treat these as separate tracks after your three model verbs feel automatic:

Master one regular model per group in présent first, then add exceptions — not the other way around. See how to memorize conjugation for drill tactics.

Drill the patterns in French Bites

Search any regular verb and practice one tense column at a time — same colors every session:

Work through one group (-er only, then -ir, then -re) before mixing all three in a single session — otherwise endings blur together.

FAQ

What are the three French verb groups?

By infinitive ending: -er (parler, aimer), -ir (finir, choisir — the regular -ir pattern), and -re (vendre, attendre). -er verbs are by far the largest group — most new verbs entering French (tech terms, borrowed words) default to this pattern. Learn one model verb per group in the present tense and you can conjugate hundreds of new verbs without memorizing each one separately.

How do you conjugate regular -er verbs in French?

Remove -er from the infinitive to get the stem, then add present endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. Example with parler: je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent. The same stem system repeats in imparfait (parlais…), futur simple (parlerai…), and conditionnel (parlerais…).

How do you conjugate regular -ir verbs in French?

Regular -ir verbs like finir use -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent in the present: je finis, tu finis, il finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent. Not every -ir verb is regular — partir uses je pars, tu pars, il part (no -iss-). When in doubt, look up the verb or drill it in a conjugation matrix.

What is the difference between -re and -er verbs in French?

-er and -re verbs use different present-tense endings. Regular -re verbs like vendre take -s, -s, (no ending), -ons, -ez, -ent: je vends, tu vends, il vend, nous vendons, vous vendez, ils vendent. In futur simple, -re verbs drop the final -e before adding future endings (vendrai, not vendreai). Many high-frequency -re verbs (prendre, mettre) are irregular — treat them as exceptions after you know the regular pattern.

Do regular verb patterns work in all five core tenses?

Mostly yes for truly regular verbs. Present, imparfait, futur simple, and conditionnel présent all build on the same stem logic; passé composé uses avoir or être plus a past participle (parlé, fini, vendu). Focus on présent patterns first, then drill each tense column separately in French Bites — yellow présent, green imparfait, blue futur, purple conditionnel, red passé composé.

Try it: search parler, finir, or vendre and drill one color-coded tense.

Open French Bites — free

Related guides: How many French tenses do you need? · how to learn conjugation · how to memorize conjugation · tense order · verbs to learn first · daily practice · all guides