Section 5 / Lecture 37 – Introduction to Section 5

This section is about the three conjugation patterns, about some irregularities in conjugation
of verbs and about irregular verbs.

Our lectures in this section:

Aimer et adorer – Regular -er Verbs

Time for the first conjugation pattern. We already talked about it in Section 3, so let´s just re-
vise. Most infinitives in French end in –er. This conjugation pattern is predominant. In this lec-
ture we’ll see again what all the personal forms look like.

Choisir et finir – Regular –ir Verbs

In this lecture we’ll discuss another conjugation pattern. Some verbs end in –ir in their infini-
tive forms. Let’s see how they are conjugated.

Attendre et perdre – Regular –re Verbs

And one more conjugation pattern. Some verbs end in –re in their infinitive forms. Let’s have a
look at some examples and see how they are conjugated.

Nous commençons, nous mangeons – Regular Verbs with Spelling Changes

Some French verbs change their spelling in a systematic way. Apart from that they may be
regular in all or at least some tenses. In this lecture we´ll talk about verbs that change their
spelling but are otherwise regular in the present tense.

Je me lève – Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs in English are not very common. In French it´s a totally different story. There
are lots of reflexive verbs. In this lecture we´ll see how they are formed and we´ll have a look
at some examples.
On va chanter – The Verb aller (to go)
In this lecture we’ll see how to use the irregular verb to go. This verb is totally irregular, so you
have to memorize all the forms. It´s also used in many expressions where it´s not literally
translated into English.

Je prends un taxi - The Verb prendre (to take)

In this lecture we´ll have a look at the verb prendre, which basically means to take and some
derivative verbs that are conjugated the same way.

Je sais, je connais - The Verbs savoir, connaître (to know)

In this lecture we´ll learn two irregular verbs that correspond to the English verb to know.

Je fais, tu fais - The Verb faire (to do)

In this lecture we´ll learn just one verb, faire, to do / to make. But besides its basic meaning,
this verb is used in lots of other contexts. In this lecture we’ll only touch on the topic.

Je pars – Irregular –ir Verbs

In this lecture we’ll be talking about a group of –ir verbs that conjugate in a different way than
they normally do. Here belong some commonly used verbs.

Je viens de Paris – The Verb venir (to come) and such like
In this lecture we´ll learn the verb venir, which means to come, and also some other verbs that
are inflected the same way.

Je dis, tu dis - The Verb dire (to say)

In this lecture we´ll learn the irregular verb dire, which means to say. We´ll also learn some
useful expressions with this verb.
Je peux, je veux, je dois - The Verbs pouvoir, vouloir, devoir (can, to want, must)
In this lecture we´ll learn the irregular pouvoir which means can or may. We´ll also learn the
verb vouloir, which means to want, and the verb devoir, to have to, to owe.

Je mets mon manteau - The Verb mettre (to put) and such like
In this lecture we´ll learn the irregular verb mettre. We´ll also learn other verbs that conjugate
in a similar way.

Je reçois, je conduis, je crains - Irregular Verbs Ending in –cevoir, -uire, -ndre

In this lecture we’ll be talking about three groups of irregular verbs. These are verbs whose
infinitives end in –cevoir, -uire and –ndre. Let’s discuss them one by one.

Voir, rire, vivre – Other Irregular Verbs

In this lecture we´ll learn some more irregular verbs and that will be it for now. It doesn´t
mean there are no more irregular verbs, actually there are many more, but we´ll be learning
them as need arises in the future lectures.