faire ‘to do, to make’

The verb faire is irregular in the present tense.

Note the vous form faites. It is unusual because it does not end in -ez. Faire is one of only three verbs where this is the case (The others are être: vous êtes, and dire: vous dites ). You may notice, too, the similarity in the third person plural forms of aller, être, and faire:

• ils vont (they go),
• ils sont (they are), and
• ils font (they do/make).

Listen carefully to the following sentences. Although faire is often used in a question, it does not automatically have to be used in the response.

Faire is used in many expressions, including weather, sports, and household tasks.

Listening Comprehension:

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faire expressions

The verb faire is used in many impersonal weather expressions.

Other weather expressions which do not use faire include:

Faire is also used to talk about sports and leisure activities. Here is a list of common expressions.

Faire is also used in many expressions dealing with household chores.

-ir verbs (irregular) partir, sortir, and dormir

The verbs partir, sortir, and dormir are irregular in the present tense, that is, they are not conjugated like regular -ir verbs. Listen carefully to the pronunciation of these verbs, noting especially the pronunciation of the consonant sound in the plural forms. Can you hear the difference between the singular and the plural forms in the third person?

Listening Comprehension

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-er verbs (stem changing) present tense

Spelling changes occur in the stems of several groups of -er verbs in the present tense. These spelling changes reflect the pronunciation of the present tense forms.

You may have already noticed the spelling change in the verb s’appeler (Je m’appelle …, My name is …). For verbs like appeler (to call), rappeler (to call back) and jeter (to throw), the consonant -l or -t in the the stem doubles in all forms of the present tense, except in the first and second person plural (nous and vous). This follows the traditional boot pattern of -er verb conjugations in the present tense.

This same “boot” pattern is repeated in spelling change verbs like préférer (to prefer). In these verbs the é in the last syllable of the stem changes to an è, except in the first and second person plural (nous and vous). Listen carefully to the different pronunciations of é and è in the conjugations below.

Verbs conjugated like préférer include:

• considérer, to consider
• espérer, to hope
• régler, to regulate, pay, settle, adjust
• répéter,to repeat
• sécher, to dry, skip (a class)

In verbs which are conjugated like acheter (to buy), the e in the last syllable of the stem also changes to an è, again with the exception of the first and second person plural forms.

Verbs conjugated like acheter include:

• amener, to bring somebody (along)
• emmener, to take somebody (along)
• lever, to lift, raise
• mener, to take, lead
• peser, to weigh

Another group of stem-changing verbs include those ending in –ayer, including essayer (to try) and payer (to pay). In these verbs the y changes to i in all persons except the first and second person plural (nous and vous).

Finally, verbs ending in -ger like voyager (to travel) add an e after the g in the nous form of the present tense, so that the g is pronounced as a soft sound before the –ons ending (i.e. nous voyageons). Similarly, in verbs ending in –cer, commencer (to start), for example, the c in the nous form changes to ç to keep the soft c sound (nous commençons).

Other verbs in this category include:

• corriger, to correct
• exiger, to demand, require
• manger, to eat
• nager, to swim
• partager, to share
• ranger, to tidy up, arrange
• rédiger, to write, compose
• songer, to dream, reflect

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aller ‘to go’

The verb aller is irregular in the present tense. Listen carefully to the pronunciation of the -s in the plural forms nous and vous forms. This -s is pronounced as a /z/ to link with the vowel sound in the plural forms allons and allez.

Aller literally means ‘to go’, but is used figuratively in salutations to say how one is doing.

Aller is also used to talk about the near future, what one is ‘going to do.’

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futur proche

Formation

There are two future tenses in French, the simple future and the near future (le futur proche). The futur proche is usually translated into English as going + infinitive (e.g., going to eat, going to drink, going to talk). The futur proche is characteristic of spoken French but may be used in informal writing. It is formed with the verb aller (to go) conjugated in the present tense followed by an infinitive.

To negate the futur proche, place ne … pas around the conjugated form of aller: Je ne vais pas nager. (I am not going to swim).

Uses

The futur proche is used to refer to most future events in informal conversation. For details on usage see future: usage.

aller in the imperfect + infinitive

The construction aller + infinitive is also found with the verb aller in the imperfect (l’imparfait) to indicate what someone was going to do. For example:

prepositions with places

Prepositions are used in expressions which relate where you are, where you are going and where you are coming from. The preposition used in such expressions depends on the geographic location discussed.