-re verbs (regular)

Verbs with infinitives ending in -re form a third group of regular verbs, often called ‘third conjugation’ verbs. To form the present tense conjugations of these verbs, drop the -re from the infinitive and add the third conjugation endings (-s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent) to the resulting stem. As you listen, note especially that the final -d and -ds in the singular forms are silent. In the third person plural the ‘d’ consonant sound of the stem is pronounced because of the -ent ending. Can you hear the difference in the pronunciation of the singular and plural forms of the third person? (il vs. ils).

Here is a list of common regular -re verbs:

Not all verbs ending in -re follow this pattern, however. Irregular -re verbs include prendre, mettre, suivre and vivre.

Listening Comprehension:

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contractions of à and de with definite article

The prepositions à or de contract with the definite articles le and les to give the following forms:

• de + le = du
• de + les = des
• à + le = au       
• à + les = aux

La and l’ on the other hand do not contract after à and de. Note that these contractions also occur with two- and three-word prepositions ending with à or de (jusqu’à, près de, loin de, à côté de, etc.).

demonstrative determiners

forms

Demonstrative determiners (‘this’, ‘these’, ‘that’ or ‘those’) are used to point out things or people. They are also sometimes called demonstrative adjectives (in French ‘adjectifs démonstratifs’); they agree in number and gender with the noun they introduce.

Note that liaison is compulsory between ces and words starting with a vowel or a silent h.

uses

In general, demonstrative determiners designate something one can see or show:

-ci and -là

Demonstrative determiners can designate something close or far away: in order to distinguish between two or more elements, you can add the suffixes -ci or -là to the demonstrative determiner. The suffix -ci indicates that the item is relatively near to the speaker; -là suggests that something is farther away. In English, they are generally translated by ‘this’ and ‘that’:

Listen to the dialogue:

passé composé with avoir

uses

The passé composé is the most commonly used tense to refer to actions completed in the past. The passé composé may be translated into English in three different ways depending on the context.

formation

This tense is called the passé composé because it is composed of two elements: the present tense of an auxiliary verb (either avoir or être), followed by a past participle:

passé composé = present tense of auxiliary + past participle

Note that in most instances the auxiliary verb is avoir, but some verbs require être as the auxiliary.

For regular verbs with an infinitive ending in -er, the past participle is formed by replacing the final -er of the infinitive with -é. Listen carefully to the pronunciation of the passé composé of the verb ‘parler’. The past participle (parlé) is pronounced the same as the infinitive (parler), even though they are spelled differently.

The past participle of regular verbs with an infinitive ending in -ir is formed by dropping the final -r from the infinitive. For example, the past participle of finir is fini.

The past participle of regular verbs with an infinitive ending in -re is formed by replacing the final -re of the infinitive with -u. For example, the past participle of perdre is perdu.

Note that many verbs, however, have irregular past participles. The past participles of many common irregular verbs which have avoir as an auxiliary are listed below.

negation

Negation of the passé composé is formed by placing ne … pas around the conjugated verb, which, in this case, is the auxiliary avoir.

Listen to the following dialogue:

passé composé with être

uses

There are several past tenses in French, and each is used in very specific situations. The passé composé is the most common past tense; it is used to relate actions or events completed in the past. The passé composé may be translated into English in three different ways depending on the context.

formation

The passé composé consists of two parts, the present tense of an auxiliary, or helping verb (either avoir or être), and a past participle. In most instances the auxiliary verb used is avoir.

passé composé = present tense of auxiliary + past participle

However, several intransitive verbs, like aller (to go), require the auxiliary être instead. Note that the past participle agrees with the subject in number and in gender.

The negation is formed by placing ne  … pas around the conjugated verb, which in this case, is the auxiliary être: Je ne suis pas allé(e), Tu n’es pas allé(e), etc.

the Alamo of être

Many intransitive verbs, that is, verbs not followed by a direct object, take être in the passé composé. Many of these verbs also indicate motion. They are verbs of coming and going. Even naître (to be born) and mourir (to die) can be thought of as coming and going in metaphorical terms. The Alamo d’Être illustrates this group of verbs.

A few of these verbs of movement (monter, descendre, sortir, passer, retourner) may sometimes take a direct object, thus becoming transitive. When they do, the auxiliary used is avoir, instead of être. Example:

It is important to note that many intransitive verbs of movement, like courir and marcher, do not use être but avoir. The pronominal verbs form another important group of verbs which use être as the auxiliary in the passé composé.

irregular past participles

The past participles of the verbs that use être as an auxiliary are regular except for the following:

agreement of the past participles

The past participle of a verb which takes être agrees in gender and number with the subject; that means an –e is added to the past participle to agree with a feminine subject and an –s is added for a plural subject. If the subject is feminine plural, –es is added.