Introduction to Regular Verbs In -Er, -Ir, And -Re

Goal: To explain the concept of verb regularity and introduce the three main types of regular verbs.

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What are regular verbs in English?

If you feel that you don't need to review English regular and irregular verbs, click here.

Regular verbs are verbs that follow a specific pattern of endings when conjugated. To some extent, regular verbs are present in English.

Let's look at the English verb "to want." When used with different subjects or subject pronouns, this verb has different endings.

I want
You want
(S)he wants
We want
They want

Notice that all the endings are the same except for (s)he. Now let's look at other verbs in English.

to like:

I like
You like
(S)he likes
We like
They like

to eat:

I eat
You eat
(S)he eats
We eat
They eat

to see:

I see
You see
(S)he sees
We see
They see

All of these verbs follow a pattern! The pattern is: all the conjugations are the same, except for the (s)he conjugation, which adds an "s." Because a large number of English verbs follow this pattern, these are regular verbs.

But what are irregular verbs in English? Here's one:

to be:

I am
You are
(S)he is
We are
They are

Notice that the verb "to be" does not follow the regular verb pattern. In English, "to be" is an irregular verb.

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Les Verbes Réguliers En Français

In French, there are a great number of regular verbs. However, unlike in English, all French regular verbs do not follow the same pattern. There are three main patterns of regular verbs, which are identified by their endings. That is, verbs that end in -er follow a certain pattern, verbs that end in -ir follow a different pattern, and verbs that end in -re follow a third pattern.

In all regular verbs, only the suffix of the verb is changed. Need help distinguishing the suffix from the stem of the verb? Usually it is the last two or three letters. Look at the following unconjugated verbs. The stem is in green, the suffix is in red.

aider
finir
vendre

In the following verb charts, you will find only the ending of the verb given to explain the pattern. So, for example, if what's given is "-s," you will know that to form that specific conjugation you need to drop the suffix and add an "s" onto the stem of the verb.

The -Er Pattern

In lesson 4, you learned an -er verb, aimer. All regular -er verbs follow the same pattern as aimer. The example verb in this chart is "aider," which means "to help."

Verbes Réguliers En -Er: Une Liste

These are some regular -er verbs that fit the pattern described above.

Beware the Imposter!
The following verb looks like a regular -er verb but isn't:

aller (to go)

Beware this verb! It is conjugated unlike other verbs ending in -er! It is irregular! For more information about this verb, click on it!

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The -Ir Pattern

The example verb in this chart is "finir," which means "to finish."

Verbes Réguliers En -Ir: Une Liste

These are some regular -ir verbs that fit the pattern described above.

Beware the Imposters!
The following verbs look like regular -ir verbs but aren't:

dormir
partir
sortir

These verbs are conjugated using the pattern below. The example verb in this chart is "dormir," which means "to sleep."

Beware these verbs! They are conjugated unlike other verbs ending in -ir!

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The -Re Pattern

The example verb in this chart is "vendre," which means "to sell."

Verbes Réguliers En -Re: Une Liste

These are some regular -re verbs that fit the pattern described above.

Beware the Imposters!
The following verbs look like regular -re verbs but aren't:

connaître
dire
lire
rire
faire

Beware these verbs! They are conjugated unlike other verbs ending in -re! They are irregular!

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(Do you know the regular verbs? Click here to find out!)

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