Same stem (parl-) throughout; only the ending changes with the subject. That is the whole engine.
Conjugate any regular verb and the top irregulars in the present without hesitation, and write an opinion paragraph in which every verb agrees with its subject — zero infinitives-as-main-verb and zero agreement errors.
About nine in ten French verbs end in -er, and they all conjugate the same way. Master this one pattern and you can conjugate the vast majority of verbs you'll ever write.
Take the infinitive (parler), remove -er to get the stem (parl-), then add: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.
The endings -e, -es, -ent are all silent — je parle, tu parles, ils parlent sound identical. But the grader reads your writing, so the ending must be correct on the page even though your ear can't hear it.
je → j' before a vowel: j'aime, j'habite, j'écoute. And two spelling adjustments keep the sound soft in the nous form: manger → nous mangeons (keep the e), commencer → nous commençons (ç). Full treatment in Tab 4.
Conjugate: (a) je (penser) (b) nous (habiter) (c) ils (regarder) (d) vous (écouter). → (a) je pense (b) nous habitons (c) ils regardent (d) vous écoutez.
Two smaller families with their own endings. They're fully regular within the family — learn one model of each and you have them all.
Drop -ir, add: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. Note the -iss- in the plural.
Drop -re, add: -s, -s, — (nothing), -ons, -ez, -ent. The il/elle form has no ending after the stem.
Conjugate: (a) tu (choisir) (b) nous (finir) (c) il (répondre) (d) ils (vendre). → (a) tu choisis (b) nous finissons (c) il répond (d) ils vendent.
A small set of very common verbs is irregular — but because you use them constantly, they stick fast. These are the highest-value conjugations in French; know them cold.
| être be | avoir have | aller go | faire do/make | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je/j' | suis | ai | vais | fais |
| tu | es | as | vas | fais |
| il/elle/on | est | a | va | fait |
| nous | sommes | avons | allons | faisons |
| vous | êtes | avez | allez | faites |
| ils/elles | sont | ont | vont | font |
| pouvoir can | vouloir want | devoir must | |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | peux | veux | dois |
| tu | peux | veux | dois |
| il/elle/on | peut | veut | doit |
| nous | pouvons | voulons | devons |
| vous | pouvez | voulez | devez |
| ils/elles | peuvent | veulent | doivent |
Remember from Chapter 1: after a modal, the second verb stays in the infinitive — je veux partir, on doit respecter, je peux aider.
| venir come | prendre take | voir see | dire say | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | viens | prends | vois | dis |
| tu | viens | prends | vois | dis |
| il/elle/on | vient | prend | voit | dit |
| nous | venons | prenons | voyons | disons |
| vous | venez | prenez | voyez | dites |
| ils/elles | viennent | prennent | voient | disent |
Conjugate: (a) nous (être) (b) ils (avoir) (c) elle (aller) (d) on (devoir) partir. → (a) nous sommes (b) ils ont (c) elle va (d) on doit partir.
Some -er verbs are regular in their endings but adjust their stem (or spelling) to keep the pronunciation right. The pattern is predictable: the change happens in every form except nous and vous.
| manger (-ger) | nous mangeons (keep the e for a soft g) |
| commencer (-cer) | nous commençons (ç for a soft c) |
| payer (-yer) | je paie / nous payons (y → i in the boot) |
Conjugate: (a) je (préférer) (b) nous (manger) (c) il (appeler) (d) nous (commencer). → (a) je préfère (b) nous mangeons (c) il appelle (d) nous commençons.
Reflexive (pronominal) verbs carry an extra pronoun (me, te, se…) that refers back to the subject — used for daily routine and many common actions. Then: exactly when to use the present tense.
Negation wraps the verb, pronoun included: Je ne me lève pas tôt. Before a vowel, me/te/se → m'/t'/s': je m'appelle, il s'habille.
(a) Conjugate: nous (se coucher). (b) Make negative: Elle se repose. (c) depuis or il y a: "J'étudie le français ___ un an." → (a) nous nous couchons (b) Elle ne se repose pas (c) depuis un an.
Keep this tab open while you write. The regular endings, the top irregulars, the stem-changers and the common reflexives — all in one place, sorted for fast lookup.
| -er (parler) | -ir (finir) | -re (attendre) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | -e | -is | -s |
| tu | -es | -is | -s |
| il/elle | -e | -it | — |
| nous | -ons | -issons | -ons |
| vous | -ez | -issez | -ez |
| ils/elles | -ent | -issent | -ent |
| verb | je | nous | ils |
|---|---|---|---|
| être | suis | sommes | sont |
| avoir | ai | avons | ont |
| aller | vais | allons | vont |
| faire | fais | faisons | font |
| prendre | prends | prenons | prennent |
| venir | viens | venons | viennent |
| pouvoir | peux | pouvons | peuvent |
| vouloir | veux | voulons | veulent |
| devoir | dois | devons | doivent |
| savoir | sais | savons | savent |
| voir | vois | voyons | voient |
| dire | dis | disons | disent |
| mettre | mets | mettons | mettent |
| partir | pars | partons | partent |
| dormir | dors | dormons | dorment |
| e → è | acheter → j'achète · nous achetons |
| é → è | préférer → je préfère · nous préférons |
| double consonant | appeler → j'appelle · jeter → je jette |
| -ger / -cer | manger → nous mangeons · commencer → nous commençons |
| -yer | payer → je paie · employer → j'emploie |
The same idea, climbing from wrong/uncertain verbs to confident, agreed conjugation. Read the why — each fix is a saved mark on the most frequent word in the sentence.
| ① Poor | Je penser les gens travailler beaucoup. | infinitives left as main verbs. |
| ② Basic | Je pense. Les gens travaillent beaucoup. | conjugated, but choppy (Ch2). |
| ③ Strong | Je pense que les gens travaillent beaucoup. | « que » clause + agreement. |
| ④ Exam-ready | À mon avis, les gens travaillent trop et ne se reposent pas assez. | opinion + reflexive + negation, all in the present. CLB-7 texture. |
| ① Poor | Je lève à 7h, je prend le bus, je commence travail. | reflexive dropped, prend/commence errors. |
| ② Basic | Je me lève à 7 h et je prends le bus. | reflexive + irregular fixed. |
| ③ Strong | Chaque matin, je me lève à 7 h, puis je prends le bus pour aller au travail. | habit marker + sequence + purpose. |
| ④ Exam-ready | Je me lève tôt car je commence à huit heures, mais le week-end, je me repose. | cause + contrast + two reflexives. Rich, correct. |
Five short paragraphs where every verb agrees. Read aloud, then imitate.
On your re-read, do a dedicated verb pass: underline every verb and check (1) is it conjugated (not an infinitive)? (2) does the ending match the subject? (3) is the irregular/stem form right? This single pass removes most Section-B grammar errors.
Climb for "I get up early, I go to work": write a ② and a ④ version. → ② Je me lève tôt et je vais au travail. ④ Je me lève tôt car je commence à huit heures, mais le week-end, je me repose.
Verbs are the most frequent words you write, so verb errors are the most frequently counted. Learn each with its code (used in the mock, Section 12).
The 30-second verb self-check. On every verb: (1) conjugated, not an infinitive? (2) ending matches the subject? (3) irregular/stem form correct? (4) être vs avoir right (age, states)? (5) reflexive pronoun present? Run it and you kill the whole family.
Type the correct present-tense form, then check against the guide. Start with the regular families, then irregulars, stem-changers and reflexives.
Set A: je parle · nous habitons · ils regardent | tu finis · nous choisissons · il réussit | j'attends · il répond · ils vendent.
Set B: nous sommes · ils ont · elle va · vous faites | je peux · on doit · ils prennent · nous venons.
Set C: je préfère · nous mangeons · il appelle | je me lève · nous nous couchons.
Set D (one model): Chaque matin, je me réveille à sept heures. Ensuite, je prends le petit-déjeuner et je vais au travail. Le soir, je fais du sport, puis je me couche.
Deliberate practice on every family and the key irregulars, stem-changers, reflexives and uses of the present. Pick a category and aim for automatic conjugation.
Correct: 0Six levels from single verbs to a timed opinion paragraph. After each, run the 30-second verb self-check from Section 8.
Use at least one reflexive, two irregulars, and one habit marker (chaque jour, souvent, le matin).
Task: in 12 minutes, write an opinion paragraph (6–8 sentences): « Faut-il travailler pour vivre ou vivre pour travailler ? » Use je pense que, on doit, il faut and stay in the present. Then run the verb pass and count errors by code.
☐ Every verb is conjugated (no infinitive as main verb) ☐ endings match subjects ☐ irregulars/stem forms correct ☐ être vs avoir right ☐ reflexive pronouns present ☐ opinion verbs in the present.
Turn practice into a score. Do the mock, run a dedicated verb pass with the error codes, then submit to the AI grader. New verb codes this chapter, on top of the earlier codes.
Prompt: In 8–10 sentences, give your opinion on: « Est-il important d'apprendre plusieurs langues ? » Use je pense que, on doit, il faut, at least one reflexive, and stay in the present. ~15 min.
| code | meaning | fix |
|---|---|---|
| VERB-INF | infinitive used as main verb | conjugate it to the subject |
| VERB-CONJ | wrong ending / form | match the subject; check irregular tables |
| STEM | stem/spelling change missed | e→è, é→è, double consonant, ge/ç |
| REFL | reflexive pronoun missing/misplaced | me/te/se before the verb; ne before it |
| ETRE-AVOIR | wrong être/avoir | age/states → avoir; description → être |
| USAGE | wrong tense choice | depuis/habit/opinion → present |
Still counted: SV-AGR · SUBJ-MISS · COMMA · RUN-ON · SUBORD · REL · ART · GENRE · CONTR · DE-NEG · PONCT. (Ch1 · Ch2 · Ch3)
Je pense que les langues sont utiles. On doit apprendre le français. Les gens travaillent beaucoup. Je me lève tôt pour étudier. Nous préférons la pratique. J'ai 30 ans et je suis fatigué ; j'ai faim.Six verb errors removed — same ideas, now accurate.
AI-first grading. After self-correcting, paste your paragraph into the grader on the Expression écrite page for a second opinion. Self-correct first, grade second.
Twenty-two questions across the whole chapter. Aim for 19/22 before Phase 2. Miss one → re-read the matching section.
Score: 0 / 2219–22 → Phase 1 verb engine complete. 15–18 → review Sections 1–5 + drills. Below 15 → redo Sections 1–3, one tab per sitting.
Don't move on until every box is honestly ticked. With correct verbs in place, you have the full Phase 1 foundation — correct, connected, article-accurate, correctly-conjugated sentences.
☐ I know the -er/-ir/-re endings by heart. ☐ I conjugate être/avoir/aller/faire + modals from memory. ☐ I know the stem-change "boot" pattern. ☐ I place reflexive pronouns correctly. ☐ I know when the present is the right tense.
☐ Every verb I write is conjugated (no infinitive as main verb). ☐ Endings match subjects. ☐ Irregular and stem forms are correct. ☐ être vs avoir is right. ☐ I write an opinion paragraph fully in the present.
☐ I run a dedicated verb pass on re-read. ☐ I can label verb errors with the codes. ☐ In a paragraph I have ≤2 verb errors.
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