LEVEL 2 BASIC FRENCH COURSE

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT 

BASIC FRENCH COURSE LEVEl 2

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF WORLD CULTURE

BANGALORE 

Course Director : Sri. T. K. Jayaraman IRS ( Retired)

FROM  07/06/2015  to 19/ 07/ 2015

The Basic French Course Level 1 commenced on 19/04/2015 and concluded on 23/06/2015. The participants attended the classes with great interest . Some of the participants of the Level1 course desired that the course can be continued for a higher level course. Therefore, it is proposed to conduct a level 2 course from 07/ 06/ 2015 to 19/ 07/ 2015. There will be seven sessions , each ,once in a week on Sundays only. The total duration of the course will be 20 hours. Each session will be for 3 hours with a tea break for 15 minutes. It is tentatively fixed from 9-45 am to 1 pm. The final session will be for 2hours only.

As the interval between two consecutive sessions will be one week, the participants are expected to work hard to attain a good proficiency by completing the assignments to be given to them during every session. Every participant is expected to take part in all learning activities which are proposed. Further, it is desired that the participants attend all the sessions without fail.

In each session , equal time will be devoted to instruction, speaking practice and tutorials . Course materials will be supplied for all sessions.

ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION TO BASIC FRENCH COURSE LEVEL 2

1. Any person who has successfully completed the Basic French Course conducted during 19/04 to 23/05/2015  in this Institute. OR

2. School/ College students who have taken French as one of the subjects. This course will help them deepen their knowledge of French. OR

3. Any person preparing for A!/A2 level conducted by the French Government . OR

4. Any person having basic knowledge of French , having studied it at some earlier period and who likes to pick up lost threads. OR

5. Any other highly motivated learner who is confident of coping with the demands of this course.

6. There is no age limit. But the participant should have basic knowledge of English to follow this course.

COURSE CONTENT

1.Revision of the contents of the Basic Course level 1

2. Conjugation of both regular and irregular verbs in the present tense.

3. Passé Composé and Imparfait .

4. Gender and Number of French Nouns and Adjectives

5. Adverbial expressions.

6. Futur and conditional.

7. Plus que parfait

8. Oral communication in day-to- day life -Introducing oneself and others- asking questions - describing a person /places/ things- talking about oneself - one’s likes /dislikes - one’s activities / habits/ daily life - leaving a message after a telephonic call / giving brief instructions / making purchases / fixing an appointment - inviting , accepting invitation / declining an invitation - getting information - talking about vacation - talking about weather-narrating your past experiences - talking about one’s plans - understanding people whom one meets-understand / write a message - postal card - understanding simple instructions - following  a menu - a cinema programme - tourist  information from pamphlets

9. pronominal verbs

10. French pronouns

11.French Idiomatic expressions

12. Present participle / gerund

13. Vocabulary on following - polite expressions - professions-daily activities -dress/ clothes -household objects-city- stores/ shopping - transport - food - festivals - holidays / vacation - media -weather- dwelling- landscape / countryside - cities .

14. Listening to French Audio clips - listening to RFI - News in Easy French - French Popular Film songs

The course fee will be Rs 2500 / - only + Rs 100 Admission Fee . Those willing to enrol in the course may contact

The Honorary Secretary

Indian Institute of World Culture 

BP Wadia Road 

Basavangudi 

Bangalore - 560004

Phone no 080- 26678581

Interested persons may also contact Sri. T. K. Jayaraman at +919538533363 .

I request well-wishers to share this post in their timeline so that maximum publicity is given to this announcement . Thank you all in advance.

BASIC FRENCH COURSE LEVEL 1 - SECOND BATCH

FRENCH FOR ALL

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT 

BASIC FRENCH COURSE

COURSE DIRECTOR : Sri.T. K. Jayaraman IRS ( Retired)

LEVEL 1    SECOND BATCH  ( 06/06/2015 to 18/07/2015)

The first batch of BASIC FRENCH COURSE level 1 concluded  on 23/05/2015. It is proposed to conduct the second batch of the BASIC FRENCH COURSE LEVEL1 from 06/06/2015  to 18/07/2015. The total duration of the course will be 20 hours. The course will be held on every Saturday from 9-45 am to 1 pm with a tea-break for 15 minutes.Thus it can be noted that the duration of each session will be 3 hours. As usual , notes will be supplied in advance to the participants.  The course fee will be Rs 1500/ - only + Rs100 Admission fee. Interested persons may contact the Honorary Secretary, Indian Institute of World Culture,BP Wadia Road, Bangalore -5600 04 .

As the duration of the course is very short, only those who can attend all the sessions should get themselves enrolled in the course.

Anyone who desires to learn Basic French may enrol in the course.It is expected that the participant possesses adequate knowledge of English as English is the medium language for the course.

There is no age limit for the participants. On completion of the course, a certificate of completion will be issued.

Strict punctuality is expected from the participants. All the exercises should be completed during the tutorial hour allotted for each session . In each session , adequate time will be allotted for ORAL PRACTICE of the participants. Participants are expected to put their heart and soul into the learning process.

The first six sessions will have a duration of three hours each and that of the last session will 2 hours.  When a participant attends any session , he /she should have mastered the contents of the previous sessions. In other words, the learning process will be continual without any break.

Participants may leave their email id which will enable us to send certain communications/ course materials quickly.

Details of each session are given below.

FIRST SESSION 06/06/2015

9-45 am to 10-45 am    1.  FRENCH ALPHABETS / FRENCH DEFINITE ARTICLES

                                     2.  SPELLING ONE’S NAME IN FRENCH

                                     3. ASKING / ANSWERING NAMES

                                     4. FIRST NAME / SURNAME

                                     5. FRENCH NAMES

                                     6. NUMBERS FROM 1 TO 100 IN FRENCH

                                     7. TELLING AGE ( AVOIR)

                                     8.GREETINGS

11am to 12                    9. TELLING ONE’S NATIONALITY(ÊTRE)

                                   10. TELLING PROFESSION

                                    11. ORAL  PRACTICE IN GROUPS OF CONTENTS LEARNT .

12 TO 1PM                   TUTORIALS / WRITING PRACTICE / COMPLETING

                                     WORK SHEETS/ VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT/DAYS OF WEEK,

                                     MONTHS

SECOND SESSION   13/06/2015

9-45 am to 10-45 am       1.BRIEF RECAPITULATION OF CONTENTS OF FIRST SESSION

                                        2.TELLING TIME

                                        3. SIMPLE TIME EXPRESSIONS / FRENCH INDEFINITE ARTICLES

                                        4. TELLING ONE’S LIKES/ DISLIKES/ PREFERENCES

                                        ( AIMER, ADORER, DÉTESSTER, PRÉFÉRER, PLAIRE)

                                        5. NARRATING DAILY ACTIVITIES SEQUENTIALLY

                                        ( PRONOMINAL VERBS, D’ABORD, PUIS, ENSUITE, ENFIN)

                                        6. FIRST GROUP VERBS CONJUGATION

11am to 12                       7. ORAL PRACTICE IN GROUPS

12 to 1pm                         TUTORIALS / VERB DRILLS  FIRST GROUP / PRONOMINAL VERBS /

                                        VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

THIRD SESSION          20/06/2015

9-45 am to 10-45 pm      1. RECAPITULATION OF CONTENTS OF SECOND SESSION

                                       2. FUTUR PROCHE / CONTRACTED ARTICLES

                                       3. PASSÉ  RÉCENT

                                       4. PASSÉ COMPOSÉ

                                       5. DESCRIPTION OF PERSONS / THINGS / ADJECTIVES

                                       6. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

                                       7. DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES

11am to  12                     8. ORAL PRACTICE IN GROUPS

12am to 1 pm                  TUTORIALS/ VERB DRILLS FUTURE PROCHE , PASSÉ RÉCENT,

                                        PASSÉ COMPOSÉ / ADJECTIVES/ VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

FOURTH SESSION         27/06/2015

9-45am to 10-45 pm         1. RECAPITULATION OF CONTENTS OF THIRD SESSION

                                         2. GOING BY TRANSPORT / PARTITIF ARTICLES

                                         3. FINDING YOUR WAY / DIRECTIONS / IMPERATIVES

                                         4. TELLING WEATHER/ WEATHER BULLETIN

                                         5. GOING TO THE DOCTOR

                                         6. NEGATIVE EXPRESSIONS

11am to    12                     7. ORAL PRACTICE IN GROUPS

12 to 1pm                          TUTORIALS/  VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

FIFTH SESSION                04/ 07/ 2015

9-45am to 10-45 am          1. RECAPITULATION OF THE CONTENTS OF FOURTH SESSON

                                          2. ASKING QUESTIONS IN FRENCH

                                          3. FUTURE TENSE

                                          4. FRENCH PREPOSITIONS

                                          5. TONIC PRONOUNS

11am to 12                         6. ORAL PRACTICE IN GROUPS

12 to 1 pm                          TUTORIALS / VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

SIXTH SESSION               11/07/2015

9-45 am to 10-45pm         1.RECAPITULATION OF CONTENTS OF FIFTH SESSION

                                         2.DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS

                                         3. INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS

                                         4. EN, Y

11am to 12                        ORAL PRACTICE IN GROUPS

12 to 1 pm                          TUTORIALS/ VOCABULARY IMPROVEMENT

SEVENTH SESSION           18/07/2015

10-30 am to 12 -30pm          FEEDBACK

                                            CONCLUDING SESSION

                                             DISTRIBUTION OF CERTIFICATES

The Course Director  will propose a few learning activities beyond the classroom hours that will enhance and enrich the learning experience of the participants.

BANGALORE                                                                         T. K. THIMMARAJA SETTY

19/05/2015                                                                              HONORARY SECRETARY                    

                                                                                INDIAN INSTITUTE OF WORLD CULTURE

BP Wadia Road , Basavangudi 

Bangalore - 560004

Phone no : 080- 26678581

A request : Interested persons may contact Sri. T. K. Jayaraman at 09538533363. Well-wishers kindly share this post with their friends to give wide publicity to this announcement . Thanking all in advance.

A REPORT ON THE CONCLUDING SESSION OF THE BASIC FRENCH COURSE

The Basic French Course came to a conclusion  on 23/05/2015. The total duration of the course was 20 hours.  The course was spread over a period of five weeks. In all 54 participants enrolled in the course. But for some reason or other 6 participants did not attend the course at all. Certificates of completion were issued to the other participants.

A brief ceremony was organized in the Manorama Hall of the Indian Institute of World Culture at 10 30 am. Sri.T. K. Thimma Raja Setty , Honorary Seceretary of IIWC gave the welcome address. Hon. Justice M.N . Venkatachaliah , the President of IIWC was the chief guest.

The chief guest in his address extolled the greatness of French Culture and civilization and its seminal contribution to human thought in diverse fields such as mathematics , philosophy , arts cuisine / wine etc. He recalled his association with the French institutions with nostalgia while he was the Chief Justice of India. He concluded that with learning of French language and culture, the Indian Institute of World Culture is justified in having such a name. He said more and more participants should benefit from these courses.

The Honorary Secretary said that Mr. T. K. Jayaraman IRS ( Retired) , after his retirement devotes most of his time in training learners in French and expected that more participants would join the forthcoming courses to be inaugurated on 6 the and 7th of June 2015.

Six of the participants spoke informing the audience as to how they benefitted from this course.
The President distributed the certificates of completion to all the participants present.
The ceremony came to an end with vote of thanks to the chair.


T. K. Jayaraman
Course Director
Basic French Course
Indian Institute of World Culture
Basavangudi
Bangalore - 560004

BASIC FRENCH COURSE CONCLUDING FUNCTION -PHOTOS - DISTRIBUTION OF CERTIFICATES BY HON. JUSTICE MN VENKATACHALIAH

BASIC FRENCH COURSE FIFTH SESSION

BASIC FRENCH COURSE  FIFTH SESSION 

CONJUGATION OF FRENCH VERBS

CONJUGATION OF VERBS OF THE FIRST GROUP - SIMPLE PRESENT

I am going to take up the following verb to teach you the rule. Where certain verbs deviate from the general rule , I shall point out. In French , for every rule , there will be exceptions. You can never say you are 100% correct. Don't worry. If you some mistakes while learning, heavens will not fall!.

PARLER-    To speak 

1. Remove the ending -ER from the infinitive form

2. You get the stem - PARL

3. Add the following endings to the stem. E, ES, E, ONS , EZ, ENT

Je parlE

Tu parlES

Il /Elle/on parlE

Nous parlONS

Vous parl EZ

Ils / Elles parl ENT

The above conjugation would mean

I speak 

You speak

He /she / one speaks

We speak

You speak

They speak

The first three conjugations are for the singular first, second and third person. The rest are for plural.

Now you can conjugate the following verbs using this rule.

Regarder, écouter ,apporter,arriver ,cacher,chercher,commander,comparer,continuer, coûter ,demander,détester ,donner,employer,expliquer ,féliciter,fermer,gagner,garder,goûter,habiter,hésiter,inviter,jouer,laisser,louer,manquer,oublier,participer,passer,penser,préparer ,prêter ,prier,proposer,quitter,rembourser ,remercier,ressembler,souhaiter,travailler,trouver, voler,aider,aimer, ajouter,bavarder,briller,casser,compter,couper,crier,danser,déjeuner ,dessiner dîner,échouer ,embrasser,enseigner,entourer ,entrer,épouser,étudier ,frapper,fumer,gâter,gronder,ignorer,laver,marcher,monter,montrer,nommer,pardonner,peigner,pleurer,porter,poser, pousser

Why do I give the above list ?

Anyone preparing for or intending to attain A1 proficiency level should know the above verbs. Kindly make efforts to learn the meaning and use of the above verbs. Their conjugation follows the rule explained above.

In the next note, we shall study the conjugation of some first group verbs which slightly violate the rule. Ok ?

USE OF PRESENT TENSE IN THE INDICATIVE MOOD

Before proceeding further with more verbs of the first group, let me give a note on the use of present tense in the indicative mood. Most often we use the present tense. Hence it is imperative that we grasp its nuances.

1. Present tense tells us what is happening in the present moment. In English we have the present continuous or progressive tense which is not there in French . Study the following examples.

Je regarde la télé .

I am watching tv.

 Je lis un roman.

I am reading a novel.

Maman fait la cuisine.

Mother is cooking.

Elle prend du petit déjeuner .

She is having breakfast .

Hope you understand.

To emphasise that an action is going on at this moment, you can use the expression,

" être en train de faire quelque chose " 

" to be on the point of doing something "

Je suis en train de préparer une leçon .

I am on the point of preparing a lesson. 

Remember the above English version does not sound good . Simply use the English continuous tense.

I am preparing a lesson.

2. HABITUAL /ROUTINE ACTIONS

Normally in any language , to express habitual actions we use the present tense. French is no exception.

Le dimanche , je vais au cinéma .

I go to cinema on Sundays.

Note the use of " le dimanche " . When you are habitually doing something on a day, use ," le dimanche, le lundi , le mardi and so on.

The above sentence means that every Sunday you are in the habit of going to cinema.

Hope you got the point.

Je ne fume jamais .

I never smoke.

That means, you don't have the habit of smoking.

À Bangalore , il fait beau toute l'année .

In Bangalore, the weather is fine throughout the year.

Je me réveille à six heures du matin.

I wake up at six o' clock in the morning.

That means everyday you wake up at six, as a habit.

3. EXPRESSING FUTURE BY USING PRESENT

This happens in many language. For example , in English we say,

John, tomorrow , I am coming to your place.

Kids , I am promising you a treat next week , if you get good grades.

Similar use is permitted in French .

Demain, mon père vient de Delhi.

Tomorrow, my father comes from Delhi.

En été , nous allons à Ooty.

We are going to Ooty in summer.

4. HISTORIC PRESENT

For a lively presentation of historical narrative, the present tense is used.

Le père d' Alexandre Dumas meurt alors qu'il n'a que quatre ans. La famille Dumas est assez pauvre. Alexandre arrête tôt ses études pour gagner de l'argent . À vingt ans, il va à Paris et trouve du travail .

En 1589, Henri IV, le père de Louis XIII, devient roi avec l'aide des nobles de Gascogne.

Note that all the verbs in the above narration are in the present tense.

5. UNIVERSAL /SCIENTIFIC TRUTHS

All truths supposed to be universal and scientific truths are normally expressed in the present tense.

L' homme est mortel.

Man is mortal.

Le serpent est venimeux .

Snakes are poisonous .

La terre tourne autour du soleil.

Earth revolves around the sun.

Hope I made my point clear.

MORE FIRST GROUP VERBS

We have to pay attention to some verbs of the first group whose conjugation , though follows the general rule with regard to endings, show some variation either in spelling or accents.  I shall indicate both the infinitive and conjugation in the present of such of those verbs. 

1. Acheter - to buy

J'achète 

Tu achètes

Il / elle/ on achète 

Nous achetons 

Vous achetez

Ils/elles achètent 

In what way the conjugation deviates from the rule enunciated in the French Note 19?

Observe the accent of " e" which occurs first in the conjugation except those of first/second person plural. There is grave accent over the first " e" in all the conjugations. You have to remember it.

2. Appeler-to call

J'appelle

Tu appelles

Il/elle/on appelle

Nous appelons

Vous appelez 

Ils/elles appellent

Note the doubling of the consonant " l" in respect of all conjugations except in the case of first/ second person plural.

The following verbs are conjugated like " appeler"

S'appeler, rappeler, se rappeler, renouveler

3. Manger- to eat

Je mange 

Tu manges

Il/elle/on mange

Nous mangeons 

Vous mangez

Ils/elles mangent

Note thé conjugation for " nous"  . After " g" an " e" is inserted. Why ? Suppose , that " e" we're not there , then the " g" would acquire  a hard sound. But we need a soft sound. So an " e"  is inserted. Hope you got the point . Therefore the " g" in mangeons as well as mangez will be pronounced in the same way.

The following verbs are conjugated like " manger"

Arranger, bouger,changer, charger, se charger,corriger,décourager,dégager,déranger,diriger,se diriger,encourager,s'engager,interroger,juger,loger,nager,négliger,neiger,obliger,plonger,ronger,songer, venger,se venger, voyager.

These are all very common verbs. Even at A1level you should know all these verbs. Please refer to a good dictionary and learn their meanings. Please practise the conjugations orally as well as in writing.

4. Commencer - to begin 

Je commence

Tu commences

Il/elle/on commence

Nous commençons 

Vous commencez

Ils/elles commencent 

Just note " Ç " in " commençons " . Guess the reason. If you don't put the cedilla sign, it will make the " c" hard like "k" sound.

The following verbs are conjugated like " commencer"

Annoncer,avancer,déplacer, se déplacer,s'élancer,enfoncer,exercer,forcer,lancer,menacer,

Placer, prononcer,recommencer,renoncer

5.crier -to scream

Je crie

Tu cries

Il/Elle/on crie

Nous crions

Vous criez

Ils/elles crient

Surely this verb follows the general rule.  The stem will be " cri" . But the Larousse Grammar which I follow classifies this under a special grouping. May be this group consists of verbs ending in - ier . The following verbs are similar to " crier" as far as the termination is concerned.

Apprécier,confier,s'écrier ,étudier ,justifier ,lier,oublier,photographier,plier,prier,publier,réfugier.

Remercier,signifier

6.ennuyer -to bore

J'ennuie

Tu ennuies

Il/elle/on ennuie

Nous ennuyons 

Vous ennuyez

Ils/elles ennuient

In the above conjugations , the stem is " ennu" for all except for the first/second person plural for which the stem would be " ennuy" . Kindly note. The following verbs are conjugated in a similar manner.

Appuyer,s'ennuyer,nettoyer,se noyer,essuyer

7. Essayer-to try

J'essaye

J'essaie 

Tu essayes

Tu essaies

Il/elle/on essaye

Il/elle/on essaie

Nous essayons 

Vous essayez

Ils/elles essayent

Ils/elles essaient

Note the variations in spellings excepting for the first/second person plural. You have a choice between two .

S'effrayer,payer,balayer etc are conjugated like this.

8.lever - to raise

Je lève 

Tu lèves 

Il/elle/on lève 

Nous levons

Vous levez

Ils/elles lèvent 

Please note the grave accent over the first " e" in all the conjugations except the first/second person plural. The following verbs are conjugated in a like manner.

Se lever,élever,enlever,relever,soulever,amener,emmener,mener,se promener,ramener,crever,geler,peser....

9.jeter -to throw

Je jette

Tu jettes

Il/elle/on jette

Nous jetons 

Vous jetez 

Ils/elles jettent

Please note the doubling of the consonant " t" in all cases except those of first/second person plural.

Rejeter, projeter,etc are conjugated in a like manner.

10.espérer - to hope

J'espère 

Tu espères 

Il/elle/on espère 

Nous espérons 

Vous espérez 

Ils / elles espèrent 

Note the accents of the second " e" carefully. Grave accent in four cases. Acute accent in two cases. The following verbs are conjugated in a like manner.

Céder ,opérer,posséder,préférer,protéger ,régler,régner,répéter,révéler,sécher,succéder etc

With this I complete the conjugation of first group of verbs in the present tense in the indicative mood. Next I shall take up the second group verbs.

FRERNCH NOTE 22

As promised, now I shall take up second group of verbs. Remember , the first and second group of verbs are called regular verbs because they follow certain rules in their conjugation. I shall further remind you that we are dealing with verbs in indicative mood in the present tense. Don't forget there are in all twenty tenses and six moods. So it is somewhat like a very long tv serial. While the former is entertaining , this will strain you a little. Don't they say , " No pains , no gains " .? I don't believe in learning by fun or amusement . Learning is hard work . Yes you have to slog.

Second group - I R verbs

The infinitive of these verbs end in IR. First they teach you the conjugation of " FINIR " . 

Let me state the rule, 

1. Remove the ending IR and get the stem.

2. To the stem add the following to get the respective conjugations.

IS, IS, IT, ISSONS, ISSEZ,ISSENT 

Finir-to finish 

The Stem will be fin

So following will be the conjugation.

Je finis- I finish or I am finishing

Tu finis

Il/elle/on finit

Nous finissons 

Vous finissez

Ils/elles finissent 

Further , don't think any verb ending in IR belongs to second group. For example ,

 "Venir"  is not a second  group verb. 

What are the other second group verbs ? Voici la liste

Accomplir,agir,avertir,choisir,établir,fournir,garnir,grandir,grossir,guérir,jouir,maigrir,

Munir,nourrir,obéir, punir,refraîchir,ralentir,réfléchir ,remplir,réunir,réussir ,rôtir,rougir,saisir,salir,

Subir,trahir

There are very many which I have not mentioned . As you progress in your French , you will learn them. Once you know generally the verbs of different groups, try to identify such verbs after reading a French text. You can take any text and try it. Remember  using the language is as important as learning the rules of grammar. Mere learning the rules may bore you to the point that you may give up learning your French . So there should be a judicious mix of different types of activities .

Listen to French news from any of the available stations and as you listen jot down the verbs. Then identify their groups. Ok ?

That is all for now. We shall continue later.

THIRD GROUP OF VERBS - PRESENT INDICATIVE 

I decided to resume the preparation of French Notes. I would like to deal with the third group of French verbs. In what way the third group of verbs are different from those of the first/second groups?  Simple! The stem for conjugating the verbs are variable. In other words, these verbs are irregular while the first two groups of verbs are regular. When you know the rules of conjugation, you can conjugate any verb of the first two groups , with some slight variation in the first group. But not so in the case of third group . They are highly irregular. You have to learn their conjugations by heart. In this note, let us learn the conjugations of important third group verbs

The third group verbs generally have the following endings except " aller"

-IR, OIR,RE.

I am taking up in all 60 verbs of the third group. If you master them , you will be thorough with almost any other third third group verb for the reason certain verbs form their own sub - groups while conjugating . You should only know which verbs form such sub-groups . This knowledge , will be acquired by practice and also by referring to good dictionaries which guide you in conjugation .

Now let us learn the conjugation of the verbs in the indicative mood / present tense.

1.Aller- to go

Je vais

Tu vas

Il/elle/on va

Nous allons

Vous allez

Ils/elles vont

Note how irregular is this verb! This verb is ubiquitous in French . When you start your French they teach you, " comment allez-vous? , Comment ça va? Je vais bien etc.

The radical is not at all regular . So the verb is highly irregular . Don't say that this verb belongs to the first group by noting its endings.

Now let us take up the verbs ending in -IR.

2. Acquérir - to acquire

J'acquiers

Tu acquiers,

Il/elle/on acquiert

Nous acquérons 

Vous acquérez 

Ils/elles acquièrent 

Note the grave accent in the first/second person plural. 

"Conquérir " is conjugated similarly.

3. Bouillir - to boil

Je bous

Tu bous

Il/elle/on bout

Nous bouillons

Vous bouillez

Ils/elles bouillent

4.Courir - to run

Je cours

Tu cours

Il / elle/on court

Nous courons

Vous courez

Ils/elles courent

The verbs, " accourir,parcourir,secourir " are conjugated similarly.

5.Cueillir - to collect

Je cueille

Tu cueilles

Il /elle/on cueille

Nous cueillons

Vous cueillez

Ils/elles cueillent

Accueillir ,recueillir are conjugated similarly.

6.Dormir - to sleep

Je dors

Tu dors

Il/elle/on dort

Nous dormons

Vous dormez

Ils/elles dorment

S'endormir is conjugated similarly.

7. Fuir - to flee

Je fuis

Tu fuis

Il/elle/on fuit

Nous fuyons

Vous fuyez

Ils fuient

S'enfuir is conjugated similarly.

8. Haïr- to hate

Je hais

Tu hais

Il /elle/on hait

Nous haïssons 

Vous haïssez 

Ils/elles haïssent 

9. Mentir - to lie

Je mens 

Tu mens

Il/elle/on ment

Nous mentons

Vous mentez

Ils/elles mentent

Démentir is conjugated similarly.

10. Mourir - to die

Je meurs

Tu meurs

Il/elle/on meurt

Nous mourons

Vous mourez

Ils/elles meurent

11. Offrir - to offer

J'offre

Tu offres

Il/elle/on offre

Nous offrons

Vous offrez

Ils/elles offrent

Souffrir is conjugated similarly.

12. Ouvrir - to open

J'ouvre

Tu ouvres

Il/elle/on ouvre

Nous ouvrons 

Vous ouvrez

Ils/elles ouvrent

Couvrir,découvrir  are conjugated similarly.

13.  Partir - to leave

Je pars

Tu pars

Il/Elle/on part

Nous partons

Vous partez

Ils/elles partent

Repartir is conjugated similarly.

14. Sentir - to smell

Je sens

Tu sens

Il/elle/on sent

Nous sentons

Vous sentez

Ils /elles sentent

Ressentir is conjugated similarly.

15. Servir- to serve

Je sers

Tu sers

Il/Elle/on sert

Nous servons

Vous servez

Ils/elles servent

Ressortir is conjugated similarly.

16. Tenir - to hold

Je tiens

Tu tiens

Il/elle/on tient

Nous tenons

Vous tenez

Ils/elles tiennent

Abstenir, contenir, détenir , entretenir , maintenir ,obtenir, retenir ,soutenir are conjugated similarly.

17. Venir - to come

Je viens

Tu viens

Il/elle/on vient

Nous venons

Vous venez

Ils/elles viennent

Convenir, devenir,parvenir,revenir, souvenir,prévenir , intervenir. Contrevenir are conjugated

similarly.

18. Vêtir - to dress

Je vêts 

Tu vêts 

Il/elle/on vêt 

Nous vêtons 

Vous vêtez 

Ils/elles vêtent 

Revêtir is conjugated similarly.

Now let us take the verbs with ending -OIR

19. S' asseoir - to be seated

Je m'assieds

Tu t'assieds 

Il/elle/on s'assied

Nous nous asseyons 

Vous vous asseyez

Ils/elles s'asseyent 

Note that the above verb is in the pronomial form of which we shall speak letter.

20. Devoir - must

Je dois 

Tu dois

Il/elle/on doit

Nous devons

Vous devez

Ils/ elles doivent

Later we shall study the use of the group of verbs , " devoir, pouvoir , falloir, valoir " .

For the time being , I have given only the conjugation .

21.falloir - to be necessary

Il faut

This verb is conjugated only in third person singular .

22.mouvoir - to move

Je meus

Tu meus

Il/Elle/on meut

Nous mouvons

Vous mouvez

Ils/elles m'ouvrent

Promouvoir , émouvoir are conjugated similarly.

23. Pleuvoir - to rain

Il pleut

For obvious reasons , this verb is conjugated only with " il ". It is an impersonal verb.

24. Pouvoir - can

 Je peux

Tu peux

Il/elle/on peut

Nous pouvons

Vous pouvez

Ils/elles peuvent 

26. Recevoir - to receive

Je reçois 

Tu reçois

Il/elle/on recevoit

Nous recevons

Vous recevez

Ils/elles reçoivent 

Concevoir, décevoir  are conjugated similarly.

27. Savoir - to know

Je sais

Tu sais

Il /elle/on sait

Nous savons

Vous savez

Ils/elles savent

28.  Valoir - to be worth

Je vaux

Tu vaux

Il/elle/on vaut

Nous valons

Vous valez

Ils/elles valent

29. Voir - to see

Je vois

Tu vois

Ils/elle/on voit

Nous voulons

Vous voulez

Ils/elles veulent

Revoir,prévoir are conjugated similarly .

30. Vouloir -to want

Je veux 

Tu veux

Il/Elle /on veut

Nous voulons

Vous voulez

Ils/elles veulent 

That is all for this note. In the next note, I shall take up verbs ending in -RE.

French Note 24

Verbs with endings -RE

31. Attendre - to wait for, expect

J'attends

Tu attends

Il/elle/on attend

Nous attendons

Vous attendez

Ils/elles attendent

Défendre , dépendre,dépendre ,descendre,entendre,s'étendre ,mordre,pendre,prétendre,rendre, répondre,tendre ,tordre,vendre are conjugated similarly. Note that a large number of verbs are conjugated like attendre. So please pay special attention .

32. Battre - to beat

Je bats

Tu bats

Il/elle/on bat

Nous battons

Vous battez

Ils/elles battent

Abattre, combattre are conjugated similarly.

33. Boire - to drink

Je bois

Tu bois

Il/elle/on boit

Nous buvons

Vous buvez

Ils/elles boivent

On 33. Conclure - to conclude

Je conclus

Tu conclus

Il/elle/on conclut

Nous concluons 

Vous concluez

Ils/elles concluent 

Occlure ,inclure  exclure are  conjugated similarly.

34. Conduire - to drive

Je conduis

Tu conduis

Il/elle/on conduit

Nous conduisons 

Vous conduisez

Ils/elles conduisent 

Construire,détruire, induire,instruire,introduire,luire,réduire,traduire are conjugated similarly.

35. Connaître -to know

Je connais

Tu connais

Il/elle/on connaît 

Nous connaissons 

Vous connaissez

Ils/elles connaissent 

Apparaître, disparaître , paraître, réapparaître are conjugated similarly .

36.  Coudre - to stitch

Je couds

Tu couds

Il/elle/on coud

Nous cousons

Vous cousez

Ils/elles cousent

37. Craindre - to fear

Je crains

Tu crains

Il /elle/on craint

Nous craignons 

Vous craignez

Ils/elles craignent

Contraindre,plaindre are conjugated similarly.

38. Croire - to believe

Je crois

Tu crois

Il/elle/on croit

Nous croyons

Vous croyez

Ils/elles croient 

39. Croître -to grow

Je croîs

Tu croîs 

Il/elle/on croît

Nous croissons

Vous croissez

Ils/elles croissent

Please do not confuse the conjugation of " croire " with " croître" especially the singular forms.

40. Cuire - to cook

Je cuis

Tu cuis

Il/elle/on cuit

Nous cuisons 

Vous cuisez

Ils/elles cuisent

41. Dire - to say

Je dis

Tu dis

Il / elle / on dit

Nous disons

Vous dites

Ils/elles disent

Please be careful while conjugating for " vous". One is likely to commit mistake. Hence a favorite question in basic French exams. Really a good irregular verb.

42. Écrire - to write

J'écris 

Tu écris 

Il/elle/on écrit 

Nous écrivons 

Vous écrivez

Ils/elles écrivent 

Décrire , s'inscrire,prescrire, proscrire are  conjugated similarly.

43. Éteindre - to put out

J'éteins

Tu éteins

Il/elle/on éteint

Nous éteignons 

Vous éteignez

Ils/elles éteignent 

Peindre, repeindre are conjugated similarly .

44.  Faire - to do , to make

Je fais

Tu fais

Il/elle/on fait

Nous faisons

Vous faites

Ils/elles font

A highly irregular verb. It is a very common verb and many expressions are formed with it . I shall later prepare an exhaustive note on this verb. Pay careful attention to its conjugation .

Défaire   Refaire  ,satisfaire are conjugated similarly.

45.  Fondre -  to melt

Je fonds

Tu fonds

Il / elle / on fond

Nous fondons

Vous fondez

Ils / elles fondent

Pondre , tondre are conjugated  similarly.

46. Joindre - to join

Je joins

Tu joins

Il/elle/on joint 

Nous joignons 

Vous joignez 

Ils/elles joignent

Rejoindre  is conjugated similarly.

47.  Lire - to read

Je lis

Tu lis

Il/elle/on lit

Nous lisons

Vous lisez

Ils/elles lisent

Élire, relire are conjugated similarly.

48.  Mettre - to put on, to keep

Je mets

Tu mets

Il/Elle/on met

Nous mettons

Vous mettez

Ils/elles mettent

Commettre, émettre ,omettre , promettre, remettre, soumettre ,admettre ,permettre are conjugated similarly.

49.  Naître - to be born

Je nais 

Tu nais

Il/elle/on naît 

Nous naissons 

Vous naissez

Ils/elles naissent

50.  Perdre - to lose

Je perds

Tu perds

Ils/elles perd

Nous perdons 

Vous perdez

Ils/ elles perdent

51. Plaire - to please

Je plais

Tu plais

Il/elle/on plaît 

Nous plaisons 

Vous plaisez

Ils/ elles plaisent

Déplaire is conjugated similarly.

52. Prendre - to take

Je prends

Tu prends

Il/elle/on prend

Nous prenons

Vous prenez

Ils/elles prennent

Comprendre, surprendre,éprendre ,reprendre,apprendre are conjugated similarly.

53. Résoudre - to resolve

Je résous 

Tu résous 

Il/elle/on résout 

Nous résolvons 

Vous résolvez

Ils/elles résolvent 

Absoudre, dissoudre are conjugated similarly.

54. RIRE - to laugh

Je ris

Tu ris

Il/elle/on rit

Nous rions

Vous riez

Ils/elles rient

Sourire is conjugated similarly.

55. Rompre - to break

Je romps

Tu romps

Il/elle/on romp

Nous rompons

Vous rompez

Ils/ elles rompent

Corrompre is conjugated similarly .

56.  Suffire - to be sufficient

Je suffis

Tu suffis

Il/elle/on suffit

Nous suffisons 

Vous suffisez

Ils/elles suffisent

57. Suivre - to follow

Je suis

Tu suis

Il/elle/on suit

Nous suivons

Vous suivez

Ils/elles suivent

Poursuivre is conjugated similarly.

58.  Se  taire - to Keep quiet 

Je me tais

Tu te tais

Il/elle/on se tait

Nous nous taisons

Vous vous taisez

Ils/elles se taisent

59. Vaincre - to vanquish

Je vaincs

Tu vaincs

Il/ elle/on vainc

Nous vainquons 

Vous vainquez

Ils/elles vainquent

Convaincre is conjugated similarly.

60. Vivre - to live

Je vis

Tu vis

Il/elle/on vit

Nous vivons

Vous vivez

Ils/elles vivent

Survivre is conjugated similarly.

Now I am coming to the end.  I have given you almost all the important verbs of French.

I reiterate that while reading a French text or listening to podcast/radio identify the verbs and put them in the proper basket to which they belong. Then only you can master these verbs. For all aspirants to different levels of French Exams, this is a must. Kindly note that my posts are intended for anglophones who need some explanation in French usage and grammar and not for those who want just to have smattering of French conversation . For that purpose, plenty of material is available in net. Expressing correctly in French is really a hard task and don't be under the illusion that by watching some videos , you can attain high proficiency. One has to make great efforts. All depends on why you need French. For motivated learners,  study will be a pleasure.

T. K. JAYARAMAN

BANGALORE