French Er Verbs

By Valorie Delp

French -er verbs make the most common group of verbs in French. The majority of verbs in French are -er verbs and therefore tend to pose the least problems to students. As a group, there are very few irregular -er verbs as well. . .making them the most predictable, most commonly used verbs in the language.

How to Conjugate French -ER Verbs

French -er verbs follow a very basic conjugation pattern. To conjugate an -er verb, you should first drop the -er on the end. This root form is called a 'radical'. To the radical, you then add endings according to the subject of the verb:

je parle
tu parles
il parle
nous parlons
vous parlez
ils parlent

Regular French -ER Verbs

It is impossible to list all of the -er verbs in French. However, you will find that these are the most commonly used. The following verbs have no irregularities and are conjugated normally:

abaisser - to lower
accepter - to accept
accompagner - to accompany
accorder - to admit
admirer - to admire
adorer - to adore
aider - to help
aimer - to like (to love)
ajouter - to add
amuser - to amuse
apporter - to bring
approcher - to approach
arrêter - to stop
arriver - to arrive
assister - to attend
avancer - to advance
bavarder - to chat
blesser - to hurt or offend
brosser - to brush
brûler - to burn
cacher - to hide
casser - to break
causer - to cause or to chat (informally)
chanter - to sing
chercher - to look for
commander - to order
compter - to count
conseiller - to advise or to give advice
continuer - to continue
contrôler - to control
coucher - to put to bed (se coucher means to go to bed)
couper - to cut
coûter -to cost
crier - to cry out
danser - to dance
décider - to decide
déjeuner - to eat lunch
demander - to ask for
dépêcher - to hurry
détester - to hate
deviner - to guess
dîner - to dine
discuter - to discuss
donner - to give
douter - to doubt
échapper - to escape
écouter - to listen
employer - to use
encourager - to encourage
enseigner - to teach
entrer - to enter
étudier - to study
excuser - to excuse
exister - to exist
expliquer - to explain
explorer - to explore
fâcher - to get angry
fermer - to close
fumer - to smoke
gagner - to win or earn
garder - to keep
gaspiller - to waste
goûter - to taste
habiller - to dress
habiter - to live
insister -to insist
intéresser - to interes
inviter - to invite
jouer - to play
laisser - to leave
laver - to wash
monter - to climb
montrer - to show
neiger - to snow
occuper - to occupy
oublier - to forget
pardonner - to forgive
parler - to talk
passer to pass or spend time
peigner - to comb
penser - to think
pleurer - to cry
préparer - to prepare
présenter - to present
quitter - to leave
raconter - to retell
regarder - to look at
refuser - to refuse
remarquer - to notice
rencontrer - to meet
rentrer - to return
reposer - to rest
rester - to remain
sembler - to seem
séparer - to separate
souhaiter - to wish
tomber - to fall
travailler - to work

Stem-Changing -ER Verbs

Stem changing verbs still follow the regular conjugation patterns; however, they still have two different stems or radicals: one for the je, tu, il, and ils. The stem changes are as follows:

Verbs ending in -e_er, and -é_er change the e to è
Verbs ending in -eler change, have an extra l before the ending
Verbs ending in -yer, substitute an "i" for the "y" in the conjugation.

Some common stem changing verbs include:

acheter - to buy
achever - to achieve
amener - to take
appeler - to call
céder - to give up
compléter - to complete
considérer - to consider
ennuyer - to bore or annoy
envoyer - to send
éspérer - to hope
essayer - to try
inquiéter - to worry
jeter - to throw
lever - to lift or stand
nettoyer - to clean
payer - to pay
préférer - to prefer
promener - to walk
protéger - to protect
répéter - to repeat
suggérer - to suggest
tomber - to fall
travailler - to work
trouver - to find
utiliser - to use
visiter - to visit

Spelling Change -ER Verbs

-ER verbs that end in -ger, and -cer require a slight spelling change to maintain the soft "g" or soft "c". The easiest way to remember how to work with a spelling changing verb is to remember that the 'g' and 'c' are soft before and 'i' and before an 'e' and requires the spelling change if the 'g' or 'c' is followed by another vowel.

For example,if you want to write 'we eat,' conjugate the verb as you normally would, but instead of writing 'mangons' - add an 'e' so it reads, 'mangeons.' Likewise, -cer verbs require a "ç" if it's followed by another vowel. So instead of writing 'commencons,' you would write 'commençons.' This spelling change takes place most often in the first person plural (nous), but can also occur in the third person plural (ils) of some tenses.