Verbs in -ER

Most French verbs are conjugated by removing the infinitive ending to find the “radical” or “root” (e.g., parler –> parl-) and then adding the appropriate ending

Les verbes en -ER   verbs in -er

There are several thousand verbs that end in -er, the largest category of regular French verbs. To conjugate them, remove the infinitive ending and then add one of the following verb endings  ➤

 

conjugation of the verb to speak in FrenchExample:

Practice:

 

To form a sentence with French negation, the basic structure is as follows:   ne + verb + pas

These two small words ne and pas  form a negative expression simply by placing them either side of the verb. Example:

  • J’aime le café.   I like coffee.
  • Je n’aime pas le café.  I do not like coffee.

Notice that the ne shortens to n’ when it precedes a vowel. In spoken French, this ne can even disappear altogether and many people would simply say:  j’aime pas le café.

Practice

 

For fun, watch the video below and listen to the lyrics. Notice the use of the negation.

 Pink Martini – Je ne veux pas travailler  ☞ Lyrics 

  YouTube: Maître Gims – Est-ce que tu m’aimes ?   ☞   Lyrics

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Introduction to French Level I Copyright © by philippe1 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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