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Les verbes –IR irréguliers

The verbs partir, sortir, and dormir are irregular in the present tense, that is, they are not conjugated like regular -ir verbs. Listen carefully to the pronunciation of these verbs, noting especially the pronunciation of the consonant sound in the plural forms. Can you hear the difference between the singular and the plural forms in the third person?

Les verbes –ER irréguliers

Spelling changes occur in the stems of several groups of -er verbs in the present tense. These spelling changes reflect the pronunciation of the present tense forms.

You may have already noticed the spelling change in the verb s’appeler (Je m’appelle …, My name is …). For verbs like appeler (to call), rappeler (to call back) and jeter (to throw), the consonant -l or -t in the the stem doubles in all forms of the present tense, except in the first and second person plural (nous and vous). This follows the traditional boot pattern of -er verb conjugations in the present tense.

This same “boot” pattern is repeated in spelling change verbs like préférer (to prefer). In these verbs the é in the last syllable of the stem changes to an è, except in the first and second person plural (nous and vous). Listen carefully to the different pronunciations of é and è in the conjugations below.

Verbs conjugated like préférer include:

• considérer, to consider
• espérer, to hope
• régler, to regulate, pay, settle, adjust
• répéter,to repeat
• sécher, to dry, skip (a class)

In verbs which are conjugated like acheter (to buy), the e in the last syllable of the stem also changes to an è, again with the exception of the first and second person plural forms.

Verbs conjugated like acheter include:

• amener, to bring somebody (along)
• emmener, to take somebody (along)
• lever, to lift, raise
• mener, to take, lead
• peser, to weigh

Another group of stem-changing verbs include those ending in –ayer, including essayer (to try) and payer (to pay). In these verbs the y changes to i in all persons except the first and second person plural (nous and vous).

Finally, verbs ending in –ger like voyager (to travel) add an e after the g in the nous form of the present tense, so that the g is pronounced as a soft sound before the –ons ending (i.e. nous voyageons). Similarly, in verbs ending in –cer, commencer (to start), for example, the c in the nous form changes to ç to keep the soft c sound (nous commençons).

Other verbs in this category include:

• corriger, to correct
• exiger, to demand, require
• manger, to eat
• nager, to swim
• partager, to share
• ranger, to tidy up, arrange
• rédiger, to write, compose
• songer, to dream, reflect