Ouvrir and Similar Verbs
April 19, 2011 § Leave a comment
ouvrir – to open
couvrir – to cover
découvrir – to discover
souffrir – to suffer
offrir – to offer
These verbs all are IR verbs that follow the ER verb pattern when conjugated in the present tense. In other tenses, these verbs are irregular, but all follow the same pattern.
Ouvrir
| j’ouvre | nous ouvrons |
| tu ouvres | vous ouvrez |
| il ouvre | ils ouvrent |
Couvrir
| je couvre | nous couvrons |
| tu couvres | vous couvrez |
| il couvre | ils couvrent |
Offrir
| j’offre | nous offrons |
| tu offres | vous offrez |
| il offre | ils offrent |
Mettre
April 19, 2011 § Leave a comment
mettre – to put, to put on
| je mets | nous mettons |
| tu mets | vous mettez |
| il met | ils mettent |
Je mets mon sac à dos sur la table. I’m putting my backpack on the table.
Georges met le lait dans le frigo. Georges is putting the milk in the fridge.
Nous mettons nos anoraks parce qu’il fait froid. We are putting on our parkas because it’s cold.
Tu dois mettre tes chaussures si tu veux aller dehors. You have to put on your shoes if you want to go outside.
verbs like mettre
promettre – to promise
permettre – to permit, to allow
soumettre – to submit
remettre -to put back
se mettre à – to start to (do something)
omettre – to omit
commettre – to commit
Acheter
March 3, 2011 § Leave a comment
Acheter is a regular ER verb except for the addition of accents for the je, tu, il, and ils forms. The addition of the accent is to emphasize the accented syllable as the last syllable. There are other verbs that follow the same pattern with accents or double consonants at the last syllable.
Acheter – to buy
| j’achète | nous achetons |
| tu achètes | vous achetez |
| il achète | ils achètent |
Verbs like acheter
to complete – achever
to bring up, to raise – élever
to remove, to take off – enlever
to freeze – geler
to raise, to lift – lever
to weigh – peser
to throw – jeter
| je jette | nous jetons |
| tu jettes | vous jetez |
| il jette | ils jettent |
verbs like jeter
rejeter – to reject
projeter – to plan, to project
appeler – to call
| j’appelle | nous appelons |
| tu appelles | vous appelez |
| il appelle | ils appellent |
verbs like appeler
épeler – to spell
rappeler – to recall, to remind
se rappeler – to remember
mener – to lead
| je mène | nous menons |
| tu mènes | vous menez |
| il mène | ils mènent |
verbs like mener
amener – to bring (a person)
emmener – to take (a person)
se promener – to walk
préférer – to prefer
and
espérer – to hope
follow the same rule where the accent over the second syllable changes direction in the je, tu, il, and ils forms – again to place emphasis on the second syllable as the last pronounced syllable.
verbs like préférer
célébrer – to celebrate
considérer – to consider
se sécher – to dry oneself
répéter – to repeat
suggérer – to suggest
protéger – to protect
céder – to yield
compléter – to complete
exagérer – to exaggerate
interpréter – to interpret
posséder – to possess
révéler – to reveal
| je préfère | nous préférons |
| tu préfères | vous préférez |
| il préfère | ils préfèrent |
| j’espère | nous espérons |
| tu espères | vous espérez |
| il espère | ils espèrent |
avoir idioms
January 26, 2011 § 1 Comment
to be cold – avoir froid
to be hot – avoir chaud
to be hungry – avoir faim
to be thirsty – avoir soif
to have a cold – avoir un rhume
to have the flu – avoir la grippe
to be right – avoir raison
to be wrong – avoir tort
to be # years old – avoir # ans
to be lucky – avoir de la chance
to be afraid – avoir peur
to be hurt / sick – avoir mal
to want – avoir envie de
to need – avoir besoin de
to be eager to – avoir hâte de
* to use, conjugate “avoir” to match the subject, then put in rest of words
You (informal) are hungry – tu as faim
She is cold – elle a froid
We are hot – nous avons chaud
He is 8 years old – il a 8 ans
I’m wrong – j’ai tort
They are afraid – ils ont peur
French Notes 