Module 05: Bon appétit!
Troisième partie: L’art de la table ! Explication de grammaire
In this section:
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-ir verbs (regular) present tense
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boire, croire, voir
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interrogative words: où, quand, comment…
-ir verbs (regular) present tense
Verbs with infinitives ending in -ir form a second group of regular verbs in French, often called ‘second conjugation’ verbs. To conjugate these verbs, drop the -ir from the infinitive and add the second conjugation present tense endings: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. The singular and plural forms of the third person are clearly distinguishable (finit vs.finissent). Listen to the difference.
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Here is a list of other common -ir verbs:
choisir, to choose | voir, to see | réfléchir, to think, reflect | ||
établir, to establish | savoir, to know | réunir, to get together, assemble | ||
grandir, to grow (up) | obéir (à quelqu’un), to obey (someone) | réussir (à), to succeed (at) | ||
grossir, to gain weight | réagir, to react | vieillir, to grow old |
Not all verbs ending in –ir follow this pattern, however. Irregular –ir verbs include ouvrir, partir, sortir, and dormir.
Listen carefully to the pronunciation of the verbs in the following dialogue. In particular, note the difference in the pronunciation of one s (pronounced as /z/) and two ss (pronounced as /s/) in the verb ‘choisir.’
boire, croire, voir
The irregular verbs boire, croire, and voir have similar conjugations. Listen carefully to their forms in the present tense.
boire ‘to drink’ | |
je bois | nous buvons |
tu bois | vous buvez |
il/elle/iel/on boit | ils/elles/iels boivent |
past participle : bu |
croire ‘to believe’ | |
je crois | nous croyons |
tu crois | vous croyez |
il/elle/iel/on croit | ils/elles/iels croient |
past participle : cru |
voir ‘to see’ | |
je vois | nous voyons |
tu vois | vous voyez |
il/elle/iel/on voit | ils/elles/iels voient |
past participle : vu |
Here’s an example of using these verbs in the present tense:
Je bois du café tous les matins.
Tu bois de l’eau pendant le repas. Elle croit en l’amour sincère. Nous croyons en la justice et à l’égalité. Il voit un arc-en-ciel après la pluie. Vous voyez les étoiles briller dans la nuit. |
I drink coffee every morning.
You drink water with your meal. She believes in true love. We believe in justice and equality. He sees a rainbow after the rain. You see the stars shining in the night. |
interrogative words: où, quand, comment…
Où (where), quand (when), comment (how), pourquoi (why), combien (how much), combien de (how many) may be used to ask questions with subject/verb inversion or with est-ce que. Note that the question word goes before est-ce que.
Read the following dialogue to see question words in context.
Où est mon livre ? | Where’s my book? | |
Où vas-tu ce soir ? | Where are you going tonight? | |
Quand est ton anniversaire ? | When’s your birthday? | |
Quand partons-nous en vacances ? | When do we go on vacation? | |
Comment ça va ? | How are things? | |
Comment fais-tu pour réussir ? | How do you succeed? | |