Tutorial · beginner
How to Conjugate French -RE Verbs
A beginner-friendly guide to regular -RE verbs (attendre type), with tables, tips, and interactive practice.
What is a regular -RE verb?
Some French verbs end in -re. The regular ones follow the attendre pattern: remove -re to get the stem, then add the present endings.
Useful regular -RE verbs to know:
The simple 3-step method
To conjugate a regular -RE verb in the present tense: 1) take the infinitive, 2) remove -re to get the stem, 3) add the ending for each pronoun.
Step-by-step example with ATTENDRE
Infinitive: attendre → stem: attend-
| Pronoun | Stem | Ending | Result | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | attend | -s | attends | I wait |
| tu | attend | -s | attends | you wait |
| il / elle / on | attend | — | attend | he / she waits |
| nous | attend | -ons | attendons | we wait |
| vous | attend | -ez | attendez | you wait |
| ils / elles | attend | -ent | attendent | they wait |
Endings to memorize
Common beginner tip
Exercise 1 — Fill in the Ending
Add the correct -RE verb ending. The stem is already given — just type the missing ending (leave blank for il/elle).
Fill in the correct ending
Type only the ending (-s, -s, nothing, -ons, -ez, -ent). For elle, leave the blank empty.
- 1.j’attend
- 2.tu attend
- 3.elle attend
- 4.nous attend
- 5.vous attend
- 6.ils attend
Exercise 2 — Choose the Right Form
Pick the correct conjugated form of the verb in brackets.
Choose the correct form
Tap the correct option for each sentence.
1. Marie ___ le bus. (attendre)
2. Nous ___ des livres. (vendre)
3. Tu ___ la musique ? (entendre)
4. Ils ___ leurs clés. (perdre)
5. Vous ___ à la question. (répondre)
What to learn next
Practice with dictionary pages: attendre, vendre, and perdre. Then learn how to make sentences negative with ne … pas.
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