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About-France.comOnline French grammar -  Verb tables
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French language and grammar pages : verbs and verb tables
 Group 3 verbs: verbs in -re .

Several hundred French verbs have an infinitive ending in -re.
Unfortunately for students of French - and that includes native French speakers! - they follow a multitude of different conjugation patterns. Some linguists have concluded that the best solution is to consider all these verbs as irregular verbs.
   Nevertheless, within the -re group of verbs, there are several groups of verbs that are conjugated according to the same pattern.

Group 3.1. More than twenty common verbs conjugated on the model of vendre
attendre,  confondre,  correspondre,  défendre ,  dépendre,  descendre,  détendre ,  entendre ,  étendre,  fendre,  fondre ,  mordre,  pendre,  perdre,  prétendre,  rendre,  répandre,  répondre,  suspendre,  tendre ,  tordre ,  vendre and verbs based on these.  See Verb table vendre below.


Group 3.2.  Verbs formed on the  root prendre.  
See irregular verbs (coming)

Group 3.3   Verbs ending in -uire, such as conduire.   See irregular verbs (coming)

Plus dozens more groups with one or just a few examples. These have to be learned one by one or group by group.  See irregular verbs (coming)



Sample verb vendre  - to sell  
This is the standard model only for the verbs listed above and their derivatives: many other verbs in -re form some of their tenses on the same model, but not others.
    
For each tense, a sample English equivalent is given for the first person singular. 

Table 1.
Tenses (indicative) :
PersonPresent
(I sell, I am selling)
Future
(I will sell )
Imperfect
(I was selling )
1st singular.je vendsje vendraije vendais
2nd singulartu vendstu vendrastu vendais
3rd singularil elle on ... vendil (..) vendrail (..) vendait
1st pluralnous vendonsnous vendronsnous vendions
2nd pluralvous vendezvous vendrezvous vendiez
3rd pluralils elles vendentils vendrontils vendaient
Notes

Table 2
Tenses (indicative):
PersonPreterite
(I sold )
Perfect (passé composé)
(I have sold )
Pluperfect
(I'd sold )
1st singular.je vendisj'ai venduj'avais vendu
2nd singulartu vendistu as vendutu avais vendu
3rd singularil (..) venditil (..) a venduil avait vendu
1st pluralnous vendîmesnous avons vendunous avions vendu
2nd pluralvous vendîtesvous avez venduvous aviez vendu
3rd pluralils vendirentils ont venduils avaient vendu
Notesrare except in 3rd person

Table 3
Tenses (indicative):
PersonFuture perfect
(I will have sold )
Conditional
(I would sell )
Past conditional
(I would have sold )
1st singular.j'aurai venduje vendrais j'aurais vendu
2nd singulartu auras vendutu vendrais tu aurais vendu
3rd singularil aura venduil vendrait il aurait vendu
1st pluralnous aurons vendunous vendrions nous aurions vendu
2nd pluralvous aurez venduvous vendriez vous auriez vendu
3rd pluralils auront venduils vendraient ils auraient vendu
Notes

Table 4
ImperativePresent participle
Person(sell )
selling
2nd singularvendsvendant
1st pluralvendons
2nd pluralvendez
Notes

Table 5
Tenses (subjunctive) :
PersonPresent
(may sell , may be selling)
preterite
(might sell)
Perfect (parfait)
(may have sold )
1st singular.je vendeje vendissej'aie vendu
2nd singulartu vendestu vendissestu aies vendu
3rd singularil, elle... vendeil vendîtil ait vendu
1st pluralnous vendionsnous vendissionsnous ayons vendu
2nd pluralvous vendiezvous vendissiezvous ayez vendu
3rd pluralils vendentils vendissentils aient vendu
Notes(very rare)

There are a few other tenses that are hardly ever used in modern French, except in very literary style.
The second pluperfect (passé antérieur) - which can be used instead of the pluperfect, and is formed on the model:  j'eus vendu.
The pluperfect subjunctive - on the model:  j'eusse vendu
The second past conditional - on the model: j'eusse vendu


Examples:
Je vends ma maison
    I'm selling my house.
Il vendait toujours ses tableaux avant les autres.
    He always sold his paintings before the others.
Vends-le aussi vite que possible !
    Sell it as soon as possible!!
Je pense qu'il aura vendu sa collection avant  la fin de l'exposition.
    I think he'll have sold his collection before the exhibition's over..
J'ai peur qu'ils ne vendront rien à ces prix-là !
    I'm afraid they won't sell anything at those prices.



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