Point de départ
You’ve already seen infinitives that end in -er and -ir.
The infinitive forms of some French verbs end in -re.
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6B.2-1
Many -re verbs, such as attendre (to wait), follow a
regular pattern of conjugation, as shown below.
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6B.2-2
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6B.2-3
The verb attendre means to wait or to wait for. Unlike
English, it does not require a preposition.
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6B.2-4
To form the past participle of regular -re verbs, drop
the -re from the infinitive and add -u.
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Rendre visite à means to visit a person, while visiter
means to visit a place.
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6B.2-6
Some verbs whose infinitives end in -re are irregular.
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6B.2-7
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6B.2-8
The past participle of the verb mettre is mis. Verbs derived
from mettre (permettre, promettre) follow the same
pattern: permis, promis.
The past participle of conduire is conduit. Verbs like it
follow the same pattern: construire  construit;
détruire  détruit; produire  produit;
réduire  réduit; traduire  traduit.
The past participle of rire is ri. The past participle of sourire
is souri.
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6B.2-9
Like for the other verb groups, use present tense verb forms
to give commands
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6B.2-10
Essayez!
Complétez les phrases avec la forme
correcte du présent du verbe.
1. Ils __________
attendent (attendre) l’arrivée du train.
2. Nous __________ (répondre) aux questions du professeur.
3. Je __________ (sourire) quand je suis heureuse.
4. Si on __________ (construire) trop, on __________
(détruire) la nature.
5. Quand il fait froid, vous __________ (mettre) un pull.
6. Est-ce que les étudiants __________ (entendre) le
professeur?
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6B.2-11