Un 4.3

Stem-changing -er Verbs

The group of regular -er verbs, traditionally referred to as 1st group verbs, all have the same conjugation endings. That said, there are several verbs within the group that see changes in their stems in the present tense. These verbs are not massive in number, but include some very commonly-used verbs. These changes are primarily done for pronunciation purposes, and can be categorized into subgroups.

Explication

Exercices

Stem-changing -er Verbs – Les verbes en -er avec changements de radical

Verbs in this group ending in -ger add an extra ‘e’ for their ‘nous’ conjugation form.

e.g.

manger
je	mange	nous	mangeons
tu	manges	vous	mangez
il elle on	mange	ils elles	mangent

Verbs in this group ending in -cer transform the ‘c’ into a ‘ç’ for their ‘nous’ conjugation form.

e.g.

commencer
je	commence	nous	commençons
tu	commences	vous	commencez
il elle on	commence	ils elles	commencent

Verbs in this group ending in -yer transform the ‘y’ into an ‘i’ for all forms except their ‘nous’ and ‘vous’ conjugations.

e.g.

vouvoyer
je	vouvoie	nous	vouvoyons
tu	vouvoies	vous	vouvoyez
il elle on	vouvoie	ils elles	vouvoient

ennuyer
je	ennuie	nous	ennuyons
tu	ennuies	vous	ennuyez
il elle on	ennuie	ils elles	ennuient

For verbs ending in -ayer, this stem change is optional, although it has become more and more frequent.

e.g.

payer
je	paie / paye	nous	payons
tu	paies / payes	vous	payez
il elle on	paie / paye	ils elles	paient / payent

Verbs in this group ending in –é_er transform the penultimate syllable’s ‘é’ into an ‘è’ for all forms except the ‘nous’ and ‘vous’ conjugations.

e.g.

espérer
je	espère	nous	espérons
tu	espères	vous	espérez
il elle on	espère	ils elles	espèrent

Verbs in this group ending in -e_er transform the penultimate syllable’s ‘e’ into an ‘è’ for all forms except the ‘nous’ and ‘vous’ conjugations.

e.g.

acheter
je	achète	nous	achetons
tu	achètes	vous	achetez
il elle on	achète	ils elles	achètent

lever
je	lève	nous	levons
tu	lèves	vous	levez
il elle on	lève	ils elles	lèvent

This is not the case for most verbs ending in -eler and -eter, as they undergo a different stem change, adding a second consonant (‘l’ or ‘t’) to the stem in all forms except the ‘nous’ and ‘vous’ conjugations.

e.g.

appeler
je	appelle	nous	appelons
tu	appelles	vous	appelez
il elle on	appelle	ils elles	appellent

jeter
je	jette	nous	jetons
tu	jettes	vous	jetez
il elle on	jette	ils elles	jettent

Exercices

Un 4.3 - Ex. 2

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the given verb.

J’ rentrer à la maison bientôt. (espérer)

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the given verb.

Tu la nouvelle voiture ? (essayer)

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the given verb.

Christiane la vaisselle. (essuyer)

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the given verb.

Vous des livres français. (acheter)

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the given verb.

Je l'anniversaire d'Annie. (célébrer)

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the given verb.

L’étudiant le professeur. (vouvoyer)

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the given verb.

Les acteurs leur travail. (compléter)

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the given verb.

Un bon dentiste ses patients. (écouter)

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the given verb.

Nous le chien. (appeler)

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the given verb.

Nadine et Pierre les papiers. (jeter)