Verbs have a number of functions. In particular, they indicate tense, voice, mood, number and person.
Les verbes ont un certain nombre de fonctions.
Verbs are classified as regular verbs and irregular verbs.
1) Regular Verbs
Most verbs are regular verbs, They are described as regular because they obey certain rules, especially regarding the forming of tenses. Regular verbs obey the following such rules:
La plupart des verbes sont des verbes réguliers. Ils sont décrits comme réguliers car ils obéissent à certaines règles, notamment celles relative à la formation des temps. Les verbes réguliers obéissent aux règles suivantes:
a) Regular verbs add the ending -s to the base or infinitive form of the verb to form the third person singular of the present tense.
Les verbes réguliers ajoutent la terminaison -s à l'infinitif du verbe pour former la troisième personne du singulier lorsqu'ils sont congugués au présent de l'indicatif, les autres personnes étant formé en utilisant uniquement l'infinitif.
While the rest of the present tense is formed by using just the base or infinitive form.
The present participle of regular verbs is formed by adding the ending -ing to the base form.
Le participe présent des verbes réguliers est formé en ajoutant la terminaison -ing au verbe à l'infinitif.
If the base form ends in -e the e is usually omitted before the -ing ending is added, as in: hating, loving, loathing.
Si l'infinitif du verbe se termine par -e, le e est généralement omis avant d'ajouter la fin -ing, comme dans: haïr, aimer, détester.
b) Regular verbs add the ending -ed to the base (or the ending -d if the base form already ends in -e) to form the past tense.
Les verbes réguliers ajoutent la terminaison -ed à l'infinitif (ou la terminaison -d si le verbe à l'infinitif se termine déjà par -e) pour former le passé ou le participe passé.
Example
Base Form | 3rd Person Singular | Present Participle | Past and Past Participle |
(s-form) | (ing-form) | ||
act ( agir ) |
acts | acting | acted |
erase ( effacer ) |
erases | erasing | erased |
reach ( atteindre ) |
reaches | reaching | reached |
love ( aimer ) |
loves | loving | loved |
hate ( détester ) |
hates | hating | hated |
In some cases, though, we have to modify the verb slightly further in order to be able to add “-d” or “-ed.”
Dans certains cas, cependant, nous devons modifier légèrement le verbe afin de pouvoir ajouter «-d» ou «-ed».
For instance:
• With verbs that end in a “short” vowel followed by a consonant;
Avec des verbes qui se terminent par une voyelle «courte» suivie d'une consonne;
We double the final consonant in addition to adding “-ed”;
Nous doublons la consonne finale en plus d'ajouter «-ed»;
• When a verb ends in a consonant + “y,” we replace the “y” with “i” and add “-ied”;
Lorsqu'un verbe se termine par une consonne + «y», nous remplaçons le «y» par «i» et ajoutons «-ied»;
• When a verb ends in “-ic,” we add the letter “k” in addition to “-ed.”
Lorsqu'un verbe se termine par «-ic», nous ajoutons la lettre «k» en plus de «-ed».
Example
Base Form | Past Simple Tense | Past Participle |
chop ( hacher ) |
chopped | chopped |
copy ( copier ) |
copied | copied |
panic ( paniquer ) |
panicked | panicked |
- Usage Note: An exception to this rule occurs for words that end in a soft vowel and the consonant “l” (as in travel, cancel, fuel, label, etc.). In this case, we merely add “-ed” to form the past simple and the past participle (as in traveled, canceled, fueled, labeled, etc.)
Note d'utilisation: Une exception à cette règle se produit pour les mots qui se terminent par une voyelle douce et la consonne «l» (comme dans travel, cancel, fuel, label, etc.). Dans ce cas, nous ajoutons simplement «-ed» pour former le participe passé simple et passé (comme dans voyagé, annulé, alimenté, étiqueté, etc.)
we do not double the consonant. Note, however, that this exception only occurs in American English; in other varieties of English, such as British or Australian English, the consonant is still doubled.
nous ne doublons pas la consonne. Notez, cependant, que cette exception se produit uniquement en anglais américain; dans d'autres variétés d'anglais, comme l'anglais britannique ou australien, la consonne est encore doublée.
Example
• “Your father’s fine, don’t panic!” (base form)
Ton père va bien, pas de panique!
• “I panicked when I heard he was in the hospital.” (past simple tense)
J'ai paniqué quand j'ai appris qu'il était à l'hôpital.
• “I wish hadn’t panicked like that.” (past participle)
J'aurais aimé ne pas avoir paniqué comme ça.
2) Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs do not obey the rules which apply to regular verbs. In particular, they deviate from the pattern of adding -ed or -d to the infinitive form to form the past tense and past participle forms.
Les verbes irréguliers n'obéissent pas aux règles qui s'appliquent aux verbes réguliers. En particulier, ils s'écartent du modèle d'ajout de -ed ou -d à la forme infinitive pour former les former le passé simple et le participe passé.
Categories of irregular verbs
Irregular verbs fall into several categories when it comes to forming the past tense and past participle forms.
Les verbes irréguliers se divisent en plusieurs catégories lorsqu'il s'agit de former le passé simple et du participe passé.
1 One category concerns those verbs which have the same form as the infinitive form in the past tense and past participle forms, as in: to cut: The following verbs are included in this category:
Une catégorie concerne les verbes qui ont la même forme qu'à l'infinitif au passé simpli et au participe passé, comme dans: couper: Les verbes suivants sont inclus dans cette catégorie:
infinitive | past tense | past participle |
bet ( parier ) |
bet | bet |
burst ( éclater ) |
burst | burst |
cast ( jeter ) |
cast | cast |
cost ( coûter) |
cost | cost |
cut ( couper ) |
cut | cut |
hit ( frapper ) |
hit | hit |
hurt ( blesser ) |
hurt | hurt |
put ( mettre ) |
put | put |
set ( fixer ) |
set | set |
shut ( fermer ) |
shut | shut |
split ( séparer ) |
split | split |
spread ( se répandre ) |
spread | spread |
2 Another category includes those irregular verbs which have two past tenses and two past participles, the past tenses having the same forms as the past participles. The following verbs are included in this category
Une autre catégorie concerne les verbes irréguliers qui ont deux temps passés et deux participes passés, les temps passés ayant les mêmes formes que les participes passés. Les verbes suivants sont inclus dans cette catégorie
infinitive | past tense | past participle |
burn ( brûler ) |
burned / burnt | burned / burnt |
dream ( rêver ) |
dreamed / dreamt | dreamed / dreamt |
dwell ( demeurer ) |
dwelled / dwelt | dwelled / dwelt |
hang ( accrocher ) |
hanged / hung | hanged / hung |
kneel ( s'agenouiller ) |
kneeled / knelt | kneeled / knelt |
lean ( pencher ) |
leaned / leant | leaned / leant |
leap ( bondir ) |
leaped / leapt | leaped / leapt |
learn ( apprendre ) |
learned / learnt | learned / learnt |
light ( éclairer ) |
lighted / lit | lighted / lit |
smell ( sentir ) |
smelled / smelt | smelled / smelt |
speed ( Accélérer ) |
speeded / sped | speeded / sped |
spill ( renverser ) |
spilled / spilt | spilled / spilt |
spoil ( gâcher ) |
spoiled / spoilt | spoiled / spoilt |
weave ( tisser ) |
weaved / woven | weaved / woven |
wet ( se marier ) |
wetted / wet | wetted / wet |
3. Another category includes those irregular verbs which have past tenses that never end in -ed and which have the same form as that of the past participles.
Une autre catégorie comprend les verbes irréguliers dont le passé et le participes passés ont mème forme.
The following verbs are included in this category:
infinitive | past tense | past participle |
bend ( plier ) |
bent | bent |
build ( construire ) | built | built |
dig ( creuser ) |
dug | dug |
feel ( sentir ) |
felt | felt |
fight combattre ) |
fought | fought |
find ( trouver ) |
found | found |
get ( obtenir ) |
got | got |
hear ( entendre ) |
heard | heard |
hold ( tenir ) |
held | held |
keep ( garder ) |
kept | kept |
lay ( coucher ) |
laid | laid |
lead ( mener ) |
led | led |
leave ( partir ) |
left | left |
lend ( prêter ) |
lent | lent |
lose ( perdre ) |
lost | lost |
make ( faire ) |
made | made |
mean ( vouloir dire ) |
meant | meant |
meet ( rencontrer ) |
met | met |
pay ( payer) |
paid | paid |
say ( dire) |
said | said |
sell ( vendre ) |
sold | sold |
send ( envoyer) |
sent | sent |
shine ( briller ) |
shone | shone |
sit ( s'asseoir ) |
sat | sat |
sleep ( dormir ) |
slept | slept |
spend ( dépenser ) |
spent | spent |
stand ( se tenir debout ) |
stood | stood |
stick ( coller ) |
stuck | stuck |
strike ( frapper ) |
struck | struck |
swing ( balancer ) |
swung | swung |
teach ( enseigner ) |
taught | taught |
tell ( dire ) |
told | told |
think ( penser) |
thought | thought |
understand ( comprendre ) |
understood | understood |
weep ( pleurer ) |
wept | wept |
win ( gagner ) |
won | won |
4 Another category includes irregular verbs which have regular past tense forms ending in -ed or -d and two possible past participles, one of which is regular and the same as the past tense. The following verbs are included in this category:
infinitive | past tense | past participle |
mow ( tondre ) |
mowed | mowed / mown |
prove ( prouver ) | proved | proved / proven |
sew ( coudre ) |
sewed | sewed / sewn |
show ( montrer ) |
showed | showed / shown |
sow ( semer ) |
sowed | sowed / sown |
swell ( gonfler ) |
swelled | swelled / swollen |
5 Another category includes irregular verbs which have past tenses and past participles which are different from each other and different from the infinitive. Some common verbs in this category are included in the following list:
infinitive | past tense | past participle |
bear ( supporter ) |
bore | borne |
begin ( commencer ) |
began | begun |
bite ( mordre ) |
bit | bitten |
blow ( souffler ) |
blown | blew |
break ( casser ) |
broke | broken |
choose ( choisir ) |
chose | chosen |
do ( faire ) |
did | done |
draw ( dessiner ) |
drew | drawn |
drink ( boire ) |
drank | drunk |
drive ( conduire ) |
drove | driven |
eat ( manger) |
ate | eaten |
fall ( tomber ) |
fell | fallen |
fly ( voler ) |
flew | flown |
forbid ( interdire ) |
forbade | forbidden |
forgive ( pardonner ) |
forgave | forgiven |
forget ( oublier ) |
forgot | forgotten |
freeze ( geler ) |
froze | frozen |
give ( donner ) |
gave | given |
grow ( grandir ) |
grew | grown |
hide ( cacher ) |
hid | hidden |
know ( savoir ) |
knew | known |
lie ( mentir ) |
lay | lain |
ride ( conduire ) |
rode | ridden |
rise ( se lever ) |
rose | risen |
ring ( sonner ) |
rang | rung |
see ( voir ) |
saw | seen |
shake ( secouer ) |
shook | shaken |
shrink ( rétrécir ) |
shrank | shrunk |
speak ( parler ) |
spoke | spoken |
steal ( voler ) |
stole | stolen |
swear ( vjurer ) |
swore | sworn |
swim ( nager ) |
swam | swum |
take ( prendre ) |
took | taken |
tear ( pleurer ) |
tore | torn |
throw ( jeter ) |
threw | thrown |
wake ( réveiller ) |
woke | woken |
wear ( porter ) |
wore | worn |
write ( écrire ) |
wrote | written |