- If an infinitive ends in -re, it means the verb belongs to the third conjugation, for example, attendre, vendre, entendre.
- The stem of -re verbs in the present tense is formed by taking the infinitive and chopping off -re.
| Infinitive | Stem (without -re) |
| attendre (to wait) | attend- |
| vendre (to sell) | vend- |
| entendre (to hear) | entend- |
- Now add the correct ending, depending on whether you are referring to je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils or elles.
- Here are the present tense endings for -re verbs:
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to stem, e.g. attend- | Meanings |
| je (j’) | -s | j’attends | I wait I am waiting |
| tu | -s | tu attends | you wait you are waiting |
| il elle on | - | il attend elle attend on attend | he/she/it/one waits he/she/it/one is waiting |
| nous | -ons | nous attendons | we wait we are waiting |
| vous | -ez | vous attendez | you wait you are waiting |
| ils elles | -ent | ils attendent elles attendent | they wait they are waiting |
| J’attends ma sœur. | I’m waiting for my sister. |
| Chaque matin nous attendons le train ensemble. | Every morning we wait for the train together. |
Tipje changes to j’ in front of a word starting with a vowel, most words starting with h, and the French word y.
Key points
- Verbs ending in -re belong to the third conjugation and form their present tense stem by losing the -re from the infinitive.
- The present tense endings for -re verbs are: -s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent.