Passive Reflexive
The passive reflexive construction is a way to avoid naming the subject of a verb's action without using the dreaded passive voice. verbs
French Verbs
Verbes
Everything you ever wanted to know about French verbs.
- Top 10 French verbs
- Introduction to French verb conjugation
- Verb conjugation lessons – Learn how to conjugate every kind of French verb in every tense and mood.
- Verb conjugation tables – Quick reference to simple and compound conjugations for 1,500+ verbs.
- Verb tenses, moods, and voices – Lessons on everything from the subjunctive to the pronominal voice.
The passive reflexive construction is a way to avoid naming the subject of a verb's action without using the dreaded passive voice. Penser – to think
The regular -er verb penser, "to think," is ubiquitous and very useful, but can also be a little tricky when it comes to prepositions (penser à vs penser de). Pouvoir – can, to be able
Pouvoir is a very common irregular French verb with an unusual relationship to some of its English equivalents. It generally means "can" or "to be able" but it's a bit more complicated in certain tenses. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • verbs
Prendre – to take
Re- Prefix
Reporting Verbs
Sometimes it's necessary for person A to tell person B what person C said. This phenomenon, known as reported speech, is often done with the help of a reporting verb. Here are the most common French reporting verbs with links to conjugation tables. Savoir – to know
The French verb savoir usually means "to know." It has irregular conjugations in just about every tense and mood, and somewhat different meanings in a couple of those. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • verbs
Savoir vs Connaître (and Ignorer)
Do you know how to say "know" in French? There are two verbs with distinct meanings, and just to keep things interesting, there are also two overlapping meanings. Confused? After you read this lesson, you'll know all you need to know. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • synonyms • verbs
Se faire – Reflexive Causative
The reflexive causative uses a reflexive pronoun to indicate that the subject is acted upon, whether this action is by his choice or not. It's equivalent to "get/have something done to/for oneself." B2 - Upper-Intermediate French • verbs
Sembler – to seem
The regular -er verb sembler means "to seem" and sometimes needs to be followed by the subjunctive. Semi-Auxiliary Verbs
Semi-auxiliary verbs are used with infinitives to influence their meaning, tense, mood, or aspect. Some French semi-auxiliaries are equivalent to English modal verbs, and most of the top 10 French verbs can or must be used as semi-auxiliaries. A2 - Low-Intermediate French • tenses moods voices • verbs
Semi-Auxiliary Verbs: Word Order
It's very common to have two verbs in a row in both English and French, as in J'aime danser. The word order can get very complicated when additional grammatical structures like object pronouns and negation are introduced. negation • pronouns • verbs • word order
Si Clauses: Conditionals
Si clauses, also known as conditionals or conditional sentences, are if-then constructions that express a condition to be met in order for a certain result. They are divided into three types, depending on whether the condition is likely, unlikely, or impossible. B1 - Intermediate French • lesson plans • verbs • word order
Si Clauses: First Conditional
The first conditional is an if-then proposition that talks about a likely situation: if something happens (the condition), then something else happens (the result). The first conditional is constructed similarly in French and English and can be further divided into three subcategories. B1 - Intermediate French • verbs
Si Clauses: Second Conditional
The second conditional is an if-then proposition that expresses an unlikely situation: if something happened (the condition), then something else would happen (the result). The condition is expressed with the imperfect, and the potential result is indicated with the conditional. 
Unlike other French suffixes, -ci does not create new words, but rather adds additional meaning to the nouns and pronouns it's attached to.
