Regular -re verbs – present tense
Vendre: je vends, il vend…
The third regular group ends in -re: vendre, attendre, entendre, répondre, perdre, descendre, rendre, défendre, mordre.
Conjugation
Remove -re and add:
| ending | attendre (to wait) | |
|---|---|---|
| je | -s | j'attends |
| tu | -s | tu attends |
| il / elle / on | (nothing) | il attend |
| nous | -ons | nous attendons |
| vous | -ez | vous attendez |
| ils / elles | -ent | ils attendent |
- J'attends le bus.I'm waiting for the bus.
- Tu entends ce bruit ?Can you hear that noise?
- Il répond à la question.He's answering the question.
- Nous vendons notre voiture.We're selling our car.
- Ils perdent toujours leurs clés.They always lose their keys.
Pronunciation
In the singular the d is silent: j'attends, il attend (a-tan). In the plural it's heard: ils attendent (a-tand). That's how you tell il attend and ils attendent apart.
Attendre means to wait for*: no preposition in French. J'attends le train, never ~~j'attends pour le train~~. Similarly chercher = to look for, écouter = to listen to, regarder* = to look at.
Prendre looks like an -re verb but is irregular: see Prendre.
Practice
- J'_____ mon ami. (attendre)
Show the answer
attends
- Elle _____ sa maison. (vendre)
Show the answer
vend
- Nous _____ à la question. (répondre)
Show the answer
répondons
- Ils _____ toujours leurs clés. (perdre)
Show the answer
perdent
In the app, this lesson is taught one idea at a time with the examples read aloud, followed by questions that explain the rule when you get one wrong. It then comes back for review on later days until you've mastered it.