Regular -RE Verbs in French

Overview

Regular -re verbs are the third and smallest group of regular French verbs. While less numerous than -er verbs, they include many practical everyday words like attendre (to wait), vendre (to sell), répondre (to answer), and descendre (to go down). Mastering this conjugation pattern at the A1 level rounds out your knowledge of all three regular verb groups.

The conjugation follows a clear pattern: remove the -re ending to get the stem, then add the appropriate endings. A notable feature is that the third person singular (il/elle/on) has no ending at all — the bare stem stands alone. This is unique among the three regular verb groups and is a detail worth remembering.

Like -er verbs, several of the conjugated forms sound identical in spoken French, so the subject pronoun becomes essential for clarity.

How It Works

Conjugation Pattern

Using attendre (to wait) as a model:

Subject	Stem + Ending	Full form
je	attend + s	j'attends
tu	attend + s	tu attends
il / elle / on	attend + (nothing)	il attend
nous	attend + ons	nous attendons
vous	attend + ez	vous attendez
ils / elles	attend + ent	ils attendent

Pronunciation note: J'attends, tu attends, and il attend all sound the same. The final -d is silent, and the -ent in ils attendent is also silent.

Common Regular -RE Verbs

Verb	English
attendre	to wait (for)
vendre	to sell
répondre	to answer
descendre	to go down
entendre	to hear
perdre	to lose
rendre	to give back, to return
fondre	to melt

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
J'attends le bus.	I'm waiting for the bus.	No preposition needed
Tu vends ta voiture ?	Are you selling your car?	Question
Il répond au téléphone.	He answers the phone.	No ending for il
Elle entend la musique.	She hears the music.	Perception verb
Nous descendons l'escalier.	We go down the stairs.	Movement
Vous vendez des fleurs ?	Do you sell flowers?	Commerce
Ils attendent depuis une heure.	They've been waiting for an hour.	Duration
On perd toujours les clés.	We always lose the keys.	On = we
Je rends le livre à la bibliothèque.	I return the book to the library.	Giving back
Tu entends ce bruit ?	Do you hear that noise?	Asking about perception

Common Mistakes

Adding an ending for il/elle/on

• Wrong: Il attende le bus.
• Right: Il attend le bus.
• Why: The third person singular of regular -re verbs takes no ending. The stem alone is the correct form.

Confusing "attendre" with "wait for"

• Wrong: J'attends pour le bus.
• Right: J'attends le bus.
• Why: Unlike English "wait for," attendre takes a direct object — no preposition is needed.

Confusing -re verbs with -er verb endings

• Wrong: Je vende la voiture.
• Right: Je vends la voiture.
• Why: Regular -re verbs take -s in the first person singular, not -e. Do not mix up the conjugation patterns.

Practice Tips

1. Practice conjugating attendre, vendre, and répondre side by side to reinforce the pattern. Pay special attention to the bare stem in the il/elle/on form.
2. Create simple scenarios: waiting for a bus (j'attends le bus), selling something (je vends mon vélo), answering the phone (je réponds au téléphone). Real-life contexts make the verbs stick.

Related Concepts

• Subject Pronouns — pronouns used in conjugation