Conjugating Verbs

Hey there!

Laurence here, for a quick session on conjugating verbs.

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So, you`ve probably been asked to `conjugate` a verb in your French lesson.

If you`re not sure what that means, let me explain in really easy terms.

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So, you`ll probably remember from your English lessons that a verb is a doing word - an action.

To write, to eat, to speak - all doing words. These are all verbs.

Now when we want to use a verb, in order to express something about ourselves or somebody else, or another group of people, we need to put that verb in the correct form. It`s a bit like putting it in the right clothes to go out for the day.

There are set rules for how verbs should be dressed, depending on the person doing the writing, eating, or speaking.

And what`s great is that it`s just a matter of learning which clothes are needed each time. Once you`ve done this for one verb, you can use a similar pattern for another verb. But we`ll come to that later.

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For now, just imagine that I am eating an apple.

In English I say: `I am eating an apple`.

When I write this about my friend who is sat opposite me, I say:

`You are eating an apple`.

Take a moment to look at that difference.

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What`s the difference?

Well, it`s easy - `I am` to `You are`.

This is the verb `to be` changing clothes - I is followed by `am` and You is followed by `are`.

This is an example of how the words change when we switch from one person (me) to another (you).

And I like to think of this as the verb to be getting dressed differently for different people.

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So to summarise so far: conjugating a verb means to put the verb in the right form for the right person.

It`s like dressing it appropriately - you take the verb, and, if it`s raining, you`re going to need a raincoat if it`s sunny, you might choose to wear shorts!

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So, take a look at this in French.

Know how to say, `I am eating an apple`? It`s:

`Je mange un pomme`.

How about `You`re eating an apple`? It`s:

`Tu manges un pomme`.

I am eating an apple - to You are eating an apple.

Can you spot any differences here in the French?

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Yes, that`s it - we`ve added an `s` to the end of `mange`:

`Je mange` and `Tu manges`.

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But why have we done that? I hear you asking.

Well, to be honest, it doesn`t matter - it`s just what happens.

I once asked a teacher the same question. And they said: `well, we don`t really ask why here`.

And when learning a language, it`s great to be curious - but really, learning French is about just learning what the rules are.

So you could say: we`ve added an s because... that`s the rule!

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Now let`s see this verb we`ve been using - `manger`, to eat - dressed for each possible person who can be doing the eating:

Je mange - I eat

Tu manges - You eat

Elle mange - She eats

Il mange - He eats

Nous mangeons - We eat
Vous mangez - You eat
Elles mangent - They eat
Ils mangent - They eat.

Wow! That`s a lot right?
You can see we`ve said the same thing - to eat - but for a different type of person, or what`s called the Subject, each time: I, You, He, etc.
And each time, the verb takes a specific form.
When we write down the specific form like this, we are conjugating: we are taking a verb - to eat, manger - and dressing it in the right clothes each time, depending on the Subject of the verb: I, You, He, and so on.
Take a look again:
I eat - Je mange
You eat - Tu manges
She eats - Elle mange
We eat - Nous mangeons
You eat - Vous mangez
They eat - Its mangent

You`ll also notice that two of the forms here of `manger` take the same clothes - `Je mange` and `Elle mange`. That rain is just how this verb gets dressed each time.
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So think about conjugating as getting dressed. Think: What are the right clothes for the verb each time?
This is a way for you to understand what conjugating is.
Next time, we`ll look at how to remember which clothes the verb needs each time.
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I hope this is helped.

Best wishes - and thanks for reading!
Laurence