Question

French Tutorial: Irregular -er Verbs

Answer 1

note: this is not a comprehensive list of all -er verbs; this is simply a small list of certain -er verbs with spelling irregularities. also, note that I am only covering spelling irregularities in the present tense, as the rules for these verbs may be different in other tenses.

Answer 2

\({\bf{-cer~Verbs:}}\)
when the c is present before a, or o, the c changes to a ç (c cedilla)

ex: annoncer (to announce)
j'annonce
tu annonces
il/elle/on annonce
nous annonçons
vouz annoncez
ils/elles annoncent

notice that because the nous form is the only form where c is followed by an a, or o, it is the only one that gets this spelling change

other examples: commencer (to begin) and lancer (to throw/launch)

Answer 3

\({\bf{-ger~Verbs:}}\)
if the conjugated ending starts with a or o, add a muet e* after g

ex: nager (to swim)
je nage
tu nages
il/elle/on nage
nous nageons (not nagons)
vouz nagez
ils/elles nagent

again, the nous form is the only one that adopts the spelling change

other examples: manger (to eat) and changer (to change)

*It is a bit complicated to describe what a muet e is, so I will be linking a few references that help distinguish between aspirated and muet e

Answer 4

\({\bf{-muet~e~Verbs:}}\)
if a verb has a muet e in the syllable right before -er, and the verb form has a muet e in the verb ending (according to the conjugation), then change the e to è

be especially careful that you're changing the correct e

ex: élever: to raise (as in an object)
notice how it's the second e that changes, since that's where the syllable before the conjugated verb ending is. it is not the final e, nor the initial e, that changes.

j'élève
tu élèves
il élève
nous élevons
vous élevez
ils élèvent

note that the nous/vous forms do not change their spelling, because -ons and -ez lack muet e in the ending

Answer 5

\({\bf{-eler~and~-eter~Verbs:}}\)
if the verb ending (according to conjugation) contains an e muet, change the l or t to a double l or double t

ex: projeter (to plan)
je projette
tu projettes
il projette
nous projetons
vous projetez
ils projettent

again, this spelling does not apply to the nous/vous forms

other examples: rejeter (to reject) and épeler (to spell)

Answer 6

\({\bf{-yer~Verbs:}}\)
if the y directly precedes an e muet, change y to i

ex: payer (to pay)
je paie (not paye)
tu paies
il paie
nous payons
vous payez
ils paient

other examples: employer (to use) and essayer (to try)

Answer 7

\({\bf{é~Verbs:}}\) (upwards accent on the e, just in case it's hard to read)
if the verb has é in the syllable right before the -er, the é becomes a è (upwards --> downwards accent) in the final syllable that is pronounced (this does not apply for nous/vous forms as there is a final pronounced syllable without é)

ex: célébrer (to celebrate)

je célèbre (not célébre)
tu célèbres
il célèbre
nous célébrons
vous célébrez
ils célèbrent

other examples: compléter (to complete) and répéter (to repeat)

Answer 8

\({\bf{References:}}\)

Rochester, Myrna B. Easy French Step-by-Step, United States, McGraw-Hill Education, 2009, 93-104.

https://leconjugueur.lefigaro.fr/ukindex.php (I used this a lot to check my conjugations)
https://www.asu.edu/courses/fpw/section_ECaduc/index.html (information on e muet, plus a pronunciation exercise at the bottom to demonstrate when you should/shouldn't pronounce e)
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/pronunciation/e-instable/ more information on h muet

CollinsDictionary for French and English translations

Forvo (https://forvo.com/), a French pronunciation database with samples from native French speakers