French Verbs Ending in -GER and -CER
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French Verbs Ending in -GER and -CER

Lesson: Conjugating French Verbs Ending in -GER and -CER

Introduction

This lesson will focus on how to correctly conjugate French verbs ending in -GER and -CER. These verbs require specific modifications in their conjugations to maintain the correct pronunciation in the first person plural form.

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Conjugating French Verbs Ending in -GER

Verbs that end in -GER, such as “manger” (to eat) and “voyager” (to travel), require an additional ‘e’ in the first person plural form (nous) in the present tense to maintain the soft ‘g’ sound [ʒ].

Rule: Insert an ‘e’ after the ‘g’ in the ‘nous’ form to preserve the pronunciation.

Examples:

Nous mangeons (We eat)  Nous voyageons (We travel)

List of Common -GER Verbs and Translations:

  • abréger (to abbreviate)
  • allonger (to extend)
  • aménager (to arrange)
  • arranger (to arrange)
  • avantager (to favor)
  • bouger (to move)
  • changer (to change)
  • corriger (to correct)
  • décharger (to unload)
  • décourager (to discourage)
  • déranger (to disturb)
  • diriger (to direct)
  • échanger (to exchange)
  • éponger (to mop up)
  • juger (to judge)
  • longer (to go along)
  • manger (to eat)
  • mélanger (to mix)
  • nager (to swim)
  • obliger (to oblige)
  • partager (to share)
  • plonger (to dive)
  • protéger (to protect)
  • ranger (to arrange)
  • recharger (to recharge)
  • ronger (to gnaw)
  • venger (to avenge)
  • voyager (to travel)

Conjugating Verbs Ending in -CER

For -CER verbs, a cédille (ç) is added under the ‘c’ in the ‘nous’ form in the present tense to maintain the soft ‘c’ sound [s].

Rule:
Add a cédille (ç) to the ‘c’ in the ‘nous’ form to preserve the pronunciation.
Examples:

Nous plaçons (We place)
Nous avançons (We advance)

List of Common -CER Verbs and Translations:

  • avancer (to advance)
  • coincer (to wedge)
  • commencer (to begin)
  • enfoncer (to sink)
  • financer (to finance)
  • foncer (to darken/to rush)
  • forcer (to force)
  • grimacer (to grimace)
  • lancer (to throw)
  • percer (to pierce)
  • prononcer (to pronounce)
  • saucer (to dip in sauce)
  • tracer (to trace)

🍀 EXERCICE 🍀

🔷 Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Conjugate the following verbs in the first person plural (nous) in the present tense:

  1. Nous __________ (manger) des fruits.
  2. Nous __________ (commencer) le projet.
  3. Nous __________ (voyager) en France.
    Nous __________ (tracer) la route.
answers
  1. Nous mangeons des fruits.
  2. Nous commençons le projet.
  3. Nous voyageons en France.
  4. Nous traçons la route.

🔷 Exercise 2: Translate to French

Translate these sentences into French using the correct form of the verbs:

  1. We judge the competition.
  2. We share the cake.
  3. We advance the plan.
  4. We place the books on the shelf.
answers
  1. Nous jugeons la compétition.
  2. Nous partageons le gâteau.
  3. Nous avançons le plan.
  4. Nous plaçons les livres sur l’étagère.

This thorough understanding of -GER and -CER verbs and their conjugations will enhance your fluency and confidence in using French accurately in both spoken and written forms. Practice regularly to master these essential verb forms.

Keywords : French Verbs Ending in -GER and -CER

 

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