How to Teach French RE Verbs – A French Teacher’s Guide
Regular French verbs ending in –RE are the third major group of regular verbs I introduce to beginners. There aren’t as many regular -RE verbs as there are regular -ER and -IR verbs, but the conjugation pattern is still very manageable once students see how it works.
When I teach this group, I use three verbs that give students plenty of useful vocabulary while reinforcing the same conjugation pattern: attendre, perdre, and répondre à.
French RE Verbs Bundle | Worksheets & Games
Start With the Pattern
I begin by reminding students that they’re not learning three completely separate conjugations.
The basic process is:
Remove -RE from the infinitive and add the present-tense endings.
For example:
attendre → attend-
Then we add:
-s, -s, —, -ons, -ez, -ent
The pattern is:
je → -s
tu → -s
il/elle/on → no ending
nous → -ons
vous → -ez
ils/elles → -ent
I find that emphasizing the pattern is much more useful than having students memorize an entire chart without understanding what they’re looking at.
Begin With ATTENDRE
I usually start with attendre, because it gives us an opportunity to teach something else that English-speaking students often get wrong.
ATTENDRE — to wait / to wait for
j’attends
tu attends
il attend
elle attend
on attend
nous attendons
vous attendez
ils attendent
elles attendent
For example:
J’attends mon amie.
I am waiting for my friend.
One little detail is especially important here:
attendre already means “to wait for.”
Students do not need to add pour.
I often point this out because English-speaking students naturally want to translate “wait for” word-for-word.
J’attends mon amie.
Not: J’attends pour mon amie.
Reinforce the Present Tense
This is also where I remind students of something we’ve already talked about with other verb groups.
J’attends can mean:
I wait.
I do wait.
I am waiting.
Students sometimes want to say:
Je suis attendre.
No!
They don’t need être + infinitive to say “I am waiting.” The conjugated French verb already expresses the present tense.
This same idea applies to all three regular verb groups.
Move to PERDRE
Once students are comfortable with attendre, I move to perdre.
PERDRE — to lose
je perds
tu perds
il perd
elle perd
on perd
nous perdons
vous perdez
ils perdent
elles perdent
The pattern is the same.
For example:
Je perds mon temps.
I am wasting my time.
Again, I have students practice the three possible English translations:
je perds
I lose
I do lose
I am losing
This is another good opportunity to reinforce that French doesn’t use être + infinitive to form the English-style present progressive.
Finish With RÉPONDRE À
The third verb I use is répondre à.
RÉPONDRE À — to reply / to answer
je réponds
tu réponds
il répond
elle répond
on répond
nous répondons
vous répondez
ils répondent
elles répondent
For example:
Je réponds à un e-mail.
I am replying to an email.
There is another small detail I make sure students learn at this point:
répondre is followed by à when you’re replying or answering someone or something.
For example:
Je réponds à Marie.
I am replying to Marie.
Je réponds à la question.
I am answering the question.
I like teaching these little details along with the verb rather than waiting until later. Students are much more likely to remember répondre à as a unit.
French Regular RE Verbs – Present Tense Jeopardy-Style Review Game
Give Students a Chance to See the Pattern
At this point, I like to take the vocabulary out of the equation for a few minutes and have students concentrate purely on conjugation.
Give them an infinitive and a subject:
attendre + nous → nous attendons
perdre + vous → vous perdez
répondre + ils → ils répondent
Then reverse it:
nous attendons → attendre
vous perdez → perdre
ils répondent → répondre
This kind of quick practice helps students recognize the endings instead of relying on memorized charts.
One Important Reminder
I also make sure students understand that we’re talking about regular -RE verbs.
Just because a verb ends in -RE doesn’t automatically mean it follows this exact pattern. French has irregular verbs, too, and students will eventually encounter them.
For beginners, though, I want them to leave this lesson feeling that they have a system they can use.
Once they know the pattern, attendre, perdre, répondre, and other regular -RE verbs become much less intimidating.
And that’s really what I try to accomplish when I teach French verb conjugation: students should understand the pattern instead of feeling like they have to memorize every verb from scratch.
More French Grammar Resources
If you’re looking for ready-to-use French grammar lessons and practice activities, you can find more of my French teaching resources in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
French Regular RE Verbs – Bundled Resources
