Regular -RE Verbs: vendre, attendre, répondre
Learn the troisième groupe (third group) of regular French verbs (-RE verbs). Key feature: il/elle form has NO ending.
-RE verbs follow a simple pattern: remove -re and add endings. The key detail: the il/elle/on form has NO ending at all, because the stem ends in a consonant that stays silent.
REGULAR -RE VERBS LIKE VENDRE: these follow a predictable pattern, but technically belong to the troisième groupe (third group) — French's large, mostly IRREGULAR catch-all group (also home to être, avoir, faire, aller). Model: VENDRE (to sell)
FORMATION: remove -RE → stem VEND-, then add endings
SINGULAR ENDINGS: -s / -s / nothing (zero ending): je vends (I sell), tu vends (you sell), il/elle/on vend (he/she/one sells): all three sound the same. The il/elle/on form has NO added letter; the D is silent
PLURAL ENDINGS: -ons / -ez / -ent: nous vendons (we sell), vous vendez (you sell), ils/elles vendent (they sell): the -ent is silent but the D resurfaces before it
- Je vends ma voiture. — I am selling my car.
- Tu attends depuis longtemps ? — Have you been waiting long?
- Elle répond toujours vite. — She always replies quickly.
- Nous entendons la musique. — We can hear the music.