French Conjugation: A Mountain That Shrinks When You Look Closer

A mountain, an ocean, an abyss… This is how many French learners describe conjugation. Immense. Confusing. Terrifying.

But fear often comes from not seeing the full picture. And a few simple numbers are enough to reveal a system that is far more logical — and far less frightening — than its reputation suggests.

Here is a clear breakdown to help you make peace with French verbs.

4000: Your First Big Relief

There are about 4000 verbs ending in -ER. That’s 90% of all French verbs.

And they all follow a regular, predictable, reliable pattern.

➡️ Learn one model, access thousands of verbs. That’s efficiency at its best.

300: The Second Group, Equally Friendly

Around 300 verbs in -IR belong to the second group. These are entirely regular.

➡️ One pattern = all mastered.

485: The Third Group, the “Complicated” One

Roughly 485 verbs are irregular and belong to the third group.This is where the French quirks live.

But here’s the important part:

➡️ They make up only about 10% of French verbs.

Challenging? Yes.Overwhelming? Not really.

10: The Most Frequently Used Verbs

The 10 most commonly used French verbs…are all from the third group.

être, avoir, aller, faire, dire, pouvoir, voir, vouloir, venir, devoir

Learn them first:

➡️ High effort, huge payoff.

2: An Alternative Way to Classify Verbs

Some linguists simplify French verbs into just two categories:

• ER verbs (regular)

• All the rest (irregular)

Not traditional, but helpful for beginners.

1: A Fun Oddity

Only one verb ending in -RE behaves like a second-group -IR verb:

➡️ maudire

A linguistic unicorn.

Cultural Bonus: Living vs. Dead Conjugations

Verbs in the first and second groups are considered living conjugations.We still invent new ones: liker, scanner, télétravailler…

The third group is a dead conjugation — no new irregular verbs will ever be added.

➡️ Which means: the system will never get more complicated.Good news, right?

Conclusion: Conjugation Isn’t a Void — It’s a Map

Once you understand the structure, French conjugation becomes predictable, logical, and even satisfying.