French Conjugation Isn’t a Nightmare — It’s a Superpower You Haven’t Unlocked Yet

Let’s be honest: conjugation is rarely the part of French learners look forward to. For many, the mere mention of verbs, tenses, moods, or endings triggers an immediate sense of overwhelm. And in many cases, these terms aren’t even familiar when students start learning French.

To make matters worse, most learners are introduced to conjugation through the most irregular verbs, with no visible pattern to guide them. No context. No structure. No “big picture”.

No wonder they quickly develop the belief that:

• all French verbs must be irregular,

• it only gets harder from here,

• conjugation is a mountain they will never climb.

Yet this belief is false. And unnecessarily discouraging.

What No One Told You About Conjugation

In reality, French conjugation is deeply logical. It’s not always easier than English, true — but English has its own traps. The real issue is that learners are almost never shown how the system works, or how beautifully consistent it becomes when you look at it from above.

Take the infamous Bescherelle, a book that generations of students have feared. Despite its scary reputation, it remains in use today for a simple reason:

➡️ French becomes MUCH easier when you stop fighting conjugation and start using it as an ally.

And the mountain?It’s not nearly as high as you think.

A System Built on Patterns — Not Chaos

In the back pages of the Bescherelle, there’s a full index of French verbs. Next to each verb, a number indicates which pattern it follows.

Open a page at random, and try this:Count how many verbs share the same number — for example, 7.

That number appears again and again.The moment you know one conjugation pattern…

➡️ you suddenly know how to conjugate dozens of verbs.

➡️ And the same happens across the entire index.

This is the secret no one bothers to teach.

A Real Story From a Learning Breakthrough

Recently, I was reviewing verb patterns with one of my learners. Halfway through, her face lit up. She said: “Why did no one ever explain this to me? It makes sense. It’s easy.”Not only did she stop fearing conjugation — she even started enjoying it.

She left the session feeling confident, capable, and empowered. Yes — empowered by conjugation!

You Can Experience That Feeling Too

French conjugation doesn’t have to be a source of dread. It can become one of your strongest tools — if someone shows you how the system works.

If you’d like to shift from confusion to clarity, from fear to confidence, reach out.I would be delighted to guide you.