All 2nd group verbs in French end with IR. However, not all verbs ended with IR in French are 2nd group verbs. So how do I differentiate them? If you need an answer to this question, keep on reading
So,
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2nd Group Verbs In French: The 2 Criteria To Check
Second group verbs end with IR and make their gerund with the ISSANT ending. Ex: Nourir, en nourissant, ralentir en ralentissant, bondir, en bondissant, Atterir, en atterissant. But not all verbs ending in -IR are verbs of the second group.
What Is The Group Of Other Verbs Ending With IR
Any other verbs in French that are ended with IR and not of the 2nd group are automatically 3rd group verbs. Example: Mourir, Mentir, Partir, Sortir, Dormir, Advenir, Acquerir, repentir, etc.
So,
How Do You Tell The Difference?
There are 2 ways:
– Ending with ISSONS in the simple present with Nous
You can easily distinguish 2nd group IR verbs from the 3rd group IR verbs by conjugating them in the simple present tense using the first person plural (nous): Nous finissons, nous grandissons …
If they end in -issons, they belong to the 2nd group (nous grandissons, nous bondissons…). If not, they belong to the 3rd group. For intance, For Mourir, we say nous mourons (and not * nous mourissons), for Courir, nous courons (and not * nous courissons).
– Present Participle With Ending With ISSANT
2nd group verbs make their present participles with ISSANT. Ex: En finissant = While finishing, En grandissant = While growing. Although Courir is ended with IR but we do not say En courissant, but we say En courant = While running
2nd Group Verbs Past Participle
All 2nd group verbs make their past participle in i. The past participle in this case does not change to IS or IT. Ex: J’ai fini = I am done, J’ai grandi = I have grown up, J’ai atterri = I have landed