Present Tense -RE Verbs: Vendre, Attendre, Répondre and the Third Verb Family
Remove -re to find the stem (vend-, attend-, répond-), then add -s, -s, nothing, -ons, -ez, -ent. The il/elle form has no ending: il vend.
Je, tu and il/elle sound the same because the d is silent, but ils vendent has an audible d: that is how you hear the plural. Attendre takes no preposition (J'attends le bus); répondre needs à (Je réponds à l'email).
Getting Started — -RE Verbs, the Third and Final Big Group
After Present Tense -ER Verbs and Present Tense -IR Verbs, here’s the third group: -RE verbs — like vendre (to sell), attendre (to wait), and répondre (to answer).
A key insight: If you learn “vendre”, the same pattern applies to verbs like attendre, répondre, and perdre.
Connection: In both -ER and -IR verbs, the il/elle form always added something (-e or -it). In -RE verbs, nothing is added at all — that’s the biggest difference.
A bridge from Punjabi and Hindi: three of these verbs do not match your instinct. ਬੱਸ ਦੀ ਉਡੀਕ ਕਰਨਾ / बस का इंतज़ार करना has “of”, but French says J’attends le bus, with no preposition. ਜਵਾਬ ਦੇਣਾ / जवाब देना is répondre à. And ਸੁਣਨਾ / सुनना covers two French verbs: entendre (to hear) and écouter (to listen).
1. The -RE Verb Pattern
Infinitive and Stem
All regular -RE verbs share something in common:
| Infinitive | Stem | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| vendre | vend- | Remove ‘-re’ |
| attendre | attend- | Remove ‘-re’ |
| répondre | répond- | Remove ‘-re’ |
| perdre | perd- | Remove ‘-re’ |
The stem rule: Remove the ‘-re’ from the word, and the root always ends in a consonant (like ‘d’).
2. Main Conjugation Table (Present Tense)
VENDRE (to sell)
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | vends | von | I sell |
| tu | vends | von | You sell (informal) |
| il/elle | vend | von | He/she sells |
| nous | vendons | von-don | We sell |
| vous | vendez | von-day | You sell (formal/plural) |
| ils/elles | vendent | vond | They sell |
Important! No Ending for il/elle
- je vends / tu vends — only ‘-s’ is added (silent)
- il/elle vend — nothing at all is added, the stem alone is the form
- nous vendons / vous vendez / ils vendent — same -ons/-ez/-ent as -ER/-IR
Key insight: je, tu and il/elle all sound the same (the d is silent). But ils vendent ends with an audible d, which is how you hear a plural. In writing, il vend (no s) differs from je vends.
3. More -RE Verbs
Once you’ve mastered vendre, apply the same pattern to these:
| Infinitive | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| attendre | to wait (for) | J’attends le bus (I wait for the bus) |
| répondre | to answer | Tu réponds (You answer) |
| perdre | to lose | Il perd (He loses) |
| descendre | to go down / get off | Nous descendons (We get off) |
| entendre | to hear | Vous entendez (You hear) |
| rendre | to give back | Elles rendent (They give back) |
| défendre | to defend / forbid | Je défends (I defend) |
4. Where the Simple Rule Breaks
Hearing the plural. In the singular the final d is silent (il vend /vɑ̃/); in the plural it is pronounced (ils vendent /vɑ̃d/). With inversion the d is pronounced as a t: Vend-il ?, Attend-elle ?
| Verb | Watch for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| attendre | no preposition (English “wait for”) | J’attends le bus. (not J’attends pour le bus) |
| répondre | needs à before the person or thing | Je réponds à l’email. / Je lui réponds. |
| entendre / écouter | entendre = hear, écouter = listen | J’entends de la musique. / J’écoute la radio. |
| prendre, apprendre, comprendre, mettre | look like -RE verbs but are irregular | Nous prenons, ils prennent |
The three regular groups are the base of the system. About nine in ten French verbs are regular -ER; -IR and -RE are smaller groups, and many of the most common verbs (être, avoir, aller, faire, prendre, mettre) are irregular.
Real Examples
Everyday Conversation List
1. About Yourself
- “J’attends le bus tous les matins.” → I wait for the bus every morning.
- “Je réponds à l’email.” → I answer the email.
- “Je perds souvent mes clés.” → I often lose my keys.
2. Ask About Others
- “Tu attends qui?” → Who are you waiting for? (informal)
- “Vous répondez à la question?” → Are you answering the question? (formal)
- “Elle vend sa voiture?” → Is she selling her car?
3. In Groups
- “Nous attendons le train ensemble.” → We wait for the train together.
- “Vous entendez la musique?” → Do you hear the music?
- “Ils vendent des fruits au marché.” → They sell fruit at the market.
Common Mistakes and Fixes
| ❌ Wrong | ✓ Right | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Il vends | Il vend | No ending is added for il/elle — just the stem |
| Je vend | Je vends | ‘je’ must take ‘-s’, even though it’s silent |
| Nous vendent | Nous vendons | nous takes the -ons ending, not -ent |
| Ils vend | Ils vendent | Subject is plural, so the verb is too: -ent is required |
| J’attends pour le bus. | J’attends le bus. | Attendre takes its object directly. |
| Je réponds l’email. | Je réponds à l’email. | Répondre needs à. |
| J’écoute la musique du bruit. | J’entends du bruit. | Entendre = hear, écouter = listen on purpose. |
Practice
A. Conjugate. Write the missing word
- Je ______ ma voiture. (vendre)
- Tu ______ ton ami ? (attendre)
- Elle ______ à l’email. (répondre)
- Nous ______ le bus. (attendre)
- Vous ______ la musique ? (entendre)
- Ils ______ souvent leurs clés. (perdre)
- Il ______ du bus ici. (descendre)
- Elles ______ les livres. (rendre)
B. Match subject and verb. Write the missing word
- Mes parents ______ leur maison. (vendre)
- Ma sœur ______ toujours. (répondre)
- Tu ______ trop de temps ici. (perdre)
- Nous ______ du train. (descendre)
- J’______ mal. (entendre)
- Les enfants ______ dans la rue. (attendre)
- Vous ______ à la question. (répondre)
- On ______ la réponse. (attendre)
C. Preposition, negative and question. Write the missing word
- Je réponds ______ l’email.
- Elle n’______ pas son téléphone. (entendre)
- Je ______ le bus depuis dix minutes. (attendre)
- ______-vous le bus ? (attendre)
- Ils ne ______ pas leurs clés. (perdre)
- Tu ______ à ton frère ? (répondre)
- Nous ne ______ pas notre voiture. (vendre)
- Elle ne ______ jamais. (répondre)
Show answers
A. 1. vends · 2. attends · 3. répond · 4. attendons · 5. entendez · 6. perdent · 7. descend · 8. rendent
B. 1. vendent · 2. répond · 3. perds · 4. descendons · 5. entends · 6. attendent · 7. répondez · 8. attend
C. 1. à · 2. entend · 3. attends · 4. Attendez · 5. perdent · 6. réponds · 7. vendons · 8. répond
Your Turn
Task (TEF/TCF Expression Orale, Section B): a friend asks about your Saturday job or a typical day at work. Use at least five different -RE verbs (vendre, attendre, répondre, rendre, perdre, descendre, entendre). Speak for 50–70 words.
Show a model answer
Le samedi, je travaille au marché avec mon frère. Nous vendons des fruits et des légumes. J’attends les clients, je réponds à leurs questions et je rends la monnaie. Mon frère perd parfois patience quand il pleut. À la fin de la journée, nous descendons du camion fatigués, mais contents.
What to check: je vends / nous vendons, the il/elle form with no ending (il perd), répondre à with a preposition, attendre with none, and the silent d in the singular.
Moving Forward
Today’s takeaway: Now you know all three regular groups (-ER, -IR, -RE). They are the base of the system (about nine in ten French verbs are regular -ER). Next:
- The most essential irregular verbs like aller, faire, venir
- vouloir, pouvoir, devoir (modal verbs) — essential for requests and politeness
- So you can say almost anything in everyday conversation.
Your challenge: Every day, conjugate 5 verbs with vendre, attendre, répondre. Pay special attention to the il/elle form — no extra letter!
FAQ
Do all -RE verbs conjugate the same way?
No. The 'regular -RE' group covered in this lesson (vendre, attendre, répondre, perdre) is the largest group. But irregular -RE verbs like prendre and mettre follow a different pattern — those come in a separate lesson.
Why is the 'd' written in 'Il vend' but not pronounced?
The stem already ends in d (vend-), and a word-final d is silent in French. Je and tu add a silent -s, and il/elle add nothing, so all three sound the same (/vɑ̃/). In the plural the d is pronounced: ils vendent /vɑ̃d/.
What's the biggest difference between -ER, -IR, and -RE verbs?
-ER: je parle, tu parles, il parle (ending -e/-es/-e). -IR: je finis, tu finis, il finit (ending -is/-is/-it, plus '-iss-' in nous/vous/ils). -RE: je vends, tu vends, il vend (ending -s/-s/nothing, because the stem already ends in a consonant).
What's the difference between 'Vendre' and 'Je vends'?
'Vendre' = infinitive form (to sell). 'Je vends' = conjugated form (I sell). The infinitive is the 'dictionary form' and the conjugated form is what you use in a sentence.
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