How do I know if a French verb belongs to the 1st, 2nd of 3rd conjugation group?

1st conjugation group

Verbs in this group finish with "ER" e.g. manger, nager, jouer

2nd conjugation group

Verbs in this group finish with "IR" e.g. finir, salir, 

3rd congugation group

Verbs in this group are irregular and can finish in "RE", "OIR", "IR" or "ER". e.g. être, savoir, rire, aller. 

One way to differentiate verbs from the second group and the 3rd group is by conjugating them at the Participe Passé tense. If it finishes in "issant", it belongs to the second group.  For instance "salir" would be "il est salissant" once conjugated, making it a 2nd group verb and not a 3rd group one. 

LJ

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What are the different uses of the perfect and imperfect tense?


Help with the following assessment preparation: You have seen a poster for a summer job you are interested in. Write a letter to the employer to explain why you are suited for the job.


Qu'est-ce que tu as fait pendant les vacances?


Your parents have seen this advertisement on the internet and ask you to translate it for them into English.