French verbs that end in -ier
French verbs that end in -ier are conjugated according to the same rules as regular -er verbs, but there is a letter combination in certain conjugations that makes -ier verbs seem strange.
In the present tense, there is potential for mixing up tenses. The present tense stem of -ier verbs ends in i; for example, the stem of étudier is étudi. This means that the nous and vous forms of -ier verbs end in -ions and -iez, which mistakenly leads some students to think that they are looking at an imperfect conjugation:
| étudier | |||
| j' | étudie | nous | étudions |
| tu | étudies | vous | étudiez |
| il | étudie | ils | étudient |
The imperfect and subjunctive are where the real strangeness occurs. Because there is an i preceding the stem and
the nous and vous endings for the imperfect and subjunctive begin with
i, -ier verbs
have ii (two i's in a row) in those conjugations:
| Imperfect | Subjunctive | ||||||||
| j' | étudiais | nous | étudiions | j' | étudie | nous | étudiions | ||
| tu | étudiais | vous | étudiiez | tu | étudies | vous | étudiiez | ||
| il | étudiait | ils | étudiaient | il | étudie | ils | étudient | ||
Not only does the double i look strange, but it is pronounced as well. The i in étudiez is the semi-vowel [j] while ii in étudiiez is the i sound followed by the semi-vowel. Listen to the difference:
| IPA | |
| étudiez | [e ty dje] |
| étudiiez | [e ty di je] |
In sum, -ier verbs are regular -er verbs, but they look strange, so you may need to make a
special effort to be able to conjugate them and recognize their conjugations. Here is a sample verb conjugated into all tenses: étudier
Common French -ier verbs
| apprécier - to appreciate | associer - to associate | |
| bénéficier - to benefit | certifier - to certify | |
| confier - to confide | copier - to copy | |
| crier - to shout | dédier - to dedicate | |
| défier - to challenge | étudier - to study | |
| identifier - to identify | justifier - to justify | |
| lier - to bind, link | marier - to marry | |
| se méfier - to mistrust | modifier - to modify | |
| multiplier - to multiply | négocier - to negotiate | |
| nier - to deny | plier - to fold, bend | |
| prier - to pray | rectifier - to rectify | |
| remercier - to thank | répudier - to repudiate | |
| simplifier - to simplify | skier - to ski | |
| spécifier - to specify | vérifier - to verify |
| Regular -ER Verbs Irregular -ER verbs |
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