Spelling Change Verbs -cer -ger

Verbes à orthographe corrective

There’s no official name for them,* but I refer to French verbs that end in –cer or –ger as
"spelling change verbs" because they require a small spelling change in
certain conjugations. For the most part, these verbs are conjugated just
like regular -er verbs, other than a little problem in some conjugations that
must be corrected for reasons of pronunciation. It’s easy enough to do, once
you understand why and how.

 Note that spelling change verbs are not the same thing as stem-changing verbs,
though a few verbs belong to both categories.

-cer verbs
The letter c followed by e, as in the verb effacer, is pronounced [s]. But watch what
happens when you conjugate it in the present tense:

j’ efface   nou effacon

s s

t efface   vou effacez

u s s

il efface   ils effacent

For 5 of the 6 conjugations, there’s no problem: the c is followed by e, so the

pronunciation is correct. But in "effacons," the c is followed by an o, which means the c is
pronounced [k] (see "hard vs soft" in the vowels lesson). Since we want the c to be
pronounced [s] like it is in the infinitive and all the other conjugations, we need to soften
it by changing it to ç (c cédille). So the correct conjugation table is this:

j’ efface   nou effaçon

s s

t efface   vou effacez

u s s

il efface   ils effacent

This same spelling change is required in all conjugations where c is followed by a or o:

 present participle   effaçant

imperative   effaçons

imperfect   effaçais, effaçait, effaçaient

passé simple   effaçai, effaças, effaça, effaçâmes, effaçâtes

imperfect   effaçasse, effaçasses, effaçât, effaçassions, effaçassiez,

subjunctive effaçassent

There is no spelling change in the other conjugations of the above tenses and moods,
because the c is followed by e or i, so it’s already soft.

Likewise, there’s no spelling change in any of these verb forms:

 past participle
 conditional
 future
 subjunctive

   You can see all of these conjugations in action in the effacer verb table.

More -cer verbs

agacer   to annoy

amorcer   to initiate, to energize

annoncer   to announce

avancer   to advance

balancer   to swing

bercer   to rock, cradle

coincer   to jam, wedge

commence   to begin
r

dénoncer   to denounce

déplacer   to move, displace

divorcer   to divorce

effacer   to erase

épicer   to spice

forcer   to force, compel

grincer   to creak, squeak

lancer   to throw

menacer   to threaten

percer   to pierce

placer   to put

prononcer   to pronounce

remplacer   to replace

renforcer   to reinforce

renoncer   to renounce

sucer   to suck
 tracer   to draw, mark out

-ger verbs
Verbs that end in -ger have the exact same problem with a slightly different solution.
The letter g followed by e, as in the verb bouger, is pronounced [ʒ]. But look:

j bouge   nou bougon

e s s

t bouge   vou bougez

u s s

il bouge   ils bougent

s

Once again, for most of the conjugations, there’s no problem: the g is followed by e, so the
pronunciation is [ʒ]. But in "bougons," the g is followed by an o, which means the g is
pronounced [g]. To get back to [ʒ], we need to soften the g by adding an e between it and
the o. Here is the correct conjugation table:

j bouge   nou bougeon

e s s

t bouge   vou bougez

u s s

il bouge   ils bougent

s

This spelling change is required in all conjugations where g is followed by a or o – which

are, of course, exactly the same conjugations as for -cer verbs:

present participle   bougeant

imperative   bougeons

imperfect   bougeais, bougeait, bougeaient

passé simple   bougeai, bougeas, bougea, bougeâmes, bougeâtes

 imperfect   bougeasse, bougeasses, bougeât, bougeassions, bougeassiez,
subjunctive bougeassent

There is no spelling change in the other conjugations of the above tenses and moods, since
the g is followed by e or i, or in the past participle, conditional, future, or subjunctive.

  You can see all of these conjugations in the bouger verb table.

More -ger verbs   

abréger**   to shorten, abridge

affliger   to afflict

allonger   to lengthen, stretch

aménager   to fit, develop, adjust

arranger   to arrange

bouger   to move

changer   to change

corriger   to correct

décourager   to discourage

dégager   to release, clear

déménager   to move

déranger   to disturb

diriger   to direct

échanger   to exchange
encourager   to encourage

endommage   to damage
r

engager   to bind, to hire, to involve

envisager   to imagine

exiger   to demand

figer   to congeal, fix

héberger   to accommodate, harbor

infliger   to inflict

juger   to judge

loger   to lodge

longer   to border

manger   to eat

mélanger   to mix

nager   to swim

neiger   to snow

obliger   to oblige
 partager   to share

piéger**   to trap

plonger   to dive

protéger**   to protect

ranger   to arrange, tidy up

rédiger   to write

ronger   to gnaw

songer   to dream

soulager   to soothe, relieve

télécharger   to download, upload

voyager   to travel

* Le Bon Usage discusses these verbs in a section called Observations sur le

radical,  a)  Verbes en -er  : faits purement graphiques (as opposed to faits aussi
phonétiques).

** These are spelling change as well as stem-changing verbs.

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/french-irregular-verbs/

https://www.thoughtco.com/epeler-to-spell-1370257

https://www.frenchpod101.com/blog/2020/08/25/french-verbs/

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/stem-changing-verbs/#:~:text=**%20The
%20conjugations%20with%20stem,conjugations%20except%20nous%20and
%20vous.&text=However%2C%20in%20the%20imperfect%2C%20present,there%20is
%20no%20stem%20change.

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/french-stem-changing-verbs/
AYER: French Stem-Changing Verbs
Hero Images/Getty Images
Updated on February 21, 2020

French stem-changing verbs are conjugated with the same endings as regular -
ER verbs but have two different radicals or stems. Stem-changing verbs are
sometimes also called boot verbs or shoe verbs because if you circle the forms
that have stem changes in the conjugation table below, the resulting shape
looks like a boot or shoe.

All verbs that end in -yer are stem-changing verbs, but there are two different
varieties:

1. Verbs that end in -ayer (see below) have an optional stem change

2. Verbs that end in -oyer and -uyer have a required stem change

-ayer verbs
In the present tense, -ayer verbs have an optional stem change: y changes
to i in all forms but nous and vous.

   je  paie       nous  payons
   tu  paies     vous  payez
   il  paie        ils  paient

Or they can be conjugated as regular -ER verbs:

   je  paye       nous  payons
   tu  payes     vous  payez
   il  paye        ils  payent

These two sets of conjugations for -ayer verbs are equally acceptable.

Verb conjugation group
 balayer: to sweep
 effrayer: to frighten
 essayer: to try
 payer: to pay

These stem changes are not limited to the present tense; see payer in all
tenses or the lesson on -yer verbs in other tenses.

Note: Verbs that end in -oyer and -uyer have the same stem change, but it is

required: -oyer and -uyer verbs.

French stem-changing verbs are conjugated with the same endings as regular -
ER verbs but have two different radicals or stems. Stem-changing verbs are
sometimes also called boot verbs or shoe verbs because if you circle the forms
that have stem changes in the conjugation table below, the resulting shape
looks like a boot or shoe.

All verbs that end in -yer are stem-changing verbs, but there are two different
varieties:

1. Verbs that end in -ayer  have an optional stem change

2. Verbs that end in -oyer and -uyer (see below) have a
required stem change

In the present tense, French verbs that end in -oyer and -uyer must

change y to i in all forms but nous and vous.

-oyer verbs
   je  nettoie       nous  nettoyons
   tu  nettoies     vous  nettoyez
   il  nettoie        ils  nettoient

These stem changes are not limited to the present tense; see nettoyer in all
tenses or the lesson on -yer verbs in other tenses.

Verb conjugation group

 broyer: to grind
 employer: to employ
 envoyer: to send
 nettoyer: to clean
 se noyer: to drown
  renvoyer: to fire
 tutoyer: to use tu
 vouvoyer: to use vous (learn about tu vs vous)

-uyer verbs
   j'  ennuie       nous  ennuyons
   tu  ennuies     vous  ennuyez
   il  ennuie        ils  ennuient

Verb conjugation group

 appuyer: to lean, press
 ennuyer: to bore
 essuyer: to wipe

These stem changes are not limited to the present tense; see ennuyer in all
tenses or the lesson on -yer verbs in other tenses.

Conjugation With Same Endings

French stem-changing verbs are conjugated with the same endings as regular -
ER verbs but have two different radicals or stems. These stem changes occur
in several French tenses and moods and moods, as shown in the following
table. Remember that the stem-change for is optional for -ayer verbs and
required for -oyer and -uyer verbs.

In the present tense, subjunctive, and imperative, the stem change occurs in

all conjugations except nous and vous:

Present
je paie nettoie ennuie
tu paies nettoies ennuies
il paie nettoie ennuie
nous payons nettoyons ennuyons
vous payez nettoyez ennuyez
ils paient nettoient ennuient
Subjunctive
je paie nettoie ennuie
tu paies nettoies ennuies
il paie nettoie ennuie
nous payionsnettoyionsennuyions
vous payiez nettoyiez ennuyiez
ils paient nettoient ennuient
Imperative
(tu) paie nettoie ennuie
(nous) payons nettoyons ennuyons
(vous) payez nettoyez ennuyez

In the future and conditional, the stem change occurs in all conjugations.

There is no stem change in the imperfect, present participle, past

participle, passé simple, or imperfect subjunctive.

Note: The affected conjugations of these stem-change patterns are the same

for all the different types of stem-changing verbs.

See -yer verbs conjugated in all tenses:

payer   nettoyer   ennuyer

French stem-changing verbs are conjugated with the same endings as regular -
er verbs but have two different radicals or stems. Stem-changing verbs are
sometimes also called boot verbs or shoe verbs because if you circle the forms
that have stem changes in a certain style of conjugation table, the resulting
shape looks like a boot or shoe.

The Stem-Changing Verbs

There are six different kinds of stem-changing verbs based on the final four
letters of the verb. The actual spelling change required for each type of stem-
changing verb is different, such as y changes to i in -oyer verbs and é changes
to è in -é_er verbs, but the tenses and grammatical persons that undergo the
stem change are the same.

For example, in the present tense, the je, tu, il, and ils (me, you, he, and they)
forms of these kinds of verbs all have a stem change. So once you learn which
conjugations need a stem change for one type of stem-changing verb, you will
know which conjugations need the stem change for all the other kinds.

-Ayer Verbs
The -ayer verbs have an optional stem change: y changes to i in all forms
except for nous (we) and vous (you). For the verb payer (to pay), the
conjugations would be:

SubjectPresent Future Imperfect

je paie paierai payais
paye payerai
tu paies paieras payais
payes payeras
SubjectPresent Future Imperfect
il paie paiera payait
paye payera
nous payons paierons payions
payerons
vous payez paierez payiez
payerez
ils paient paieront payaient
payent payeront

Note that -ayer verb can be conjugated as any regular -er verb, as the second

example in each conjugation shows: Either set of conjugations is acceptable.

-Eler and Eter verbs

With -eler and -eter, double the letter "l" or "t" in the stem when conjugating
these verbs. An example of an -eter  verb conjugation would be appeler, which
means "to call."

Subject Present Future Imperfect

j' appelle appellerai appelais
tu appelles appelleras appelais
il appelle appellera appelait
nous appelons appelleronsappelions
vous appelez appellerez appeliez
ils appellen appelleront appelaient
t

An example of an -eter verb conjugation would be jeter, meaning "to throw."

Subjec Present Future Imperfect

t
je jette jetterai jetais
tu jettes jetteras jetais
il jette jettera jetait
nous jetons jetteronsjetions
vous jetez jetterez jetiez
ils jettent jetteront jetaient

The present participle of jeter is formed with an -ant ending to create jetant.

It's also an adjective, noun, or gerund in certain circumstances.

-E_er Verbs
For verbs that end in -e_er, where _ indicates one or more consonants, the
stem change consists of changing the e before that consonant to è in all forms
except for nous and vous. For example, the conjugations of the verb lever (to
lift), would be:

SubjectPresent Future Imperfect

je lève lèverai levais
tu lèves lèveras levais
il lève lèvera levait
nous lèvons lèveron levions
s
vous levez lèverez leviez
ils lèvent lèveront levaient

Other than acheter (to buy), geler (to freeze), harceler (to harass),

and peler (to peel), most verbs that end in -eler and -eter are part of a
different stem-change group: -eler or -eter verbs.

-É_er Verbs
All verbs that end in –é_er change the  é to è in the stem-changed
conjugations. An example of conjugations for this verb would be compléter,
meaning "to complete."

Subject Present Future Imperfect

je complète compléterai complétais
tu complètes compléteras complétais
il complète complétera complétait
nous complétonscompléteronscomplétions
vous complétez compléterez complétiez
ils complètent complèteront complétaie

The present participle of compléter is complétant. This can be used as a verb

but also serves as an adjective, gerund, or noun in some circumstances. 

-Oyer and Uyer Verbs

French verbs that end in -oyer and -uyer must change y to i in all forms
but nous and vous. For -oyer  verbs, an example would be netoyer,  which
means "to clean."

Presen Present Future Imperfect

t
je nettoie nettoierai nettoyais
tu nettoies nettoieras nettoyais
il nettoie nettoiera nettoyait
nous nettoyonsnettoieronsnettoyions
vous nettoyez nettoierez nettoyiez
Presen Present Future Imperfect
t
ils nettoient nettoieront nettoyaient

For -uyer verbs, an example would be  enoyer, which means "to bore."

Subjec Present Future Imperfect

t
j' ennuie ennuierai ennuyais
tu ennuies ennuieras ennuyais
il ennuie ennuiera ennuyait
nous ennuyonsennuieronsennuyions
vous ennuyez ennuierez ennuyiez
ils ennuient ennuieront ennuyaient

The imperative verb form  is used for short statements that often request or

demand something. When using these, skip the subject pronoun: use "ennuie"
rather than "tu ennuie."

https://www.thoughtco.com/french-stem-changing-verbs-1368953

https://slideplayer.com/slide/480457/