Conjugation rule
Present tense of -cer verbs (commencer)
Conjugation rule for the “-cer verbs” pattern.
Explanation
The stem is the infinitive without -er (commencer → commenc-). The endings added to it are -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. A spelling change applies in the first-person plural: the c takes a cedilla before o and a (commenc- → commenç-).
The pattern at a glance
The forms of commencer published for this tense, endings in colour.
- jecommence
- tucommences
- il/elle/oncommence
- nouscommençons
- vouscommencez
- ils/ellescommencent
Examples
- nous commençons
- je commence
- tu commences