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French Conjugation

The Irregular Verb Prendre & Its Derivatives

Present-tense conjugation of prendre, apprendre, and comprendre and their common uses.

Level A2 Category Conjugation

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Lesson Summary

Present-tense conjugation of prendre, apprendre, and comprendre and their common uses.

Conjugation

The Prendre Family

The past participles of prendre, apprendre, and comprendre (pris, appris, compris) were introduced in irregular past participles with avoir. The present‑tense conjugation of these three verbs follows a single shared pattern.

Present Tense of Prendre (to take)

Subject	Form	Example
je (j’)	prends	Je prends le bus.
tu	prends	Tu prends du café ?
il / elle / on	prend	Il prend des photos.
nous	prenons	Nous prenons le train.
vous	prenez	Vous prenez le menu ?
ils / elles	prennent	Elles prennent des vacances.

Apprendre (to learn) and Comprendre (to understand)

Both apprendre and comprendre are conjugated identically to prendre, with the same stem alternation. The singular forms (je, tu, il) use the stem without a double ‹n›: j’apprends, tu comprends. The plural forms (nous, vous) and the third‑person plural (ils/elles) insert a double ‹n›: nous apprenons, vous comprenez, ils apprennent, elles comprennent.

For the formation of the passé composé, these verbs use avoir and the irregular participles listed above.

Common Uses of Prendre

The verb prendre appears in a variety of everyday expressions:
- Prendre le bus / le train / le métro (to take transport)
- Prendre un café / un verre (to have a coffee / a drink)
- Prendre une photo (to take a photo)
- Prendre du poids / du temps (to gain weight / to take time)

These constructions combine the verb directly with a noun without a preposition.

Examples

Chaque matin, je prends un café et je lis le journal.
Prends (first person singular) followed by the direct object un café.
Nous apprenons le français depuis un an.
Apprenons (first person plural) is used with depuis to express an ongoing action.

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The Irregular Verb Prendre & Its DerivativesPresent-tense conjugation of prendre, apprendre, and comprendre and their common uses.Conjugate the prendre family of verbs in the present tense and employ them in contexts of transport, consumption, learning, and comprehension.ConjugationA2conjugationLearn French ConjugationFrench ConjugationThe Prendre FamilyThe past participles of prendre, apprendre, and comprendre (pris, appris, compris) were introduced in irregular past participles with avoir. The present‑tense conjugation of these three verbs follows a single shared pattern.