Les verbes les plus utilisés
Être - to be (je suis une femme, il est avocat, elles sont plus grande que leur soeur, tu es d'accord avec eux)
Avoir - to have (j'ai trente ans depuis septembre, nous avons deux chiens et un chat, on avait du retard ce matin)
Aller - to be about to (je vais manger - I'm about to go eat); to go: à + city or article-free country, au + masc. country/location, à la + fem. location, aux + plural country, en + fem. country or means of transportation (je vais à Paris, à Cuba, au Canada, au café, à la mer, aux Caraïbes, en France, en métro)
Attendre - to wait (j'attends son arrivée - I'm waiting for her arrival); + de: expect from (j'attends des efforts de ta part - I'm expecting you to make efforts)
Avoir l'air - to look/seem: ø + adjective (tu as l'air perdu - you look lost), de + infinitive verb (elle a l'air d'être sûre d'elle - she seems confident)
Chercher - to look for (je cherche le chat - I'm looking for the cat); after aller: to get (je vais chercher mon colis - I'm going to get my package); try to remember (je cherche mes mots - "I'm looking for my words")
Comprendre - to understand (tu as tout compris - you got it)
Connaître - to be aware of (je connais bien Montpellier - I know Montpellier well, est-ce que tu as connu les pogs? - were you around when pogs were popular?)
Croire - to believe: + à (real) + definite article + noun (je crois au destin - I believe in destiny); + en (trust) (je ne crois pas en Dieu - I don't believe in God)
Demander - to ask: + à, ask if: si, ask for: de (j'ai demandé à mon frère de lui demander si elle veut venir - I asked my brother to ask her if she wants to come)
Devenir - to become (tu es devenu un beau jeune homme - you became a handsome young man)
Devoir - to have to, to be supposed to; present must, conditional present should (je dois manger - I have to eat, je devrais manger - I should eat)
Dire - to say to: + à (je le dirai à maman - I will tell mum)
Donner - to give: ø + noun, à + person (je donne une pomme à maman - I give an apple to mum)
Ecouter - to listen (j'écoute la pluie - I'm listening to the rain)
Entendre - to hear (j'ai entendu des bruits - I heard some noises)
Essayer - to try: ø + noun (je vais essayer une crevette - I'll try a shrimp), de + infinitive verb (il essaie de conduire - he's driving to drive)
Être en train de - to be in the process of (je suis en train de manger - I'm eating)
Faire - to make something happen/have someone do something for you (je fais nettoyer la cuisine par mon frère - I have my brother clean the kitchen); to do/make: ø + noun, à + verb (je fais mon lit tous les matins - I make my bed every morning, il fait froid - it's cold, ils font à manger - they're making food)
Faillir - to come close from (j'ai failli tomber - I almost fell)
Falloir - to be necessary to (impersonal verb*): ø + verb (il faut partir maintenant - we need to leave now), que + det/noun or pronoun verb (il fallait que tu rentres avant 19h - you were supposed to come home before 7pm)
Finir - to finish, end: ø + noun, de + infinitive verb (je finis de manger - I'm finishing my meal); to end up: + par + infinitive verb (j'en ai marre d'attendre, je vais finir par partir - I'm tired of waiting, I'm going to end up leaving)
Laisser - to let something happen, willingly or not (j'ai laissé refroidir mon plat - I let my meal cool down/get cold); to leave (je vais te laisser - I'll leave you alone, laisse-moi tranquille - leave me alone)
Mettre - to put on (clothes, music), up, something somewhere, someone in a situation (je mets mon bonnet - I'm putting my hat on), take an amount of time (j'ai mis trois heures pour venir - it took me three hours to come)
Parler - to talk to: + à (je parle à maman - I'm talking to mum); to talk about: + de (je parle de l'école - I'm talking about school)
Partir - to go in order to (je suis partie chercher mon fils - I went to go get my son); to leave: à + specific destination/organized trip (je pars à Londres ce week-end), for + vague destination/trip, maybe forced (nous partons pour le Mexique en juin); exiting a location: de chez + person (je pars de chez moi maintenant - I'm leaving home now)
Passer - to pop by to do something (passe me chercher à la gare - come pick me up at the station, je vais passer voir ma tante - I'm going to go visit my aunt)
Pouvoir - to be able to (je peux être là dans dix minutes - I can be there in 10); be likely to/wish to
Prendre - to take: ø + noun, à + verb (je prends un biscuit - I'm taking a biscuit, il a pris à manger pour ce midi - he packed food for lunch)
Regarder - to watch/look, oserve (regarde ça - look at that)
Rendre - to give back (je te rendrai ta clé demain - I will give you your key back tomorrow); to change state (ça l'a rendu fou - it made him crazy)
Rester - to remain (je reste calme - I'm keeping my cool); + chez + person or + à + definite article + location: to stay (je reste chez ma cousine jusqu'à lundi - I'll stay at my cousin's until monday)
Savoir - to know about/how to: que + det/noun or pronoun + verb (ils savent que tu es là - they know that you are here, je sais jouer de la guitare - I can play guitar)
Sortir - to exit (sors de ma chambre - get out of my room); + de: to just have finished something (je sors de table - I just finished my meal)
Tenir - to take/hold (tiens-moi ça - hold this for me); to hold dear (je tiens à toi - I care about you); to hold oneself/resist (tiens-toi droit - stand straight)
Tomber - to fall (over, down, out)/become (je suis tombée malade - I got sick); + sur: come across (je suis tombé sur ta mère - I ran into your mother)
Trouver - to find, come across, get (something you've been looking for), come up with, have the opinion that (je trouve sa robe jolie - I find her dress pretty)
Venir - to come in order to: + pour + infinitive verb (je suis venu pour aider - I came to help); + de: just did something (je viens de rentrer - I just got home) or from (je viens de Paris - I'm from Paris)
Voir - to see: que + det/noun or pronoun + verb (je vois que tu es déjà levé - I see that you're already up), à + appearence + that det/noun or pronoun + verb (il a vu à ton expression que ça n'allait pas - from your expression he could tell something was wrong)
Vouloir - to want to: ø + infinitive verb (je veux m'en aller - I want to go), partitive + noun (je veux du calme - I want some peace and quiet), que + det/noun or pronoun + verb (je veux que tu t'en ailles - I want you to leave)
S'appeler - to be called (je m'appelle Rose - my name is Rose)
S'attendre à - to expect (tu t'attends au pire - you expect the worst)
Se demander - to wonder (ils se demandent où on va - they're wondering where we're going)
Se dépêcher - to hurry (dépêche-toi ! - hurry up!)
Se douter - to be suspicious of (je me doutais que tu serais en retard - I was pretty certain that you would be late)
S'excuser (de) - to apologize (je m'excuse de mon retard - I'm sorry for being late)
Se faire - to have something being done to you; passive form of faire + infinitive (je me suis fait virer par mon chef - I got fired by my boss)
Se lever/se coucher - to get up/go to bed (il se lève à 7h - he gets up at 7)
Se mettre - to start to (mets-toi en pyjama - start putting your pyjamas on)
Se mettre à - to start doing something (je me mets à manger - I'm starting to eat)
Se passer - to happen (qu'est-ce qu'il se passe ? - what's happening?)
Se rendre - to go somewhere (je me rends à la gare - I'm going to the station)
Se rendre compte + de + infinitive or + que + conjugated verb - to realise (tu te rends compte qu'il est encore en retard ? - do you realise he's late again?)
Se retourner - to turn around (Orphée s'est retourné - Orpheus turned around)
Se sentir - to feel a certain way inside (je me sens vide - I feel empty)
Se tourner - to turn toward (il s'est tourné vers sa mère - he turned to his mother)
Se tromper - to make a mistake (je me suis trompé de clé - I got the wrong key)
Se trouver - to find oneself (je me trouve belle aujourd'hui - I find myself pretty today, vous vous trouvez devant le magasin - they are standing in front of the shop)
S'occuper de - to take care of (elle s'occupe de lui - she's taking care of him)
Can - present pouvoir (tu peux partir maintenant - you can leave now)*
Could/May/Might - imperfect pouvoir (tu pourrais partir - you could leave)
Have to - present impersonal verb falloir + infinitive or que + subjunctive (il faut que tu partes - it is necessary that you leave)
Must - present devoir (tu dois partir - you must leave)
Ought to - present conditional impersonal verb falloir + infinitive or que + subjunctive (Il faudrait que tu partes - You ought to leave)
Shall/Will - simple future second verb (tu partiras ce soir - you will leave tonight)
Should - present conditional devoir (tu devrais partir - you should leave)
Would - present conditional second verb(j'aimerais partir - I would like to leave)
*this verb typically means being able to: "I can't speak French" would be translated as "I don't speak French" or "I don't know how to speak French", using pouvoir means you are physically unable to do so ie I can't run because my leg is broken.
While auxiliary verbs are the first half of compound tenses and moods, semi-auxiliary verbs are used with another verb left in the present infinitive form to express an influence of their meaning, tense, mood, or aspect - some are the equivalent of modal verbs, others are simply verbs of perception. When not followed by an infinitive verb, those are not considered semi-auxiliary anymore.
Stative verbs (to be, to remain, to feel) express a state rather than an action. They usually relate to thoughts, emotions, relationships, senses, states of being and measurements and cannot be used as the introduction of a gerund (je rentre en marchant but je suis en marchant*).
Impersonal verbs can only be conjugated in the masculine form of the third person singular: il doesn't refer to a person (il pleut - it's raining).
Movie: Les 400 coups - François Truffaut, 1959
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