Practise three things: retrieving a form, choosing it for a meaning, and using it in a sentence. Check your answer, understand the correction, and return to difficult forms later. You can start with the free conjugation practice tool, then use the session below to connect the drill with real French.
This page is a session plan. For longer-term priorities, see which tenses to learn; for memory aids and an endings exercise, use the conjugation memory guide.
Choose an exercise for the skill
| Activity | What to practise | What it does not establish alone |
|---|---|---|
| Read a table or explanation | Notice stems, endings and exceptions | Recall without the table |
| Choose between answers | Distinguish forms or meanings and explain your choice | Producing an answer without options |
| Type a form from a prompt | Retrieve its spelling, accents and agreement | Choosing a tense in spontaneous conversation |
| Say or write a complete sentence | Connect meaning, grammar and expression | Understanding every response you might hear |
| Read or listen to a suitable text | Understand forms in context | Being able to produce every form yourself |
These activities complement one another. You do not need to abandon reading or multiple choice to add recall practice. Start without time pressure when a form is unfamiliar; speed is not a universal two-second test.
A worked session: prendre in the past
- Check the pattern. The table for prendre gives vous preniez in imparfait and vous avez pris in passé composé.
- Retrieve it. Hide the answer and respond to “prendre, imparfait, vous”. Write vous preniez, then compare it with the table.
- Choose the meaning. Chaque matin, vous preniez le train describes a past routine. Hier, vous avez pris le train de huit heures presents a particular completed journey. Explain the difference instead of memorising only a signal word.
- Change the context. Make your own sentence about a past routine and another about a completed trip. Say them aloud or write them.
- Review the mistake. If you wrote vous prendiez, check the stem pren- and ending -iez. Reconstruct the form, then try again later without looking.
For tense choice, use the passé composé/imparfait examples and quiz. A correctly spelled ending and an appropriate tense choice are separate checks.
A session you can adapt
If you have about 15 minutes, try the following allocation. It is an example schedule, not a measured minimum or a promise of results by a particular date.
- 3 minutes: retrieve familiar forms without a table, then check them.
- 5 minutes: work on one new pattern with its explanation and a few examples.
- 4 minutes: mix it with an earlier pattern, choose forms for sentences, or explain a contrast.
- 3 minutes: review mistakes and write or say one personal example.
Use shorter sessions if that fits your day. When new forms are confusing, begin with a focused group; when they become familiar, mix verbs, persons or tenses to check that you can distinguish them. Change one source of difficulty at a time if needed.
Make feedback useful
Record the kind of error, not just a score:
- Stem: prend- instead of pren- in vous preniez.
- Ending or person: a correct form for the wrong subject.
- Auxiliary or agreement: j'ai allé instead of je suis allé(e).
- Meaning: a well-formed verb that does not express your intended time or viewpoint.
Read the correction and its explanation, reconstruct an example, then revisit the item in a later session. There is no single review interval that fits every learner. Check whether you can retrieve it after a gap, not only immediately after seeing the answer.
Use the forms beyond the drill
Listen to or read something you mostly understand and notice the forms you are studying. Retell a small part, write a reply, or use it in a conversation. Ask a teacher or language partner for feedback on meaning and naturalness where possible. A worksheet or score cannot check every part of communication.
Choose frequent verbs and words relevant to your life. You do not have to finish a fixed list or reach perfect recall before adding a useful new expression.
Where Bonjour Verbs fits
The free website practice tool offers typed conjugation prompts. In the Bonjour Verbs app, présent practice is free; Pro unlocks the other tenses and Smart Quiz, which schedules reviews using your practice history. The full verb library is available for reference, and wrong-answer feedback helps explain the form. These features support a routine; they do not guarantee a CEFR level or a date for conversational fluency.
Common questions
How long should I practise each day?
Choose a manageable session you can revisit. Fifteen minutes is one possible starting point, not a researched guarantee. Track what you can do after a gap and adjust the difficulty or time accordingly.
Should I mix tenses?
Focused work helps you inspect a new pattern. Mixed work checks whether you can distinguish patterns and choose a form. Both can belong in a routine; adjust the mix if you are guessing without understanding.
Is typing enough for speaking?
Typing checks written recall, including silent endings. Speaking also involves pronunciation, listening and real-time interaction, so include spoken use and feedback rather than expecting a typing score to measure all of those skills.
Related
- The 100 most common French verbs, a useful reference.
- French verb endings cheat sheet, the reference you'll use while drilling.
- Best apps to learn French verbs (2026), an honest comparison of the options.
- Free practice tool, start drilling now.
- French verb conjugator, look up any full conjugation table.
- All French tenses chart, pick which tense to focus on this week.
