Patricia teaches us how to conjugate second-group (-ir) verbs in the passé simple, or historical past. Unlike the more common passé composé, this tense is mainly used in literary works and in historical accounts.

Patricia explains how to conjugate second-group verbs in the present indicative. Regular verbs ending in -ir all follow the same conjugation rules.

In this video, you will learn how to conjugate the verb finir (to finish) in the present tense. This verb is used as a reference for all second-group verbs, which end in -ir.

In this video, you will learn to recognize the difference between first- and second-group verbs. First-group verbs end in -er in the infinitive and second-group verbs end in -ir. The verbs in each group have the same endings in each tense, which makes it a lot easier to learn how to conjugate them.

Patricia sheds a new light on the renowned fable by Jean de La Fontaine, "The Cicada and the Ant." Maybe the cicada isn't such a bad character after all....

Patricia recites one of Jean de La Fontaine's most famous fables, "La Cigale et la Fourmi" (The Cicada and the Ant). After spending the entire summer singing instead of storing food, the cicada is starving come winter. She hopes her neighbor the ant can help her....

Patricia takes us on a "white journey in the French language" by explaining some common French expressions using the word blanc/blanche (white).

Patricia tells us a fun story peppered with expressions involving the word blanc/blanche (white). You might recognize some of them from English, such as hisser le drapeau blanc (to raise the white flag), but others are a bit more difficult to decipher.

Patricia is in a dark mood.... Learn some expressions using the word noir (dark, black) and express your dark feelings in French!

In the second installment on French expressions not to be taken literally, Patricia discusses the phrase se faire l'avocat du diable (to play devil's advocate).

Some expressions are not be taken literally, as they would not make a lot of sense. For example, vider son sac—literally, "to empty one's bag"—actually means something entirely different. Find out the real meaning of vider son sac and its origin in this video!

In this video, you will learn when to use the subjunctive mood in all kinds of everyday situations. Whenever you express a doubt, an uncertainty, or a wish, the subjunctive mood is usually required.

Patricia explains the conditional mood in the past and present tense.

Let's talk about the future with Patricia. She will show you how to conjugate verbs in the simple future of the indicative.

In this lesson, Patricia discusses some exceptions to first-group verbs in the passé composé, those that require the auxiliary verb être (to be) instead of avoir (to have). Don't worry, Patricia will conjugate them for you and illustrate them with a few examples.