7 - Complete guide to present tense
Basic conjugations
er verbs
Verbs like “parler” or “comprender”
- Endings: e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent
- Example: je parle, tu parles, il/elle parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent
Here are the conjugations of three common er verbs:
Aimer (to like/love):
- J'aime (I like/love)
- Tu aimes (You like/love)
- Il/Elle/On aime (He/She/One likes/loves)
- Nous aimons (We like/love)
- Vous aimez (You like/love)
- Ils/Elles aiment (They like/love)
Manger (to eat):
- Je mange (I eat)
- Tu manges (You eat)
- Il/Elle/On mange (He/She/One eats)
- Nous mangeons (We eat)
- Vous mangez (You eat)
- Ils/Elles mangent (They eat)
Travailler (to work):
- Je travaille (I work)
- Tu travailles (You work)
- Il/Elle/On travaille (He/She/One works)
- Nous travaillons (We work)
- Vous travaillez (You work)
- Ils/Elles travaillent (They work)
ir verbs
- Endings: is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent
- Example: je finis, tu finis, il/elle finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils/elles finissent
re verbs
Words like “vendre”
- Endings: s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent
- Example: je vends, tu vends, il/elle vend, nous vendons, vous vendez, ils/elles vendent
Stem changing verbs
Verbs Ending in -ger
Verbs ending in "-ger," like manger (to eat), need an "e" after the "g" in the nous form to keep the soft "g" sound. Without the "e," the "g" would be pronounced hard, like in the word "gate."
- Je mange
- Tu manges
- Il/Elle/On mange
- Nous mangeeons
- Vous mangez
- Ils/Elles mangent
Verbs Ending in -cer
Verbs ending in "-cer," like commencer (to begin), need a cedilla (ç) under the "c" in the nous form to keep the soft "s" sound. Without the cedilla, the "c" would be pronounced hard, like in the word "cat."
- Je commence
- Tu commences
- Il/Elle/On commence
- Nous commençons
- Vous commencez
- Ils/Elles commencent
Verbs with an Accent on the 'e' Before the -er Ending
Some verbs have an accent on the 'e' that precedes the -er ending in the infinitive form. These accents can change or disappear in certain conjugations to maintain pronunciation.
Verbs like espérer (to hope) and préférer (to prefer) change the é to an è in all conjugations except the nous and vous forms.
- J'espère
- Tu espères
- Il/Elle/On espère
- Nous espérons
- Vous espérez
- Ils/Elles espèrent
Verbs like acheter (to buy) and lever (to raise) double the consonant following the 'e' in all conjugations except the nous and vous forms.
- J'achète
- Tu achètes
- Il/Elle/On achète
- Nous achetons
- Vous achetez
- Ils/Elles achètent
Summary
| Pronoun | -er (parler) | -ir (finir) | -re (vendre) |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | -e | -is | -s |
| tu | -es | -is | -s |
| il/elle | -e | -it | - (nothing) |
| on | -e | -it | - (nothing) |
| nous | -ons | -issons | -ons |
| vous | -ez | -issez | -ez |
| ils/elles | -ent | -issent | -ent |
| Pronoun | -er (parler) | -ir (finir) | -re (vendre) |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | parle | finis | vends |
| tu | parles | finis | vends |
| il/elle | parle | finit | vend |
| on | parle | finit | vend |
| nous | parlons | finissons | vendons |
| vous | parlez | finissez | vendez |
| ils/elles | parlent | finissent | vendent |
Pronunciation tips
While the spelling of the verb changes with each subject pronoun, the pronunciation can sometimes be the same for different forms. For example, je parle, tu parles, il/elle/on parle, and ils/elles parlent are all pronounced the same. The nous and vous forms are distinct in pronunciation. Pay close attention to the pronunciation of these forms as you practice.
When the verb starts with a vowel or a silent "h", je becomes j'. For example, J'aime, J'habite.
Practice
step 1: writing conjugation practice
To get familiar as fast as possible, just write down the conjugations, since practice is the best way to learn.
First, conjugate these -er verbs in the present tense for all subjects:
- Écouter (to listen)
- Regarder (to watch)
- Danser (to dance)
- Chanter (to sing)
- Jouer (to play)
- Étudier (to study)
Then conjugate these stem-changing infinitives:
- Manger (to eat)
- Commencer (to begin)
- Espérer (to hope)
- Acheter (to buy)
- Lever (to raise)
- Préférer (to prefer)
step 2: quiz for normal present tense conjugation
step 3: quiz for stem-changing conjugation
step 4: additional writing practice
- Write 5 sentences using different verbs and subject pronouns (e.g., Je fais mes devoirs., Ils vont à Paris.). Include at least one sentence with on and one with an irregular verb.
- Without notes, conjugate parler, finir, and être aloud for all pronouns.
- List the conjugations of avoir and aller on paper, then check for accuracy.
irregulars
-
Être (to be): je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont
- Spanish: ser/estar (soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son).
- Pronunciation:
-
Avoir (to have): j’ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont
- Spanish: tener (tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen).
- Prnunciation:
-
Aller (to go): je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont
- Spanish: ir (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van).
- Pronunciation:
-
Faire (to do/make): je fais, tu fais, il/elle fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils/elles font
- Spanish: hacer (hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen
- Pronunciation:
Etre
Être is frequently used to describe someone or something, including their nationality, profession, or physical/emotional state.
- Nationality: Je suis américain. (I am American.)
- Profession: Elle est professeur. (She is a teacher.)
- Physical State: Il est malade. (He is sick.)
- Emotional State: Nous sommes heureux. (We are happy.)
Être can also indicate someone's origin or the location of something (though prepositions are usually needed to specify the location).
Je suis de Paris. (I am from Paris.) Le livre est sur la table. (The book is on the table.)
This is much easier than in spanish. You can just use etre as a place-in for any "to be" sentence.
Avoir
Avoir is just used as "to have" in French.
Just like in spanish, you can use avoir (the equivalent of tener) as a place-in for any "to have" sentence, including for age:
age
In French, you use avoir to express age, not être.
- J'ai 20 ans. (I am 20 years old. - Literally: I have 20 years.)
- Il a 35 ans. (He is 35 years old.)
- Nous avons 50 ans. (We are 50 years old.)
This is exactly like in spanish, where you use tener to express age, like "tengo 20 años" (I am 20 years old). In french, that would be "j'ai 20 ans", which expresses the same idea of "having" an age. Both translate to "I have 20 years old" in english.
state of being (hunger, tiredness, etc.)
Just like in spanish, you can use avoir for something like "tengo hambre" (I am hungry) or "tengo sed" (I am thirsty).
Avoir is also used to express certain physical sensations.
- J'ai faim. (I am hungry. - Literally: I have hunger.)
- Il a soif. (He is thirsty. - Literally: He has thirst.)
- Nous avons chaud. (We are hot. - Literally: We have heat.)
- Vous avez froid. (You are cold. - Literally: You have cold.)
In spanish, you can use tener to express hunger, like "tengo hambre" (I am hungry). In french, that would be "j'ai faim", which expresses the same idea of "having" hunger. Both translate to "I have hunger" in english.
Aller
Aller is used to describe someone's movement or travel, exact equivalent of ir in spanish.
- Movement: Je vais à la plage. (I am going to the beach.)
- Travel: Je vais à Paris. (I am going to Paris.)
- Future: Je vais à manger quelque chose. (I am going to eat something.)
Faire
Faire is the equivalent of hacer in spanish.
- Action: Je fais la cuisine. (I am cooking.)
- State: Je fais du sport. (I am doing sports.)
- Future: Je vais faire du sport. (I am going to do sports.)
Summary
| Pronoun | être (to be) | avoir (to have) | aller (to go) | faire (to do/make) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | suis | ai | vais | fais |
| tu | es | as | vas | fais |
| il/elle | est | a | va | fait |
| on | est | a | va | fait |
| nous | sommes | avons | allons | faisons |
| vous | êtes | avez | allez | faites |
| ils/elles | sont | ont | vont | font |