Verbs in ‑er drop that ending and take ‑e / ‑es / ‑e / ‑ons / ‑ez / ‑ent: je parle, nous parlons. The ending is silent in speech for three persons out of six, but always written: Tu parles. Il parle. Ils parlent.
Summary
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| Point | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form | parler: parle / parles / parle / parlons / parlez / parlent | Je parle français. | I speak French. | |
| Vowel | je becomes j’ before a vowel or a silent h | J’aime le thé. | I like tea. | |
| Speech | ‑e, ‑es and ‑ent are silent: three forms sound the same | Il parle. / Ils parlent. | He speaks. / They speak. | |
| Use | one present: habits and actions in progress | Elle travaille le samedi. | She works on Saturdays. | |
| Spelling | nous mangeons, nous commençons: e and ç before o | Nous mangeons ici. | We eat here. | |
| Spelling | the stem changes where the ending is silent: j’achète, il appelle | Elle appelle sa mère. | She calls her mother. | |
| Liking | aimer / adorer / détester + infinitive, with no preposition | J’adore nager. | I love swimming. | |
| Aimer and a noun | the definite article: le / la / l’ / les | J’aime le chocolat. | I like chocolate. | |
| Trap | tu always takes ‑s: tu parles | Tu parles vite. | You speak fast. | |
| Trap | after vous, ‑ez; the infinitive keeps ‑er | Vous parlez bien. / Je veux parler. | You speak well. / I want to speak. |
Overview
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- Verbs in ‑er are the largest group: drop ‑er and add the present endings. Je parle français. / Nous habitons à Lyon.I speak French. / We live in Lyon.
- The stem stays the same for every person; only the ending changes. Tu aimes le café. / Ils aiment le café.You like coffee. / They like coffee.
- The few spelling changes follow rules: see the Spelling section.
- For the subject pronouns, see Subject Pronouns.
- For aller and the other irregular verbs, see Present Tense: Irregular Verbs.
Form: the present endings
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| Person | parler | aimer | habiter | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je / j’ | parle | aime | habite | |
| tu | parles | aimes | habites | |
| il / elle / on | parle | aime | habite | |
| nous | parlons | aimons | habitons | |
| vous | parlez | aimez | habitez | |
| ils / elles | parlent | aiment | habitent |
- Drop ‑er and add ‑e / ‑es / ‑e / ‑ons / ‑ez / ‑ent, in the order je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils. Tu chantes. / Elle danse.You sing. / She dances.
- Before a vowel or a silent h, je becomes j’. J’aime le thé. / J’habite à Nice.I like tea. / I live in Nice.
- Vous takes ‑ez, for one person addressed politely as well as for several people. Vous parlez français, madame ? / Vous habitez ici, les enfants ?Do you speak French, madam? / Do you live here, children?
- To choose between tu and vous, see Forms of Address: tu and vous.
- In speech, on replaces nous and takes the il form: see Subject Pronouns.
Pronunciation: the silent endings
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| Person | parler | habiter | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| je / j’ | /ʒə paʁl/ | /ʒabit/ | |
| tu | /ty paʁl/ | /ty abit/ | |
| il / elle / on | /il paʁl/ | /il abit/ | |
| nous | /nu paʁlɔ̃/ | /nu zabitɔ̃/ | |
| vous | /vu paʁle/ | /vu zabite/ | |
| ils / elles | /il paʁl/ | /il zabit/ |
- ‑e, ‑es and ‑ent are not pronounced: parle, parles and parlent sound the same. Il parle vite. / Ils parlent vite.He talks fast. / They talk fast.
- ‑ez and ‑er are both pronounced /e/. Vous chantez bien. / Je veux chanter.You sing well. / I want to sing.
- For nous habitons /nu zabitɔ̃/ and the other liaisons, see Liaison and Elision.
Spelling: verbs with changes
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| Infinitive | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‑ger | Add e after g before o to keep the sound /ʒ/: nous mangeons. | Nous mangeons à midi. / Nous voyageons en train. | We eat at noon. / We travel by train. | |
| ‑cer | c becomes ç before o to keep the sound /s/: nous commençons. | Nous commençons à huit heures. / Nous lançons la balle. | We start at eight. / We throw the ball. | |
| ‑yer | y becomes i before a silent e: je nettoie, but nous nettoyons. | Elle nettoie la cuisine. / J’envoie un message. | She cleans the kitchen. / I send a message. | |
| acheter, lever | e becomes è before a silent ending: j’achète, but nous achetons. | J’achète du pain. / Nous achetons des fruits. | I buy bread. / We buy fruit. | |
| préférer, répéter | é becomes è before a silent ending: je préfère, but nous préférons. | Je préfère le thé. / Nous préférons le café. | I prefer tea. / We prefer coffee. | |
| appeler, jeter | l and t double before a silent ending: j’appelle, il jette, but nous appelons. | Elle appelle sa mère. / Je jette la bouteille. | She calls her mother. / I throw away the bottle. |
- In these four types of verb, the stem changes with je, tu, il and ils; with nous and vous it stays that of the infinitive. Elle lève la main. / Nous levons la main.She raises her hand. / We raise our hands.
Use: the present
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| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| A fact or a state: where you live, what you like | J’habite à Lyon. / Il déteste le froid. | I live in Lyon. / He hates the cold. | |
| What is happening now | Il mange une pomme. / Qu’est-ce que tu regardes ? | He is eating an apple. / What are you watching? | |
| A habit | Elle travaille le samedi. / Nous dînons à huit heures. | She works on Saturdays. / We have dinner at eight. | |
| A near, certain event | Demain, nous arrivons à midi. / Elle commence lundi. | Tomorrow we arrive at noon. / She starts on Monday. |
- French has one present: it says habits and actions in progress alike, with no ‑ing form. Je mange souvent ici. / Je mange maintenant.I often eat here. / I'm eating now.
- To stress an action in progress, say être en train de + infinitive. Je suis en train de cuisiner.I'm in the middle of cooking.
Present-tense words
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| Word | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| maintenant | Maintenant, je travaille. | Now I'm working. | |
| aujourd’hui | Aujourd’hui, nous restons à la maison. | Today we're staying at home. | |
| souvent, toujours | Il chante souvent sous la douche. | He often sings in the shower. | |
| tous les jours, le lundi | Elle travaille le lundi. | She works on Mondays. | |
| en ce moment | En ce moment, j’étudie le français. | At the moment I'm studying French. |
Aimer, adorer, détester with an infinitive
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| Form | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| aimer / adorer / détester + infinitive | J’aime chanter. / Il adore nager. / Elle déteste attendre. | I like singing. / He loves swimming. / She hates waiting. | |
| aimer + le / la / l’ / les + noun | J’aime le chocolat. / Tu aimes les chiens ? | I like chocolate. / Do you like dogs? | |
| ne + aimer + pas + infinitive | Je n’aime pas courir. / Elle n’aime pas le froid. | I don't like running. / She doesn't like the cold. | |
| aimer + bien / beaucoup / mieux | J’aime bien ce film. / Il aime beaucoup le jazz. / J’aime mieux le thé. | I quite like this film. / He likes jazz a lot. / I like tea better. |
- Between aimer, adorer, détester and the infinitive there is no preposition. Nous adorons voyager. / Tu détestes cuisiner ?We love travelling. / Do you hate cooking?
- For the choice of article after aimer, see Articles.
Typical errors
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| Wrong | Right | Rule | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je aime le thé. | J’aime le thé. | je becomes j’ before aime | |
| Tu parle français. | Tu parles français. | tu takes ‑es | |
| Ils parle anglais. | Ils parlent anglais. | ils and elles take ‑ent, even though it is not heard | |
| Nous mangons à midi. | Nous mangeons à midi. | g + e before o | |
| Nous commencons à huit heures. | Nous commençons à huit heures. | c becomes ç before o | |
| Je suis mangeant une pomme. | Je mange une pomme. | the present has one form: je mange means “I eat” and “I am eating” | |
| J’aime chocolat. | J’aime le chocolat. | aimer + noun takes the definite article: j’aime le chocolat | |
| J’adore de nager. | J’adore nager. | no preposition between adorer and the infinitive | |
| Vous parler très bien. | Vous parlez très bien. | after vous, the ending is ‑ez | |
| Il nettoye la cuisine. | Il nettoie la cuisine. | y becomes i before a silent e | |
| Elle appèle sa mère. | Elle appelle sa mère. | appeler doubles the l: j’appelle |