Learning French is a little like a toddler’s journey in learning how to walk, run, skip, and scale walls. Mastering the present tense in French is akin to taking your very first steps.
From introducing yourself to asking for the time, the present tense is an essential part of communicating in French from day one. Below, we’ll take an in-depth look at how you can easily and effectively use the present tense in French, along with how to conjugate the most common types of verbs.
Rosetta Stone’s immersive lessons can help you master French quickly and effectively—without the tedious memorization. Plus, TruAccent can help you sound amazing from your very first lesson!
What is the present tense in French?
The present tense describes the way we conjugate verbs to reflect things that are currently happening or are generally true. You may see it called the present indicative mood; either way it’s just the name for things that are factual or current reality, as opposed to hypothetical situations or commands.
When to use the present tense?
The French present tense is similar in many ways to the present tense in English. It can be used to show:
- actions that are currently happening
Je vais au supermarché. = I am going to the store.
- states of being that are currently true
Mon copain est en retard. = My friend is late.
- statements that are generally true
En été, il fait chaud. = It’s hot in the summer.
- habitual actions
Je vais au supermarché le dimanche. = I go to the grocery store on Sundays.
Elle étudie le français depuis cinq ans. = She has been studying French for 5 years.
(You can only use the present tense if the habitual action continues to be true. if you’re talking about something you did regularly as a child but don’t do anymore, you won’t use the present tense.)
- actions that are about to happen
Il apporte le gâteau à la soirée. = He is bringing the cake to the party.
- You will also see it used to tell historical narratives. While English-language textbooks may talk about the storming of the Bastille as what happened, French texts typically present it as what is happening at that moment in history.
One awesome feature of French is that there’s really only one present tense to learn. In English, to fully express the present tense you need to be able to say:
- something happens
- something does happen and
- something is happening.
In French, all of that is conveyed with one present tense verb conjugation. Je parle can be translated as “I talk,” “I am talking,” or “I do talk.” As an English speaker, it is important to remember that French really doesn’t use helping verbs for the present tense.
How to conjugate the present tense in French (regular verbs)
Conjugating verbs in French involves patterns, so let’s talk about the parts of a verb and what patterns you can be on the lookout for.
An infinitive verb has no markers to show what tense it’s in or who is doing the action. The equivalent in English is “to talk,” “to be,” or “to want.” We can add an ending and pair it with a pronoun to give that information. “She talks.” Now we know who is talking and that it’s happening now, not in the past or the future.
French infinitive verbs are useful because their endings help us identify what patterns to use for conjugation in French verb tenses. All verbs have a root or stem at the beginning, and an ending that’s typically the last two letters. The most predictable patterns are for verbs ending in -ER, -IR, or -RE. For example, the verb parler “to talk”: the root is parl and the ending is er, showing you this is an -ER verb. If a verb is regular, now that you know it’s an -ER verb, you also know what ending to add for any form of the present tense.
If you’ve studied other languages, you may know that the verb endings indicate who is doing the action. This is also true in French; there is a specific ending to use for each subject. However, many of those endings are pronounced the same way, so you can’t hear the different endings when speaking. Just like in English, you must include a subject pronoun along with your verb.
To conjugate a French verb in the present tense, you will generally drop the last two letters from the infinitive and add the ending that is appropriate for the subject. Let’s take a look at the most common types of French verbs and see how they are conjugated.
-RE verbs
-RE verbs are generally regular in the present tense, so they are a great place to begin learning present tense conjugations. For any regular verb, start by dropping the last two letters of the infinitive verb. Then add the verb ending that matches the correct subject.
Note that for some verbs, the il, elle, on form actually doesn’t have a new ending; just drop the last two letters of the infinitive and you’re done.
répondre – to respond, to answer
| je réponds | I answer | nous répondons | we answer |
| tu réponds | you answer | vous répondez | you answer (formal, plural) |
| il/elle/on répond | he/she/it answers | ils/elles répondent | they answer |
Here are some other verbs conjugated the same way:
- J’entends la chanson. = I hear the song.
- Est-ce que tu vends ta voiture? = Are you selling your car?
- Il perd toujours ses clés. = He always loses his keys.
- Vous rendez le livre à la bibliothèque. = You return the book to the library.
- Nous répondons à la question. = We do answer the question.
- Elles attendent le bus. = They are waiting for the bus.
Be careful! Attendre only means “to wait” in French. It never means “to attend.”
-IR verbs
Most -IR verbs are regular. To conjugate them in the present tense, just like with -RE verbs, drop the last two letters of the verb and add the correct ending. As you can see, regular -IR verb endings are a little bit longer than -RE endings.
finir – to finish
| je finis | I finish | nous finissons | we finish |
| tu finis | you finish (informal) | vous finissez | you finish (formal, plural) |
| il/elle/on finit | he/she/it finishes | ils/elles finissent | they finish |
Here are some examples of -IR verbs in real life.
- Je choisis ce magazine. = I am choosing this magazine.
- Tu grandis beaucoup! = You are really growing up! / You are getting a lot taller!
- Le chaton grossit tous les jours. = The kitten gains weight every day.
- Est-ce que les ours maigrissent en hiver? = Do bears get thinner in the winter?
- Elle agit couragement. = She acts courageously.
- Vous réfléchissez avant de répondre. = You think/reflect before answering.
-ER verbs
The most common type of verbs in French are -ER verbs. Most -ER verbs are regular, so let’s start with those.
parler – to speak, to talk
| je parle | I talk | nous parlons | we talk |
| tu parles | you talk (informal) | vous parlez | you talk (formal, or plural) |
| il/elle/on parle | he/she/it talks | ils/elles parlent | they talk |
Here are some more examples of -ER verbs in the present tense.
- Je mange un sandwich. = I am eating a sandwich.
- Tu regardes la télévision. = You watch television.
- Sandrine chante. = Sandrine is singing.
- Nous parlons anglais. = We do speak English.
- Est-ce que vous étudiez le français? = Do you study French?
- Ils posent des questions. = They do ask questions.
Exceptions in -ER verbs
There are a few types of -ER verbs that follow the regular ending patterns but have changes in the stem in the present tense. Generally, if a verb stem ends in a single consonant, the stem will change in the present tense to accommodate French grammar and pronunciation conventions.
Accented -ER verbs
The most common irregular stem takes the addition of an accent grave on the last “e” on the verb stem. Here is an example of a stem changing -ER verb:
acheter – to buy
| j’achète | I buy | nous achetons | we buy |
| tu achètes | you buy (informal) | vous achetez | you buy (formal, plural |
| il/elle/on achète | he/she/ it buys | ils/elles achètent | they buy |
Notice that the verb endings are exactly the same as regular -ER verbs.
Here are some other verbs that have this stem change:
- Je célèbre ton anniversaire. = I am celebrating your birthday.
- Tu considères l’idée. = You consider the idea.
- Est-ce qu’il préfère la plage? = Does he prefer the beach?
- Elle lève la main. = She raises her hand.
- Elle emmène sa sœur à la fête. = She brings her sister to the party.
- Ils amènent leur copain à l’aéroport. = They take their friend to the airport.
Doubling -ER verbs
There are a handful of stem changing -ER verbs that double the final consonant in the verb stem instead of adding an accent. The most common of these verbs are appeler (to call) and similar verbs like rappeler (to recall or to remember), as well as jeter (to throw, to throw away) and similar verbs like rejeter (to reject) and projeter (to project, to throw).
appeler – to call
| j’appelle | I call | nous appelons | we call |
| tu appelles | you call (informal) | vous appelez | you call (formal, plural) |
| il/elle/on appelle | he/she/it calls | ils/elles appellent | they call |
Appeler is an especially useful verb for beginning learners because it’s used in introductions. Je m’appelle is typically translated as “My name is” but it literally means “I call myself.”
jeter – to throw
| je jette | I throw | nous jetons | we throw |
| tu jettes | you throw (informal) | vous jetez | you throw (formal, plural) |
| il/elle/on jette | he/she/it throws | ils/elles jettent | they throw |
For example:
- Je m’appelle Marie. = My name is Marie. (Literally, “I call myself Marie.”)
- Tu t’appelles comment? = What is your name? (literally, “How do you call yourself?)
- Il rappelle ce livre. = He remembers that book.
- Nous jetons les ordures. = We do throw away the trash.
- Vous rejetez cette suggestion. = You are rejecting that suggestion.
- Les enfants projettent le ballon. = The children are throwing the ball.
Verbs ending in -YER
The final group of stem changing -ER verbs end in -YER. These verbs change their “y” to an “i” for all subjects except nous and vous.
envoyer – to send
| j’envoie | I send | nous envoyons | we send |
| tu envoies | you send (informal) | vous envoyez | you send (formal, plural) |
| il/elle/on envoie | he/she/it throws | ils/elles envoient | they send |
Here are some other verbs that follow this pattern.
- Je nettoie ma chambre. = I am cleaning my room.
- L’école emploie des profs. = The school employs teachers.
- Tu appuies le bouton. = You do push the button.
- Ils essaient d’étudier. = They are trying to study.
- Est-ce qu’elle paie l’addition? = Is she paying the bill?
*For -AYER verbs, the stem change is considered optional, so you can write ils essaient or ils essayent; elle paie or elle paye. Both are equally correct.
Irregular verbs
Some verbs are completely irregular; although you may notice some similarities in endings with regular verbs, the endings and the stems are not regular enough to belong to another group. There are several irregular verbs that French speakers use daily, so it’s important to master them and be just as comfortable using them as regular verbs.
Aller
Aller means “to go.” You may notice this verb ends in “er,” but it is not conjugated like other -ER verbs.
aller – to go
| je vais | I go | nous allons | we go |
| tu vas | you go (informal) | vous allez | you go (formal, plural) |
| il/elle/on va | he/she/it goes | ils/elles vont | they go |
- Je vais au travail. = I am going to work.
- Tu vas au cinéma. = You are going to the movies.
- Cette jupe va bien avec ton chemisier. = That skirt goes well with your shirt.
- Est-ce que nous allons ensemble? = Are we going together?
- Vous allez au cinéma. = You are going to the movies.
- Les enfants vont à l’école. = The kids go to school.
Avoir
Avoir literally means “to have,” but it is also used in many idiomatic expressions. For example, in English we may say, “I am hungry.” “I am afraid.” or “I am twenty years old.” but in French you have hunger, have fear, and have twenty years. Here is the present tense conjugation.
avoir – to have
| j’ai | I have | nous allons | we have |
| tu as | you have (informal) | vous allez | you have (formal, plural) |
| il/elle/on a | he/she/it have | ils/elles ont | they have |
- J’ai le livre. = I do have the book.
- Est-ce que tu as peur des araignées? = Are you afraid of spiders?
- Elle a faim. = She is hungry. (literally, “She has hunger.”)
- Nous avons beaucoup d’amis. = We have a lot of friends.
- Vous avez une salade. = You have a salad.
- Les frères ont vingt ans. = The brothers are 20 years old.
Faire
Faire means “to make” or “to do” so it’s used very frequently in French. In addition to most of the same contexts as English, faire is often used idiomatically, especially to describe activities.
faire – to make, to do
| je fais | I do | nous faisons | we do |
| tu fais | you do (informal) | vous faites | you do (formal, plural) |
| il/elle/on fait | he/she/it does | ils/elles font | they do |
- Je fais mon travail. = I do my work.
- Tu fais la cuisine. = You are cooking.
- Il fait chaud aujourd’hui. = It’s hot today.
- Nous faisons du vélo. = We are cycling.
- Est-ce que vous faites le dîner? = Are you making dinner?
- Elles font la lessive. = They are doing laundry.
Be careful not to use faire to show emphasis. In English we may add “do” as a helper verb to emphasize that we are in fact completing a specific action, but in French, emphasis is demonstrated by repeating the subject of the sentence instead.
- Nous aimons ton chapeau orange. = We like your orange hat.
- Nous aimons ton chapeau orange, nous! = We do like your orange hat!
- Je lis mes courriels. = I read my emails. / I am reading my emails. /
I do read my emails. (neutral)
- Je lis mes courriels, moi! = I do read my emails! (emphatic)
Être
As the verb “to be,” être is an essential French verb, but it is very irregular. Pay attention, especially to the vous form to make sure you’re conjugating it correctly.
être – to be
| je suis | I am | nous sommes | we are |
| tu es | you are (informal) | vous êtes | you are (formal, plural) |
| il/elle/on est | he/she/it is | ils/elles sont | they are |
- Je suis américaine. = I am American.
- Tu es grand. = You are tall.
- Elle est actrice. = She is an actress.
- Nous sommes à l’heure. = We are on time.
- Vous êtes sympa. = You are nice.
- Est-ce qu’ils sont tristes? = Are they sad?
Like “do,” be careful not to try to apply “is” in the idiomatic ways you would in English. “Is” can be used as a helping verb in English to show something that is in the process of happening, but French does not use helping verbs in the present tense.
- Elle se promène. = She walks. / She is walking.
- Je vais au parc. = I go to the park. / I am going to the park.
Prendre
Prendre means “to take.” It is mostly translated the same way as English, but it is in two common idioms. In French, you take a decision instead of making a decision, and you take a meal instead of having a meal (like in English, you can also say you are eating a meal.)
Prendre is also the exemplar for similar verbs like apprendre (to learn), comprendre (to understand), and surprendre (to surprise).
prendre – to take
| je prends | I take | nous prenons | we take |
| tu prends | you take (informal) | vous prenez | you take (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on prend | he/she/it takes | ils/elles prennent | they take |
- Je prends le train. = I am taking the train.
- Est-ce que tu prends le petit déjeuner? = Are you having breakfast?
- Il prend une décision. = He is making a decision.
- Nous apprenons le français. = We are learning French.
- Vous comprenez bien. = You understand well.
- Elles surprennent leur copine. = They are surprising their friend.
Irregular -IR verbs
Although the vast majority of -IR verbs are regular, there are a few irregular ones. To conjugate these verbs with plural subjects, drop the last two letters of the infinitive as usual. For singular subjects, drop the last three letters before adding the appropriate ending.
partir – to leave
| je pars | I leave | nous partons | we leave |
| tu pars | you leave (informal) | vous partez | you leave (formal, plural) |
| il/elle/on part | he/she/it leaves | ils/elles partent | they leave |
Some more examples:
- Je sers le café. = I am serving the coffee.
- Tu sors ce soir. = You are going out tonight.
- Le petit garçon dort avec son nounours. = The little boy sleeps with his teddy bear.
- Nous sentons bien. = We do feel good.
- Est-ce que vous mentez? = Are you lying?
- Elles courent tous les jours. = They run every day.
-OIR verbs
Verbs ending in -OIR are often grouped together because they are conjugated similarly. They have different radicals for the nous and vous forms compared to the other subjects, so be careful that you’re using the right verb stem as well as the correct ending! Here are the two most useful -OIR verbs for beginning learners.
pouvoir – to be able to, can
| je peux | I can | nous pouvons | we can |
| tu peux | you can (informal) | vous pouvez | you can (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on peut | he/she/it can | ils/elles peuvent | they can |
vouloir – to want
| je veux | I send | nous voulons | we can |
| tu veux | you send (informal) | vous voulez | you can (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on veut | he/she/it throws | ils/elles veulent | they can |
- Je veux de la pizza. = I want pizza.
- Tu peux parler anglais. = You can speak English.
- Il veut visiter Paris. = He does want to visit Paris.
- Nous pouvons partir maintenant. = We can leave now.
- Est-ce que vous voulez du café? = Do you want some coffee?
- Elles peuvent finir demain. = They are going to be able to finish tomorrow.
Master the French present tense with Rosetta Stone
To sum up: A French present tense verb can always be translated 3 ways: I talk, I am talking, or I do talk. You can conjugate the present tense by dropping the last 2 letters of the infinitive verb and adding the correct ending. If a verb is regular, the infinitive ending will tell you what pattern to follow for your present tense conjugation.
We’ve shown you several verb tables, which can be a valuable reference resource for checking a specific verb. But the best way to truly master French verb conjugation is by practicing in an immersive environment. With features like Stories to help you learn authentic, useful vocabulary, and TruAccent to feel comfortable listening and speaking from your first lesson, Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion system helps you acquire grammar naturally without rote memorization. You don’t even need an internet connection to learn with Rosetta Stone! The Audio Companion and Offline mode let you download dialogues and lessons through the app so you can work on learning French whenever and wherever is convenient for you.
Written by Denise Brown
0 Commentaires