{"id":101,"date":"2026-09-30T17:25:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/french-present-tense\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:25:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:25:04","slug":"french-present-tense","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/french-present-tense\/","title":{"rendered":"The French present tense: -er, -ir and -re verbs, irregulars and uses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regular endings: -er, -ir and -re<\/h2>\n\n

Most French verbs end in -er, and all of them except aller<\/span> take the same endings. Take off the ending to find the stem, then add the ending for the person.<\/p>\n\n

Person<\/th>parler (to speak)<\/th>finir (to finish)<\/th>vendre (to sell)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
je<\/td>parle<\/td>finis<\/td>vends<\/td><\/tr>
tu<\/td>parles<\/td>finis<\/td>vends<\/td><\/tr>
il \/ elle \/ on<\/td>parle<\/td>finit<\/td>vend<\/td><\/tr>
nous<\/td>parlons<\/td>finissons<\/td>vendons<\/td><\/tr>
vous<\/td>parlez<\/td>finissez<\/td>vendez<\/td><\/tr>
ils \/ elles<\/td>parlent<\/td>finissent<\/td>vendent<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
  1. Four -er forms sound the same.<\/strong> parle<\/span>, parles<\/span>, parle<\/span>, parlent<\/span> are all said “parl”: the -e, -es and -ent endings are silent. Only nous parlons<\/span> and vous parlez<\/span> sound different.<\/li>
  2. The -ir group adds -iss- in the plural.<\/strong> nous finissons<\/span>, ils finissent<\/span>. The same model gives choisir<\/span>, r\u00e9ussir<\/span>, remplir<\/span>, grandir<\/span>, rougir<\/span>.<\/li>
  3. -re verbs keep the d in the singular.<\/strong> il vend<\/span>, il attend<\/span>, il r\u00e9pond<\/span>, with no t; the d is silent.<\/li>
  4. Je becomes j’ before a vowel or a silent h.<\/strong> j’aime<\/span>, j’habite<\/span>, j’\u00e9coute<\/span>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    Some -ir verbs follow a different model, without -iss-: partir<\/span> (je pars, tu pars, il part, nous partons, vous partez, ils partent<\/span>), sortir<\/span> (je sors<\/span>) and dormir<\/span> (je dors<\/span>).<\/p>\n\n

    The -er spelling traps<\/h2>\n\n

    Regular in the endings, some -er verbs change their spelling to keep the sound.<\/p>\n\n

    1. -ger verbs keep an e before -ons.<\/strong> nous mangeons<\/span>, nous nageons<\/span>, nous voyageons<\/span>.<\/li>
    2. -cer verbs take a cedilla before -ons.<\/strong> nous commen\u00e7ons<\/span>, nous lan\u00e7ons<\/span>.<\/li>
    3. Acheter, pr\u00e9f\u00e9rer: an \u00e8 in the boot forms.<\/strong> j’ach\u00e8te, tu ach\u00e8tes, il ach\u00e8te, nous achetons, vous achetez, ils ach\u00e8tent<\/span>; je pr\u00e9f\u00e8re<\/span>, but nous pr\u00e9f\u00e9rons<\/span>.<\/li>
    4. Appeler and jeter double the consonant.<\/strong> je m’appelle, tu t’appelles, il s’appelle, nous nous appelons, vous vous appelez, ils s’appellent<\/span>; je jette<\/span>, nous jetons<\/span>.<\/li>
    5. -yer verbs: y becomes i in the boot forms.<\/strong> j’envoie<\/span>, ils envoient<\/span>, but nous envoyons<\/span>. For payer<\/span>, both je paie<\/span> and je paye<\/span> are correct.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

      The irregular verbs that matter<\/h2>\n\n
      Verb<\/th>je<\/th>tu<\/th>il<\/th>nous<\/th>vous<\/th>ils<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      \u00eatre (to be)<\/td>suis<\/td>es<\/td>est<\/td>sommes<\/td>\u00eates<\/td>sont<\/td><\/tr>
      avoir (to have)<\/td>ai<\/td>as<\/td>a<\/td>avons<\/td>avez<\/td>ont<\/td><\/tr>
      aller (to go)<\/td>vais<\/td>vas<\/td>va<\/td>allons<\/td>allez<\/td>vont<\/td><\/tr>
      faire (to do, make)<\/td>fais<\/td>fais<\/td>fait<\/td>faisons<\/td>faites<\/td>font<\/td><\/tr>
      prendre (to take)<\/td>prends<\/td>prends<\/td>prend<\/td>prenons<\/td>prenez<\/td>prennent<\/td><\/tr>
      venir (to come)<\/td>viens<\/td>viens<\/td>vient<\/td>venons<\/td>venez<\/td>viennent<\/td><\/tr>
      pouvoir (can)<\/td>peux<\/td>peux<\/td>peut<\/td>pouvons<\/td>pouvez<\/td>peuvent<\/td><\/tr>
      vouloir (to want)<\/td>veux<\/td>veux<\/td>veut<\/td>voulons<\/td>voulez<\/td>veulent<\/td><\/tr>
      devoir (must)<\/td>dois<\/td>dois<\/td>doit<\/td>devons<\/td>devez<\/td>doivent<\/td><\/tr>
      dire (to say)<\/td>dis<\/td>dis<\/td>dit<\/td>disons<\/td>dites<\/td>disent<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
      1. Only four verbs end in -ont.<\/strong> ils sont<\/span>, ils ont<\/span>, ils vont<\/span>, ils font<\/span>.<\/li>
      2. Only three end in -es with vous.<\/strong> vous \u00eates<\/span>, vous faites<\/span>, vous dites<\/span>. Everywhere else: -ez.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

        What the French present means<\/h2>\n\n
        1. Habits, facts, now.<\/strong> Je joue au foot le samedi.<\/span> Paris est en France.<\/span> Qu’est-ce que tu fais ? \u2014 Je lis.<\/span><\/li>
        2. No “-ing” tense.<\/strong> Je mange<\/span> means “I eat” and “I am eating”. To stress that it is happening right now: Je suis en train de manger.<\/span><\/li>
        3. An action still going on: depuis.<\/strong> J’apprends le fran\u00e7ais depuis deux ans<\/span> (I have been learning French for two years). English uses a perfect tense; French uses the present.<\/li>
        4. The near future.<\/strong> Je pars demain.<\/span> Aller<\/span> + infinitive (Je vais partir<\/span>) is taught alongside.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

          Questions and negatives<\/h3>\n\n

          There are three ways to ask a question, from the most informal to the most formal.<\/p>\n\n

          Tu parles anglais ?<\/span>Do you speak English? (intonation, everyday speech)<\/small><\/p>\n\n

          Est-ce que tu parles anglais ?<\/span>Do you speak English? (neutral)<\/small><\/p>\n\n

          Parles-tu anglais ?<\/span>Do you speak English? (inversion, more formal)<\/small><\/p>\n\n

          With inversion, a -t- is added between two vowels: Parle-t-il anglais ?<\/span> A-t-elle un fr\u00e8re ?<\/span><\/p>\n\n

          The negative wraps the verb: ne<\/span> before, pas<\/span> after. Ne<\/span> becomes n’<\/span> before a vowel: Je ne mange pas de viande.<\/span> Il n’aime pas le sport.<\/span> In casual speech the ne<\/span> is often dropped (Je sais pas<\/span>): pupils will hear it, but should write it.<\/p>\n\n

          Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
          • “Je suis manger” for “I am eating”:<\/strong> je mange<\/span>.<\/li>
          • Pronouncing -ent:<\/strong> ils parlent<\/span> sounds exactly like il parle<\/span>.<\/li>
          • “Vous faisez”, “vous disez”:<\/strong> vous faites<\/span>, vous dites<\/span>.<\/li>
          • “Ils allent”, “ils faisent”:<\/strong> ils vont<\/span>, ils font<\/span>.<\/li>
          • “Nous mangons”, “nous commencons”:<\/strong> nous mangeons<\/span>, nous commen\u00e7ons<\/span>.<\/li>
          • “Je aime”, “je habite”:<\/strong> j’aime<\/span>, j’habite<\/span>.<\/li>
          • “Je ne mange pas la viande”:<\/strong> after a negative, du<\/span>, de la<\/span> and des<\/span> become de<\/span>: pas de viande<\/span>.<\/li>
          • “I have been living here for\u2026” in the perfect:<\/strong> J’habite ici depuis trois ans.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

            In class: the daily conjugation wheel<\/h2>\n\n
            1. Draw a verb: today, finir<\/span>. The class names its group.<\/li>
            2. Point to a person on a pronoun grid; the class answers in chorus: je finis<\/span>, tu finis<\/span>, il finit<\/span>\u2026<\/li>
            3. Reveal each form after the class has said it. Ask: “Which forms sound the same?”<\/li>
            4. One pupil makes a question with inversion, another answers in the negative: Finis-tu tes devoirs ? \u2014 Non, je ne finis pas mes devoirs.<\/span><\/li>
            5. Recycle yesterday’s verb with nous<\/span> and vous<\/span> only, the forms pupils get wrong most.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

              That is exactly what a daily conjugation routine does: a verb is drawn, the class conjugates it person by person, and every form is checked on the spot.<\/p>\n\n

              Adapting to your class<\/h3>\n\n
              • A1<\/b>Regular -er verbs, \u00eatre<\/span>, avoir<\/span>; singular persons first, then nous<\/span> and vous<\/span>.<\/li>
              • A2<\/b>-ir and -re verbs, aller<\/span>, faire<\/span>, prendre<\/span>, modal verbs, questions and negatives.<\/li>
              • B1<\/b>Spelling changes, depuis<\/span>, and the present in contrast with the perfect tense.<\/li>
              • B2<\/b>Inversion in writing, \u00eatre en train de<\/span>, present versus present subjunctive: Je pense qu’il vient<\/span> \/ Je ne pense pas qu’il vienne.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n

                At KS2, chunks (je m’appelle<\/span>, j’ai<\/span>, j’habite<\/span>) are enough. At KS3, build the three groups and the key irregulars. For GCSE, the present of \u00eatre<\/span>, avoir<\/span>, aller<\/span> and faire<\/span> must be automatic: every compound tense is built on it.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Je parle, je finis, je vends: regular endings, the -er spelling traps, the irregulars that matter, and how to ask and negate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":42,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"French Present Tense: Endings and Irregulars | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"French present tense endings for -er, -ir and -re verbs in tables, spelling changes, key irregular verbs, questions, negatives and a daily routine.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"present","_vd_target":"fr","_vd_module":"rueda","_vd_level":"A1\u2013A2","_vd_minutes":"8","_vd_card_word":"je parle\u2026","_vd_answer":"To form the French present tense, remove the infinitive ending and add: for -er verbs -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent (je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent<\/span>); for -ir verbs like finir<\/span> -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent; for -re verbs like vendre<\/span> -s, -s, (nothing), -ons, -ez, -ent. One French form covers \"I speak\", \"I am speaking\" and \"I do speak\".","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"What are the present tense endings in French?\",\"a\":\"-er verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. -ir verbs like finir<\\\/span>: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. -re verbs like vendre<\\\/span>: -s, -s, (no ending), -ons, -ez, -ent.\"},{\"q\":\"Is there a present continuous in French?\",\"a\":\"No. Je mange<\\\/span> means both \\\"I eat\\\" and \\\"I am eating\\\". To insist on the action in progress, say Je suis en train de manger.<\\\/span>\"},{\"q\":\"Why is -ent silent in ils parlent?\",\"a\":\"The -ent ending of verbs is never pronounced: ils parlent<\\\/span> sounds like il parle<\\\/span>. It is only in nouns and adverbs that -ent is said, as in le vent<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"Why is it nous mangeons and not nous mangons?\",\"a\":\"Before o, a g would sound hard, as in \\\"go\\\". The e keeps the soft sound of manger<\\\/span>. For the same reason, -cer verbs take a cedilla: nous commen\u00e7ons<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"How do you make a question in the French present tense?\",\"a\":\"By intonation (Tu viens ?<\\\/span>), with est-ce que<\\\/span> (Est-ce que tu viens ?<\\\/span>) or by inversion (Viens-tu ?<\\\/span>).\"}]","_vd_key":"present-fr","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-101","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/101\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}