Verbs: present tense

French verbs are the heart of the language. They conjugate — meaning they change form — based on who is acting (I, you, he, we, etc.), when it happens (present, past, future), and the mood (statement, command, wish). The present tense is your foundation: master it first, and other tenses become much easier because they build on the same patterns.

Verb infinitives

The infinitive is the base form of a verb — the form you find in dictionaries. In English, infinitives use "to" (to speak, to eat). French infinitives end in -er, -ir, or -re. The ending tells you which conjugation pattern the verb follows:

Ending	Example	Meaning
-er	parler	to speak
-ir	finir	to finish
-re	vendre	to sell

About 90% of French verbs are -er verbs, and they're the most regular.

Subject pronouns

Before conjugating verbs, you need to know the subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, etc.). Unlike Spanish or Italian where pronouns are often dropped, French requires them in almost every sentence. The verb ending alone isn't enough to identify the subject because many forms sound identical. Note that "vous" is both formal singular and plural "you", while "tu" is informal singular only:

French	English	Notes
je	I	becomes j' before vowel
tu	you (informal)	singular, friends/family
il	he / it
elle	she / it
on	one / we	informal "we"
nous	we	formal or written
vous	you (formal/plural)
ils	they (m. or mixed)
elles	they (f. only)

Important: Unlike Spanish, French almost always requires subject pronouns.

Regular -ER verbs: parler (to speak)

About 90% of French verbs are -ER verbs, making this the most important pattern to master. To conjugate, drop the -er and add the appropriate ending. Here's a crucial pronunciation tip: the je, tu, il/elle, and ils/elles forms all sound exactly the same (just "parl") — only the written endings differ. Only nous and vous have distinctly different pronunciations:

Person	Pronoun	Conjugation	Pronunciation
1st singular	je	parle	parl
2nd singular	tu	parles	parl
3rd singular	il/elle/on	parle	parl
1st plural	nous	parlons	par-LOHN
2nd plural	vous	parlez	par-LAY
3rd plural	ils/elles	parlent	parl

Note: Je, tu, il, and ils forms all sound the same!

Common -ER verbs: aimer (love), habiter (live), travailler (work), manger (eat), acheter (buy), regarder (watch), écouter (listen), marcher (walk)

Spelling changes in -ER verbs

Some -ER verbs have spelling changes to preserve pronunciation:

Verbs in -ger add "e" before "o":

• manger → nous mangeons

Verbs in -cer use "ç" before "o":

• commencer → nous commençons

Verbs like acheter add accent in stressed forms:

• j'achète, tu achètes, il achète, ils achètent
• BUT: nous achetons, vous achetez

Verbs like appeler double the consonant:

• j'appelle, tu appelles, il appelle, ils appellent
• BUT: nous appelons, vous appelez

Regular -IR verbs: finir (to finish)

Person	Pronoun	Conjugation
1st singular	je	finis
2nd singular	tu	finis
3rd singular	il/elle/on	finit
1st plural	nous	finissons
2nd plural	vous	finissez
3rd plural	ils/elles	finissent

Common regular -IR verbs: choisir (choose), réussir (succeed), réfléchir (think), remplir (fill), grandir (grow)

Note: Some -IR verbs follow different patterns (see irregular verbs).

Regular -RE verbs: vendre (to sell)

Person	Pronoun	Conjugation
1st singular	je	vends
2nd singular	tu	vends
3rd singular	il/elle/on	vend (no ending)
1st plural	nous	vendons
2nd plural	vous	vendez
3rd plural	ils/elles	vendent

Common -RE verbs: attendre (wait), entendre (hear), perdre (lose), répondre (answer), descendre (go down)

Important irregular verbs

Être (to be)

Pronoun	Form
je	suis
tu	es
il/elle/on	est
nous	sommes
vous	êtes
ils/elles	sont

Avoir (to have)

Pronoun	Form
je	ai (j'ai)
tu	as
il/elle/on	a
nous	avons
vous	avez
ils/elles	ont

Aller (to go)

Pronoun	Form
je	vais
tu	vas
il/elle/on	va
nous	allons
vous	allez
ils/elles	vont

Faire (to do/make)

Pronoun	Form
je	fais
tu	fais
il/elle/on	fait
nous	faisons
vous	faites
ils/elles	font

Venir (to come)

Pronoun	Form
je	viens
tu	viens
il/elle/on	vient
nous	venons
vous	venez
ils/elles	viennent

Prendre (to take)

Pronoun	Form
je	prends
tu	prends
il/elle/on	prend
nous	prenons
vous	prenez
ils/elles	prennent

Pouvoir (can/to be able)

Pronoun	Form
je	peux
tu	peux
il/elle/on	peut
nous	pouvons
vous	pouvez
ils/elles	peuvent

Vouloir (to want)

Pronoun	Form
je	veux
tu	veux
il/elle/on	veut
nous	voulons
vous	voulez
ils/elles	veulent

Devoir (must/to have to)

Pronoun	Form
je	dois
tu	dois
il/elle/on	doit
nous	devons
vous	devez
ils/elles	doivent

Savoir (to know facts)

Pronoun	Form
je	sais
tu	sais
il/elle/on	sait
nous	savons
vous	savez
ils/elles	savent

Using the present tense

French present tense covers:

1. Current actions: Je travaille. — I work. / I am working.
2. Habitual actions: Je me lève à sept heures. — I get up at seven.
3. General truths: L'eau bout à 100 degrés. — Water boils at 100 degrees.
4. Near future (with time words): Je pars demain. — I'm leaving tomorrow.
5. Ongoing actions: J'habite à Paris depuis deux ans. — I've been living in Paris for two years.

Aller + infinitive (near future)

Use aller + infinitive for the immediate future:

• Je vais manger. — I'm going to eat.
• Nous allons partir. — We're going to leave.

Venir de + infinitive (just did)

Use venir de + infinitive for actions just completed:

• Je viens d'arriver. — I just arrived.
• Elle vient de partir. — She just left.

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