Introduction to Present Tense in French

 

Present tense (Regular verbs)

(I work, I am working)

 

Verbs in French usually end in -er, -ir or -re.

Let’s take the verb PARLER which means to speak:

Take off the infinitive ending ‘er’ and add the following endings to the stem or the root ‘parl’-.

PARLER

Je parle

Tu parles

Il/elle/on parle

Nous parlons

Vous parlez

Ils/elles parlent

 

Here is a list of common regular -er verbs:-

A-D

Adorer- to adore, love

Aider- to help

Aimer- to like, love

Apporter- to bring

Arriver- to arrive

Bavarder- to chat, gossip

Chanter- to sing

Chercher- to look for

Danser- to dance

Décider- to decide

Déjeuner- to have lunch

Demander- to ask

Dessiner- to draw

Détester- to hate

Dîner- to have dinner

Donner- to give

 

E-M

Écouter- to listen to

Emprunter- to borrow

Enseigner- to teach

Entrer (dans)- to enter

Étudier- to study

Fermer- to close

Gagner- to earn/win

Garder- to keep

Habiter- to live

Inviter- to invite

Jouer- to play

Laisser- to let/leave behind

Laver- to wash

Marcher- to walk

Monter- to go upstairs

 

O-T

Oublier- to forget

Parler- to speak

Passer- to pass; spend (time)

Penser- to think

Porter- to carry

Préparer- to prepare

Regarder- to look at

Rentrer- to return

Rester- to stay, remain

Travailler- to work

Trouver- to find

 

-IR ending verbs

FINIR- to finish

Je finis

Tu finis

Il, elle, on finit

Nous finissons

Vous finissez

Ils, elles finissent

 

Common regular -ir verbs

Avertir- to warn

Bâtir- to build

Choisir- to choose

Désobéir- to disobey

Établir- to establish

Gravir- to climb

Grossir- to get fat

Maigrir, mincir- to get thin

Obéir- to obey

Palir- to get pale

Punir- to punish

Ralentir- to slow down

Remplir- to fill

Réussir- to succeed

Rougir- to blush

Salir- to dirty

Vomir- to vomit

 

Common -re verbs

Attendre- to wait for

Descendre- to go down(stairs)

Entendre- to hear

Fondre- to melt

Mordre- to bite

Pendre- to hang

Perdre- to lose

Rendre- to give back, return

Répondre- to answer

Vendre- to sell