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Module 04: Verbs — Present Tense

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Build the foundation of French verb usage: être and avoir as the two essential auxiliary verbs, all regular -ER/-IR/-RE verb conjugations, and 15 key irregular verbs for present-tense communication.

Table of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Prerequisites
  3. Objectives
  4. Theory
  5. Key Concepts
  6. Examples
  7. Common Pitfalls
  8. Cross-Links
  9. Summary

Overview

Verbs are the engine of the French sentence. This module establishes your command of the present tense (présent de l'indicatif) — the tense you will use most in early learning to describe current states, habitual actions, and immediate plans. The present tense in French covers a wider range than English: Je parle can mean "I speak," "I am speaking," or even "I do speak."

The module begins with être and avoir — the two foundational verbs of French. They are not only the most frequently used verbs in the language but also the auxiliary verbs (helpers) that form compound tenses, making them essential to master before anything else. The module then covers the three regular verb groups and 15 key irregular verbs that appear in daily communication.

Prerequisites

  • [[french/modules/01_introduction]] — Pronunciation and sound system
  • [[french/modules/02_greetings-and-basic-communication]] — Basic vocabulary; functional use of je suis, il est
  • [[french/modules/03_nouns-and-articles]] — Noun gender (needed for pronoun and agreement decisions)

Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  1. Conjugate être and avoir in the present tense from memory
  2. Conjugate any regular -ER, -IR, and -RE verb in the present tense
  3. Conjugate 15 key irregular verbs: aller, faire, prendre, vouloir, pouvoir, savoir, venir, voir, mettre, dire, écrire, lire, partir, sortir, boire
  4. Use reflexive (pronominal) verbs: se lever, s'appeler, se souvenir
  5. Form negative sentences with ne...pas around the conjugated verb
  6. Form basic yes/no questions using intonation, est-ce que, and inversion
  7. Recognize the difference between present tense in French and English progressive (Je mange = I eat / I am eating)

Theory

être (to be) — The Most Essential French Verb

Être is the most irregular and most important verb in French. It serves as a linking verb (Je suis médecin — I am a doctor), an auxiliary for compound tenses (Je suis allé — I went), and appears in countless fixed expressions.

Present tense of être:
je suis       /ʒə sɥi/       I am
tu es         /ty ɛ/          you are (informal)
il/elle est   /il ɛ/          he/she is
nous sommes   /nu sɔm/        we are
vous êtes     /vuz ɛt/        you are (formal/plural)
ils/elles sont /il sɔ̃/        they are

Uses of être: - Descriptions and identities: Je suis étudiant(e), Elle est française - Locations (with the construction se trouver or directly): Nous sommes à Paris - Dates and time: Nous sommes lundi, Il est trois heures - Passive voice constructions (Module 09) - Auxiliary for compound tenses with motion/state verbs (Module 06)

avoir (to have) — The Second Essential Verb

Avoir is the most common auxiliary verb for compound tenses (J'ai mangé — I ate/have eaten) and also a standalone verb with many idiomatic uses.

Present tense of avoir:
j'ai          /ʒe/            I have
tu as         /ty a/          you have
il/elle a     /il a/          he/she has
nous avons    /nuz avɔ̃/      we have
vous avez     /vuz ave/       you have
ils/elles ont /ilz ɔ̃/        they have

Idiomatic uses of avoir (where French uses avoir, English uses "to be"): 

avoir [number] ans           to be [X] years old
avoir faim / soif            to be hungry / thirsty
avoir chaud / froid          to be hot / cold
avoir peur (de)              to be afraid (of)
avoir besoin (de)            to need / to have need of
avoir envie (de)             to want / to feel like
avoir raison / tort          to be right / wrong
avoir l'air [adj]            to look / seem [adj]

Regular -ER Verbs (the First and Largest Group)

Over 90% of French verbs are -ER verbs. The conjugation pattern is highly regular once you drop the -er infinitive ending and add the endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.

parler (to speak):
je parle      /ʒə paʁl/
tu parles     /ty paʁl/
il parle      /il paʁl/
nous parlons  /nu paʁlɔ̃/
vous parlez   /vu paʁle/
ils parlent   /il paʁl/

Note: je, tu, il, and ils all sound identical for -ER verbs: the -e, -es, -e, -ent endings are all silent. Only nous (-ons) and vous (-ez) are phonetically distinct.

Common regular -ER verbs: parler (speak), manger (eat), aimer (love/like), écouter (listen), regarder (watch), travailler (work), habiter (live/reside), chercher (look for), porter (carry/wear), jouer (play), penser (think), rester (stay), arriver (arrive), entrer (enter), donner (give), montrer (show)

Spelling changes in some -ER verbs: - Verbs ending in -ger: add -e before -ons ending: nous mangeons (not mangons) - Verbs ending in -cer: change c → ç before -ons: nous commençons - Verbs ending in -yer: change y → i before silent endings: nettoyer → je nettoie - Verbs with e + consonant + -er (lever, acheter): double the consonant or add accent: je lève, j'achète

Regular -IR Verbs (the Second Group)

-IR verbs add an -iss- infix for nous/vous/ils:

finir (to finish):
je finis      /ʒə fini/
tu finis      /ty fini/
il finit      /il fini/
nous finissons /nu finisɔ̃/
vous finissez  /vu finise/
ils finissent  /il finis/

Common regular -IR verbs: finir (finish), choisir (choose), réussir (succeed), réfléchir (reflect/think), grandir (grow up), obéir (obey), rougir (blush), maigrir (lose weight)

Regular -RE Verbs (the Third Group)

vendre (to sell):
je vends      /ʒə vɑ̃/
tu vends      /ty vɑ̃/
il vend       /il vɑ̃/  (no ending added)
nous vendons  /nu vɑ̃dɔ̃/
vous vendez   /vu vɑ̃de/
ils vendent   /il vɑ̃d/

Common -RE verbs: vendre (sell), attendre (wait for), entendre (hear), répondre (answer), perdre (lose), rendre (give back/make), descendre (go down), confondre (confuse)

Key Irregular Verbs

These 15 irregular verbs are used constantly in everyday French. They must be memorized:

aller (to go): je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont

faire (to do/make): je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font

prendre (to take): je prends, tu prends, il prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils prennent

vouloir (to want): je veux, tu veux, il veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils veulent

pouvoir (can/to be able to): je peux, tu peux, il peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils peuvent

savoir (to know — facts/how to): je sais, tu sais, il sait, nous savons, vous savez, ils savent

venir (to come): je viens, tu viens, il vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils viennent

voir (to see): je vois, tu vois, il voit, nous voyons, vous voyez, ils voient

mettre (to put/put on): je mets, tu mets, il met, nous mettons, vous mettez, ils mettent

dire (to say/tell): je dis, tu dis, il dit, nous disons, vous dites, ils disent

écrire (to write): j'écris, tu écris, il écrit, nous écrivons, vous écrivez, ils écrivent

lire (to read): je lis, tu lis, il lit, nous lisons, vous lisez, ils lisent

partir (to leave/depart): je pars, tu pars, il part, nous partons, vous partez, ils partent

sortir (to go out): je sors, tu sors, il sort, nous sortons, vous sortez, ils sortent

boire (to drink): je bois, tu bois, il boit, nous buvons, vous buvez, ils boivent

Negation: ne...pas

Negation wraps around the conjugated verb:

Structure: [Subject] + ne + [conjugated verb] + pas + [rest]

Je parle français.        → Je ne parle pas français.
Il a une voiture.         → Il n'a pas de voiture. (article also changes)
Nous allons à Paris.      → Nous n'allons pas à Paris.

Note: ne contracts to n' before a vowel.

Questions

Three ways to ask a yes/no question:

1. Intonation (most casual): Tu parles français ?
2. Est-ce que (standard): Est-ce que tu parles français ?
3. Inversion (formal): Parles-tu français ?

For inversion with il/elle, add -t- between verb and pronoun if the verb ends in a vowel: 

Il parle → Parle-t-il ? (not *Parle-il*)
Elle va → Va-t-elle ?

Key Concepts

The present tense covers "I do," "I am doing," and "I do do." There is no progressive tense in French — Je mange covers all three English constructions. For an ongoing action right now, you can use être en train de + infinitive: Je suis en train de manger (I am [in the process of] eating) — but the simple present is usually sufficient.

Regular -ER verb conjugation: most forms sound the same. The je/tu/il/ils forms all sound identical — only spelling differs. This makes listening comprehension harder but speaking easier.

savoir vs. connaître: Both mean "to know" but differently. Savoir is for knowing facts, how to do things (Je sais que..., Je sais nager). Connaître is for knowing people and places (Je connais Paris, Je connais Marie).

Examples

Example 1: Using Avoir and Être Together

Il a vingt-cinq ans et il est médecin.
He is 25 years old and he is a doctor.
(avoir for age; être for profession)

Elle a faim mais elle n'a pas de pain.
She is hungry but she doesn't have any bread.
(avoir for hunger; negation changes du/de la to de)

Example 2: A Paragraph Using Multiple Verb Types

Je m'appelle Léa. Je travaille dans un café à Paris (regular -ER).
Je commence à sept heures du matin (spelling-change -ER).
Je sers du café et des croissants (regular -RE: servir is actually irregular).
Je finis à quinze heures (regular -IR).
Après le travail, je vois mes amis (irregular: voir).
Nous allons souvent au cinéma (irregular: aller).
Je veux apprendre l'espagnol (irregular: vouloir + infinitive).

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Adding extra sounds to silent -ER verb endings.

Wrong:   ils parlent  /il paʁ.lɛnt/  ← pronouncing -ent
Correct: ils parlent  /il paʁl/      ← -ent is completely silent in -ER verbs

Pitfall 2: Using savoir for people and places.

Wrong:   Je sais Paris. / Je sais Marie.
Correct: Je connais Paris. / Je connais Marie.
(savoir is for facts and skills; connaître is for people and places)

Pitfall 3: Forgetting inversion requires a hyphen and sometimes -t-.

Wrong:   Parle il français ? / Va elle à Paris ?
Correct: Parle-t-il français ? / Va-t-elle à Paris ?
  • [[french/modules/03_nouns-and-articles]] — Article changes after negation (covered in Module 03) interact with verb negation here
  • [[french/modules/06_past-tenses]] — Avoir and être as auxiliaries in passé composé; Module 06 builds directly on mastery from this module
  • [[french/modules/07_future-and-conditional]] — Futur proche uses aller + infinitive, which requires present-tense aller from this module

Summary

  • Être and avoir are the two foundational verbs — memorize them completely
  • Regular -ER verbs: drop -er, add -e/-es/-e/-ons/-ez/-ent; je/tu/il/ils are silent, only nous/vous are phonetically distinct
  • Regular -IR verbs: add -iss- infix for nous/vous/ils; finissons, finissez, finissent
  • Regular -RE verbs: drop -re, add -s/-s/nothing/-ons/-ez/-ent
  • 15 key irregular verbs must be memorized: aller, faire, prendre, vouloir, pouvoir, savoir, venir, voir, mettre, dire, écrire, lire, partir, sortir, boire
  • Negation: ne + [verb] + pas; article changes after negation (du/de la/des → de)
  • Three question formations: intonation (casual), est-ce que (standard), inversion (formal)
  • Savoir = to know facts/skills; connaître = to know people and places