One tense, three English meanings
The French present tense does the work of three English forms.
Je parle covers I speak, I am speaking, and I do speak. There is no separate -ing form in French, so resist the urge to translate 'I am eating' word for word. Je mange is the whole sentence.
Regular French verbs sort into three groups by their infinitive ending: -er (parler, to speak), -ir (finir, to finish), and -re (vendre, to sell). Each group has one fixed set of endings. Learn the three model verbs in this unit and you can conjugate the vast majority of French verbs on sight.
The three ending sets
Remove the infinitive ending to get the stem, then add the endings for the person.
Notice the -iss- that appears in the plural of -ir verbs: nous finissons, ils finissent. It is the signature of this group. For -re verbs, the il form takes no ending at all: il vend.
| Person | parler (to speak) | finir (to finish) | vendre (to sell) |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | parle | finis | vends |
| tu | parles | finis | vends |
| il / elle / on | parle | finit | vend |
| nous | parlons | finissons | vendons |
| vous | parlez | finissez | vendez |
| ils / elles | parlent | finissent | vendent |
The silent endings
French spelling shows more than French speech. In every -er verb, the forms je parle, tu parles, il parle and ils parlent are pronounced exactly the same. The written endings -e, -es and -ent are silent. Only the nous and vous forms add an audible ending.
This means listening comprehension depends on the subject pronoun, so pronounce your pronouns clearly: il parle and ils parlent differ only when liaison or context helps.
The third-person plural ending -ent is never pronounced as a syllable. Ils parlent sounds identical to il parle. Say eel PARL for both.
Small spelling changes in -er verbs
These are spelling adjustments, and the endings stay perfectly regular. The changes exist to keep the pronunciation consistent across the six forms.
- Verbs in -ger keep an e before o: nous mangeons, nous voyageons
- Verbs in -cer soften the c to ç before o: nous commençons
- Verbs like acheter and préférer change their accent in the singular and third plural: j'achète, je préfère, but nous achetons, nous préférons
- Appeler doubles its l: j'appelle, but nous appelons
The verbs in real sentences
| Je parle français avec ma voisine. | I speak French with my neighbor. |
| Tu habites à Lyon ? | Do you live in Lyon? questions can keep normal word order with rising intonation |
| Nous finissons le travail à six heures. | We finish work at six o'clock. |
| Ils choisissent toujours le menu du jour. | They always choose the daily special. -iss- marks the plural of -ir verbs |
| Elle vend sa vieille voiture. | She is selling her old car. one French present covers the English -ing form |
| Vous attendez le bus depuis longtemps ? | Have you been waiting for the bus long? present + depuis for actions still going on |
| Nous mangeons souvent ensemble. | We often eat together. -ger verbs keep the e: mangeons |
| Je réponds à ses messages le soir. | I answer his messages in the evening. répondre conjugates like vendre |
Which verbs are actually regular?
Almost every -er verb is regular; aller (to go) is the important exception and has its own forms. The -ir group that follows finir includes choisir, réussir, grandir and many others built from adjectives. The -re group of vendre includes attendre, entendre, répondre and perdre.
Frequent verbs like être, avoir, faire and prendre are irregular and deserve separate study. The next unit covers the two most important ones.
Pronunciation corner
The whole trick of the French present tense is knowing which letters stay silent.
| ils parlent | /il paʁl/ | eel PARL; the -ent ending is completely silent |
| parlez | /paʁle/ | par-LAY; -ez always sounds like ay |
| finissons | /finisɔ̃/ | fee-nee-SOHN with a nasal ending; no final s sound |
| je vends | /ʒə vɑ̃/ | zhuh VAHN, nasal; both the d and the s are silent |
| tu manges | /ty mɑ̃ʒ/ | tew MAHNZH; the -es is silent |
Practice drill
Fill each blank with the correct present-tense form of the verb in brackets.
Nous ___ (parler) anglais au bureau.Show answer
parlons
Elle ___ (finir) ses devoirs après le dîner.Show answer
finit
Ils ___ (vendre) des légumes au marché.Show answer
vendent
Je ___ (choisir) le plat du jour.Show answer
choisis
Tu ___ (attendre) quelqu'un ?Show answer
attends
Vous ___ (habiter) où ?Show answer
habitez
Nous ___ (manger) à midi.Show answer
mangeonskeep the e before -ons
Elles ___ (réussir) toujours leurs examens.Show answer
réussissent-iss- in the plural
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a French verb is regular?
Check the infinitive ending. Nearly all -er verbs are regular (aller is the big exception). Many -ir verbs follow finir with the -iss- plural, and a solid group of -re verbs follows vendre. Irregular verbs like être, avoir, faire and prendre must be learned separately.
Why do -ir verbs add -iss- in the plural?
It is simply the pattern of this verb group: nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent. The -iss- appears in all three plural forms and nowhere in the singular. Treat it as part of the ending and it becomes automatic quickly.
Do il parle and ils parlent sound different?
No. Both are pronounced eel PARL because the -ent ending is silent. In speech, context and the surrounding words tell you whether the subject is singular or plural.
Is aller a regular -er verb?
No. Aller ends in -er but is completely irregular: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. It matters enormously because it also builds the near future, covered later in this course.