Here are the main things you need to know about the present tense in French:
Auxiliaries
In the French language we have two auxiliaries, “avoir” (to have) and “être” (to be).
| Personal pronouns | Avoir | Être |
|---|---|---|
| Je, j’ | Ai | Suis |
| Tu | As | Es |
| Il, elle, on | A | Est |
| Nous | Avons | Avez |
| Vous | Avez | Êtes |
| Ils, elles | Ont | Sont |
Examples:
- J’ai 40 (quarante) ans. I am 40 years old.
- Elle a un téléphone. She has a phone.
- Nous avons faim. We are hungry.
- Ils sont grands. They are tall.
- Il est à la maison. He is at home.
1st group
There are three groups of verbs in French. The infinitive of French verbs from the first one ends in –er like: parler, manger, penser, aimer, regarder, acheter, etc.
The endings at the present tense are the following: –e, –es, –e, –ons, –ez, –ent.
To conjugate them you have to take out the ending of the infinitive (-er) and add the endings at the present tense like bellow:
| Personal pronouns | Parler (to talk) | Manger (to eat) |
|---|---|---|
| Je, j’ | Parle | Mange |
| Tu | Parles | Manges |
| Il, elle, on | Parle | Mange |
| Nous | Parlons | Mangeons |
| Vous | Parlez | Mangez |
| Ils, elles | Parlent | Mangent |
Examples:
- Je parle anglais. I speak English.
- Je mange une banane. I eat a banana.
2nd group
The infinitive of French verbs from the second group ends in –ir like: finir, réussir, choisir, etc. The endings at the present tense are the following: –is, –is, –it, –issons, –issez, –issent.
| Personal pronouns | Finir (to finish) | Choisir (to choose) |
|---|---|---|
| Je, j’ | Finis | Choisis |
| Tu | Finis | Choisis |
| Il, elle, on | Finit | Choisit |
| Nous | Finissons | Choisissons |
| Vous | Finissez | Choisissez |
| Ils, elles | Finissent | Choisissent |
Examples:
- Je finis mes devoirs. I finish my homework.
- Il choisit un livre. He chooses an book.
3rd group
Verbs from the third group are irregular verbs, so you have to learn their ending by heart: aller, pouvoir, faire, savoir, voir, prendre, comprendre, apprendre, vouloir, devoir, croire, dire, dormir, partir, connaître, se souvenir, etc.
| Personal pronouns | Aller (to go) | Pouvoir (to can) |
|---|---|---|
| Je, j’ | Vais | Peux |
| Tu | Vas | Peux |
| Il, elle, on | Va | Peut |
| Nous | Allons | Pouvons |
| Vous | Allez | Pouvez |
| Ils, elles | Vont | Peuvent |
Examples:
- Je vais au supermarché. I go to the supermarket.
- Je peux conduire. I can drive.
Modal verbs
The modal verbs in the French language are: aller (go), devoir (must/have to), faire (do), falloir (need/have to), laisser (leave), pouvoir (can), savoir (know), venir (come), vouloir (want).
It might be easier, especially for beginners, to start by learning how to conjugate the modal verbs first because you can form a lot of different phrases by adding the infinitive to modal verbs, like for example:
- Je dois partir. I need to go.
- Nous pouvons apprendre. We can learn.
Present progressive
We form the present progressive with « être » at the present tense, plus « en train de », plus the infinitive verb.
Présent progressif = Être (conjugué au présent) + en train de + verbe à l’infinitif
Example:
- Je suis en train de parler. I am speaking.
Find my other post about French grammar here.
Practise the present tense with some exercises here.
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