Present Tense
The present tense is the verb tense used in French for verbs when speaking or writing in the present.
There are three types of verbs:
-er
-ir
-re
All the regular verbs in present tense follow the same patern. Cut off the -er, -ir, or -re depending on which verb is being used.
ER Verbs
Take the infinitive of the verb and cut off the -er.
Then take the stem of the verb and add the ending depend on which noun the verb is being conjugated with.
When conjugating the Je form(I) add an -e to the end of the stem.
When conjugating the Tu form(informal you) add an -es to the end of the stem.
When conjugating the Il/Elle/On form (He/She/One) add an -e to the end of the stem.
When conjugating the Nous form(We) add an -ons to the end of the stem.
When conjugating the Vous form(You formal) add an -ez to the end of the stem.
When conjugating the Ils/Elles form(They) add an -ent to the end of the stem.
Example:
| parler- to speak |
| Je parle | Nous parlons |
| Tu parles | Vous parlez |
| Il/Elle parle | Ils/Elles parlent |
IR Verbs
Take the infinitive of the -ir verb and cut off the -ir.
Then take the stem of the verb and add the appropriate endings based on which noun the verb is being conjugated with.
When conjugating with the Je form add an -is to the end of the stem.
When conjugating with the Tu form add an -is to the end of the stem.
When conjugating with the Il/Elle form add an -it to the end of the stem.
When conjugating with the Nous form add an -issons to the end of the stem.
When conjugating with the Vous form add an -issez to the end of the stem.
When conjugating with the Ils/Elles form add an -issent to the end of the stem.
Example:
| finir- to finish |
| Je finis | Nous finissons |
| Tu finis | Vous finissez |
| Il/Elle finit | Ils/Elles finissent |
RE Verbs
Take the infinitive of the -re verb and cut off the -re.
Then take the stem of the verb and add the appropriate endings based on which noun the verb is being conjugated with.
When conjugating with the Je form add an -e to the end of the stem.
When conjugating with the Tu form add an -e to the end of the stem.
When conjugating with the Il/Elle form add NOTHING to the end of the stem.
When conjugating with the Nous form add an -ons to the end of the stem.
When conjugating with the Vous form add an -ez to the end of the stem.
When conjugating with the Ils/Elles form add an -ent to the end of the stem.
Example:
| attendre- to wait |
| Je attends | Nous attendons |
| Tu attends | Vous attendez |
| Il/Elle attend | Ils/Elles attendent |
Note: When prenouncing the Ils/Elles conjugation do NOT pernounce the -ent at the end.