Present Tense
Regular Verbs in the Present Tense
- Regular French verbs are divided into three groups based on their infinitive endings: -er, -ir, and -re.
- To conjugate these verbs in the present tense, remove the infinitive ending and add the appropriate ending.
-er Verbs
- For -er verbs like “parler” (to talk), the endings are: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. For example, “Je parle” (I talk).
-ir Verbs
- For -ir verbs such as “finir” (to finish), the endings are: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. For example, “Nous finissons” (We finish).
-re Verbs
- For -re verbs like “vendre” (to sell), the endings are: -s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent. For example, “Ils vendent” (They sell).
Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense
- There are many irregular verbs in French that don’t follow the regular conjugation patterns.
- Some commonly used irregular verbs are être (to be), avoir (to have), aller (to go), and faire (to do).
- These verbs need to be memorised individually. For example, the conjugation for “être” is “Je suis, Tu es, Il/Elle est, Nous sommes, Vous êtes, Ils/Elles sont”.
Use of the Present Tense
- The present tense in French, similar to English, describes current actions and states of being. For instance, “Je mange une pomme” (I’m eating an apple).
- It can also be used to express general truths or facts. For example, “L’eau bout à 100 degrés Celsius” (Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius).
- Additionally, it is used for expressing a future action that is going to happen soon, similar to the English ‘going to’ future. For instance, “Je vais au cinéma ce soir” (I’m going to the cinema tonight).
Remember, practice makes perfect when learning French verb conjugation. The more you practice, the more naturally the conjugation patterns will come.