A lot of us love the French language as it is considered the language of salons and the bourgeoisie. But, let's be honest, some of us find French a bit tricky and full of surprises. Speaking from my own experience in learning this lovely language, I can tell you it's a real beauty, super fun to learn, and surprisingly practical. It's not just about your everyday life, it's also a gateway to culture, science, and literature. French is like a treasure trove, and there are tons of talented writers who've created amazing stuff in this language.
So, we will start together to learn French tenses in a simple and easy way.
French verb tenses
Verbs in the French language are divided into three groups:
First Group Verbs (Le premier groupe): These are verbs that end in "er" in their infinitive form, such as "parler" (to speak) and "aimer" (to love). They have a fixed conjugation pattern in different tenses, except for some irregular cases.
Second Group Verbs (Le deuxième groupe): These are verbs that end in "ir," like "réussir" (to succeed). They have a fixed conjugation pattern in different tenses, and there are no irregular cases in this group.
Third Group Verbs (Le troisième groupe): These are verbs that end in "ir," "re," or "oir," such as "sortir" (to go out), "lire" (to read), and "voir" (to see). They also have a fixed conjugation pattern in different tenses.
Let's begin our journey of learning the French language and explore verbs and tenses, starting with the present tense.
Tip: You can download an app on your device that contains conjugations of all verbs in all tenses, such as "Conjugation Vatefaireconjuguer."
The Present Tense
When do we use the present tense in the French language?
- When we talk about something happening during the conversation.
- When we talk about a habitual action.
- When we talk about a permanent state or scientific fact.
Note: In present tense sentences, we often use time indicators such as:
| Maintenant | Now |
| Aujourd'hui | Today |
| Chaque mois | Every month |
| Chaque matin | Every morning |
| Chaque semaine | Every week |
| Tous les jours | Every day |
| Tous les soirs | Every evening |
How to Conjugate Verbs in the Present Tense?
The conjugation in the present tense differs based on whether the verb belongs to the first group, the second group, the third group, or is an irregular verb.
First Group Verbs (Le premier groupe):
These verbs end in "er."
To conjugate them in the present tense, remove the "er" and add the following endings:
| I | Je | e |
| You, singular informal | Tu | es |
| He / She | Il / Elle | e |
| We | Nous | ons |
| You,singular formal or plural | Vous | ez |
| They | Ils / Elles | ent |
Examples:
| Parler - To speak | |
| Je parle | I speak |
| Tu parles | You speak |
| Il / Elle parle | He / She speaks |
| Nous parlons | We speak |
| Vous parlez | You speak |
| Ils / Elles parlent | They speak |
| Aimer - To love | |
| J'aime | I love |
| Tu aimes | You love |
| Il / Elle aime | He / She loves |
| Nous aimons | We love |
| Vous aimez | You love |
| Ils / Elles aiment | They love |
Exceptions to the General Rule:
1- First Group Verbs that contain the letter "é" change this letter to "è" with all pronouns except for (nous/vous), such as verbs like:
| Céder | To yield |
| Compléter | To complete |
| Considérer | To consider |
| Espérer | To hope |
| Posséder | To possess |
| Préférer | To prefer |
| Protéger | To protect |
| Répéter | To repeat |
Example:
| Compléter - To complete | |
| Je complète | I complete |
| Tu complètes | You complete |
| Il / Elle complète | He / She completes |
| Nous complétons | We complete |
| Vous complétez | You complete |
| Ils / Elles complétent | They complete |
Je complète mon report - I complete my report.
2- First Group Verbs ending in "eter" or "eler" double the "t" or "l" with all pronouns except for (nous/vous), such as verbs like:
| Appeler | To call |
| Rejeter | To reject |
| Jeter | To throw |
Example:
| Compléter - To complete | |
| Je complète | I complete |
| Tu complètes | You complete |
| Il / Elle complète | He / She completes |
| Nous complétons | We complete |
| Vous complétez | You complete |
| Ils / Elles complétent | They complete |
| Appeler - To call | |
| J'appelle | I call |
| Tu appelles | You call |
| Il / Elle appelle | He / She calls |
| Nous appelons | We call |
| Vous appellez | You call |
| Ils / Elles appellent | They call |
3- First Group Verbs ending in "ayer" or "oyer" change the "y" to "i" with all pronouns except for (nous/vous), such as verbs like:
| Employer | To use |
| Ennuyer | To use |
| Envoyer | To send |
| Essayer | To try |
| Essuyer | To wipe |
| Nettoyer | To clean |
| Payer | To pay |
Example:
| Payer - To Pay | |
| Je paie | I pay |
| Tu paies | You pay |
| Il / Elle paie | He / She pays |
| Nous payons | We pay |
| Vous payez | You pay |
| Ils / Elles paient | They pay |
Vous payez en espèces. - You pay cash.
4- First Group Verbs ending in "ger," such as "manger" (to eat), are conjugated regularly, but with (nous), "eons" is added to the end of the verb.
| Manger - To Pay | |
| Je mange | I eat |
| Tu manges | You eat |
| Il / Elle mange | He / She eats |
| Nous mangeons | We eat |
| Vous mangez | You eat |
| Ils / Elles mangent | They eat |
Nous mangeons des gâteaux. - We eat cakes.
In conclusion, we've explored the French present tense, learning how to conjugate verbs in the first group. The present tense offers a window not only into personal communication but also into French culture, literature, and science.
Our journey continues in the next lesson, where we'll tackle conjugating verbs for the second group. Feel free to ask any questions or leave comments, I'll happily respond. À bientôt (see you soon)!