📝 French Present Tense
French present tense: -er, -ir, -re verbs plus essential irregular conjugations. Free French grammar guide for learners with clear rules and examples.
Reference only. French cards are not available in Vidi.
Three Verb Groups
French verbs are divided into three groups based on their infinitive ending. The first group (-er verbs) is by far the largest, covering roughly 90% of all French verbs. Good news: -er verbs are also the most regular and predictable! The subject pronouns in French are: je (I), tu (you — informal), il/elle/on (he/she/one), nous (we), vous (you — formal or plural), ils/elles (they).
| Group | Ending | Example | % of Verbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st group | -er | parler (to speak) | ~90% |
| 2nd group | -ir | finir (to finish) | ~7% |
| 3rd group | -re | vendre (to sell) | ~3% |
-er Verbs (parler)
To conjugate -er verbs, remove the -er ending and add the appropriate ending for each subject. Here’s a critical pronunciation tip: the je, tu, il/elle, and ils/elles forms all sound EXACTLY the same for -er verbs. The endings -e, -es, -e, -ent are all silent! Note: when je is followed by a vowel sound, it contracts to j’ (j’aime, not je aime).
| parler (to speak) | aimer (to like/love) | manger (to eat) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | parle | j’aime | mange |
| tu | parles | aimes | manges |
| il/elle/on | parle | aime | mange |
| nous | parlons | aimons | mangeons |
| vous | parlez | aimez | mangez |
| ils/elles | parlent | aiment | mangent |
-ir Verbs (finir)
The second group uses -ir endings. The key pattern: plural forms (nous, vous, ils/elles) insert -iss- between the stem and the ending. This -iss- is the signature of regular -ir verbs.
| finir (to finish) | choisir (to choose) | |
|---|---|---|
| je | finis | choisis |
| tu | finis | choisis |
| il/elle/on | finit | choisit |
| nous | finissons | choisissons |
| vous | finissez | choisissez |
| ils/elles | finissent | choisissent |
-re Verbs (vendre)
The third group uses -re endings. Notice that the il/elle/on form has no ending at all — just the bare stem. This is unique to -re verbs.
| vendre (to sell) | attendre (to wait) | |
|---|---|---|
| je | vends | attends |
| tu | vends | attends |
| il/elle/on | vend | attend |
| nous | vendons | attendons |
| vous | vendez | attendez |
| ils/elles | vendent | attendent |
Essential Irregular Verbs
These four verbs are among the most common in French and must be memorized individually. They don’t follow any regular pattern, but you’ll use them in almost every sentence.
| être (to be) | avoir (to have) | aller (to go) | faire (to do/make) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | suis | j’ai | vais | fais |
| tu | es | as | vas | fais |
| il/elle/on | est | a | va | fait |
| nous | sommes | avons | allons | faisons |
| vous | êtes | avez | allez | faites |
| ils/elles | sont | ont | vont | font |
Try Vidi's picture cards
Create and review cards in English, German, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
Try Vidi for Free