Present Tense: Regular -ER Verbs

The present (le présent de l'indicatif) for regular -ER verbs is the basic tense you use to say what people do now, what they habitually do, facts, scheduled events, simple instructions, and sometimes near future actions. Regular -ER verbs form a very predictable pattern: remove the -er ending of the infinitive, then add one of six endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. Common regular -ER verbs: parler, aimer, travailler, manger, commencer.

When do I use the present tense of -ER verbs?

To describe actions happening now (ongoing actions)

Je parle français. (I speak French / I'm speaking French.)
Elle travaille au bureau aujourd'hui. (She is working at the office today.)
Nous regardons la télévision. (We are watching TV.)

Note: In French the simple present usually covers both English "I speak" and "I am speaking." You don't need a continuous form in most cases.

To talk about habits, routines, or repeated actions

Tu étudies chaque soir. (You study every evening.)
Il aime le café le matin. (He likes coffee in the morning.)
Nous allons à l'école en bus. (We go to school by bus.)

To express general truths or facts

L'eau bout à 100°C. (Water boils at 100°C.)
Les chats dorment beaucoup. (Cats sleep a lot.)

To talk about scheduled or near-future events

Demain, je travaille. (Tomorrow I work / I'll be working tomorrow.)
Le spectacle commence à 20h. (The show starts at 8 p.m.)

To give instructions or describe steps

Tu tournes à gauche, puis tu continues tout droit. (You turn left, then you continue straight.)
Ajoutez le sucre et mélangez. (Add the sugar and mix.)

How do I form the present tense for regular -ER verbs?

Subject pronouns and endings

je → -e
tu → -es
il / elle / on → -e
nous → -ons
vous → -ez
ils / elles → -ent

Steps to conjugate
1) Take the infinitive (parler, aimer, travailler).
2) Remove -er to get the stem: parl-, aim-, travaill-.
3) Add the appropriate ending above for the subject.

Example: parler (to speak)
- je parle (I speak / I'm speaking)
- tu parles (you speak)
- il/elle/on parle (he/she/one speaks)
- nous parlons (we speak)
- vous parlez (you speak — formal or plural)
- ils/elles parlent (they speak)

Note on je + vowel
When the verb begins with a vowel or a mute h, je becomes j': j'aime (I like), j'écoute (I listen).

Pronunciation: what you hear vs what you see

Silent endings and similar pronunciations

The written endings -e, -es and -ent (je/tu/il/ils forms) are often pronounced the same in normal speech. Example: "je parle", "tu parles", "il parle" sound very similar.
The ending -ent (ils/elles) is generally silent: "ils parlent" is pronounced like "il parle" unless a liaison applies.
The ending -ez (vous) is pronounced like [é] (vous parlez = voo-par-lay). The ending -ons (nous) gives a nasal sound (nous parlons = noo-par-lon).

Liaison and linking
Sometimes final consonants are pronounced to link to the following vowel (liaison). Example: "ils aiment" is pronounced with a linking sound (roughly "ilz-aiment") because a consonant sound connects to the vowel that begins "aiment." Liaison rules are separate but frequent in spoken French.

Spelling changes to watch for (still regular -ER verbs)

Intro: Many -ER verbs keep the regular endings but modify the stem in certain forms to preserve pronunciation or spelling. These are not irregular in their endings—they still take the six standard endings.

Verbs ending in -ger (manger, nager)

To keep the soft "g" before o, an extra e appears in the nous form:

manger → nous mangeons (not *mangons)

Example (manger = to eat):

je mange / tu manges / il mange / nous mangeons / vous mangez / ils mangent

Example sentence: Nous mangeons à midi. (We eat at noon.)

Verbs ending in -cer (commencer, placer)

To keep the soft "s" sound before o, these verbs use a cédille (ç) in the nous form:

commencer → nous commençons (not *commencons)

Example: je commence / tu commences / il commence / nous commençons / vous commencez / ils commencent

Verbs with -yer (payer, nettoyer)

Some verbs change y → i in the singular and third-person plural forms:

payer: je paie / tu paies / il paie / nous payons / vous payez / ils paient

Note: For some verbs you will also see je paye; both forms are often accepted depending on the verb and register.

Verbs that double a consonant (appeler, jeter)

Some verbs double the final consonant in singular and third-person plural forms:

appeler: je m'appelle / tu t'appelles / il s'appelle / nous appelons / vous appelez / ils s'appellent
jeter: je jette / tu jettes / il jette / nous jetons / vous jetez / ils jettent

Accent changes (acheter, préférer)

Some verbs change the accent on e in certain forms to preserve pronunciation:

acheter: j'achète / tu achètes / il achète / nous achetons / vous achetez / ils achètent
préférer: je préfère / tu préfères / il préfère / nous préférons / vous préférez / ils préfèrent

Negation and questions with -ER verbs

Forming negatives

Put ne (n' before a vowel) before the verb and pas (or another negative word) after it:

Je ne parle pas espagnol. (I don't speak Spanish.)
Elle n'aime pas les légumes. (She does not like vegetables.)

Other negative structures: ne ... jamais (never), ne ... plus (no longer), ne ... personne (nobody), etc. Example: Il ne travaille jamais le dimanche. (He never works on Sundays.)

Asking questions

Three common forms: 1) Intonation (informal): Tu parles anglais? (You speak English?) 2) Est-ce que (neutral): Est-ce que tu parles anglais? (Do you speak English?) 3) Inversion (formal/written): Parles-tu anglais? (Do you speak English?)

For verbs that end with a vowel sound before a vowel-initial subject, French inserts a -t- for pronunciation: Parle-t-il français? (Does he speak French?)

Short answers: Oui, je parle. / Non, je ne parle pas.

Common mistakes to avoid

Forgetting to drop -er: "je parler" is wrong → correct: "je parle."
Missing -s in the tu form: "Tu parle" is wrong → correct: "Tu parles."
Pronouncing the written -ent in ils/elles: usually do not pronounce it; "ils parlent" sounds like "il parle" (context may create liaison).
Confusing nous and vous endings: "nous parlons" vs "vous parlez" (different pronunciation and meaning).
Using an infinitive instead of a conjugated verb after a subject: "Il aimer le chocolat" is wrong → "Il aime le chocolat."
Misplacing negation in formal writing: Standard: "Je ne parle pas." (Informal spoken French often drops the ne: "Je parle pas." but avoid this in writing.)
Over-applying the English progressive: French simple present often equals "I eat" and "I'm eating." If you need to stress the ongoing action: "Je suis en train de manger."

Tip about on vs nous
In spoken French, "on" commonly replaces "nous": "On va au cinéma." = "Nous allons au cinéma." (We go / we're going to the cinema.)

Quick reference: conjugations with examples

parler (to speak)
- je parle — Je parle français. (I speak French.)
- tu parles — Tu parles trop vite. (You speak too fast.)
- il/elle/on parle — Il parle anglais. (He speaks English.)
- nous parlons — Nous parlons français en classe. (We speak French in class.)
- vous parlez — Vous parlez bien. (You speak well.)
- ils/elles parlent — Elles parlent espagnol. (They speak Spanish.)

aimer (to like / to love)
- j'aime — J'aime le chocolat. (I like / I love chocolate.)
- tu aimes — Tu aimes le cinéma. (You like the cinema.)
- il aime — Il aime sa famille. (He loves his family.)
- nous aimons — Nous aimons voyager. (We like to travel.)
- vous aimez — Vous aimez la musique. (You like music.)
- ils aiment — Ils aiment jouer. (They like to play.)

travailler (to work)
- je travaille — Je travaille tous les jours. (I work every day.)
- tu travailles — Tu travailles ici? (Do you work here?)
- il travaille — Il travaille tard. (He works late.)
- nous travaillons — Nous travaillons ensemble. (We work together.)
- vous travaillez — Vous travaillez ce soir? (Are you working this evening?)
- ils travaillent — Ils travaillent dans un bureau. (They work in an office.)

manger (to eat) — shows -ger spelling change
- je mange — Je mange une pomme. (I eat an apple.)
- nous mangeons — Nous mangeons à midi. (We eat at noon.)

commencer (to begin) — shows -cer spelling change
- je commence — Je commence maintenant. (I begin now.)
- nous commençons — Nous commençons la réunion. (We start the meeting.)

appeler (to call) — shows doubling consonant
- je m'appelle — Je m'appelle Marie. (My name is Marie.)
- nous appelons — Nous appelons nos amis. (We call our friends.)

acheter (to buy) — shows accent change
- j'achète — J'achète du pain. (I buy bread.)
- nous achetons — Nous achetons des fruits. (We buy fruit.)

Glossary

Infinitive: The dictionary form of a verb (parler, aimer, travailler). In English: to speak, to like, to work.
Stem (radical): What remains after removing -er from the infinitive (parl-, aim-, travaill-).
Ending (terminaison): The letters you add to the stem to match the subject (-e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent).
Conjugate: To change a verb so it agrees with the subject (I, you, he...) and tense.
Elision: Dropping a vowel and replacing it with an apostrophe (je + aime → j'aime).
Liaison: Pronouncing a normally silent consonant to link words for smoother flow (ils aiment → ).
Orthographic change: A spelling change to preserve pronunciation (manger → mangeons).
Present indicative (le présent de l'indicatif): The tense used for present actions, habits, facts, and near-future events.

Final tips

Memorize the six endings for -ER verbs; they are consistent across the group.
Start with frequent verbs: parler, aimer, manger, travailler, appeler, acheter.
Pay attention to nous and vous forms; they help you hear the difference between plural/formal and singular.
Listen to native speech: silent endings and liaisons are easier to perceive in context.
Learn common stem-changing -ER verbs (manger, commencer, appeler, acheter, préférer) after you know the basic pattern.

Practice these patterns aloud and with short sentences — regular -ER verbs are the fastest route to fluency in French conjugation.