Master French Present Indicative Tense

 

Definition: The present indicative tense (le présent de l'indicatif) is used to describe actions or states that are happening at the current moment or general truths. It can also express habitual actions, near future actions, or repeated occurrences.

Uses:

1. Current actions: Actions happening right now.
   • Example: Je mange une pomme.
     (I am eating an apple.)
2. General truths or facts: Statements that are always true.
   • Example: Le soleil se lève à l’est.
     (The sun rises in the east.)
3. Habitual actions: Things that happen regularly.
   • Example: Je vais à l’école tous les jours.
     (I go to school every day.)
4. Near future actions: Actions that are going to happen soon.
   • Example: Il part demain.
     (He is leaving tomorrow.)

Conjugation Rules of the 3 Verb Groups:

1. ER-Verbs (First group)

These are regular verbs that end in -er (except "aller"). The conjugation follows a predictable pattern.

Endings:

• Je – -e
• Tu – -es
• Il/Elle/On – -e
• Nous – -ons
• Vous – -ez
• Ils/Elles – -ent

Example: 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) (formal/plural)
• Ils/Elles parlent – (They speak)

Exceptions:

• Verbs like manger and nager (to eat, to swim) add an extra -e before -ons in the nous form to maintain pronunciation:
  Nous mangeons (We eat), Nous nageons (We swim)
• Verbs like commencer (to begin) change c to ç before -ons in the nous form:
  Nous commençons (We begin)

2. IR-Verbs (Second group)

These are regular verbs that end in -ir and follow a set pattern.

Endings:

• Je – -is
• Tu – -is
• Il/Elle/On – -it
• Nous – -issons
• Vous – -issez
• Ils/Elles – -issent

Example: Finir (to finish)

• Je finis – (I finish)
• Tu finis – (You finish)
• Il/Elle finit – (He/She finishes)
• Nous finissons – (We finish)
• Vous finissez – (You finish)
• Ils/Elles finissent – (They finish)

Exceptions:
Some verbs like ouvrir (to open) and offrir (to offer) conjugate like regular ER verbs even though they end in -ir.

Example:
J’ouvre (I open) instead of je ouvris.

3. RE-Verbs (Third group)

These are mostly irregular verbs ending in -re. Their conjugations are less predictable but some regular ones follow this pattern:

Endings:

• Je – -s
• Tu – -s
• Il/Elle/On – (no ending)
• Nous – -ons
• Vous – -ez
• Ils/Elles – -ent

Example: Vendre (to sell)

• Je vends – (I sell)
• Tu vends – (You sell)
• Il/Elle vend – (He/She sells)
• Nous vendons – (We sell)
• Vous vendez – (You sell)
• Ils/Elles vendent – (They sell)

Exceptions: Many verbs in this group are irregular, such as prendre (to take), boire (to drink), and vivre (to live), with variations in stem changes.

• Je prends (I take), Je bois (I drink), Je vis (I live).

By understanding these conjugation rules and their exceptions, you can effectively use the French present indicative tense to describe actions and states in real-time, habitual contexts, or even near-future events.

Irregular Verbs in the French Present Indicative

Irregular verbs don’t follow the regular conjugation patterns of the three verb groups (ER, IR, RE). They often have unpredictable changes in their stems or endings. Let’s explore some of the most common irregular verbs in French and their conjugation patterns.

1. Être (to be)

One of the most important verbs in French, "être" is highly irregular.

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Je	suis	I am
Tu	es	You are
Il/Elle/On	est	He/She/One is
Nous	sommes	We are
Vous	êtes	You are (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	sont	They are

2. Avoir (to have)

Another key verb, “avoir” is also irregular and frequently used in many tenses.

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Je	ai	I have
Tu	as	You have
Il/Elle/On	a	He/She/One has
Nous	avons	We have
Vous	avez	You have (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	ont	They have

3. Aller (to go)

"Aller" is an irregular verb but belongs to the ER group in spelling.

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Je	vais	I go
Tu	vas	You go
Il/Elle/On	va	He/She/One goes
Nous	allons	We go
Vous	allez	You go (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	vont	They go

4. Faire (to do, to make)

"Faire" is irregular and used in many expressions and idioms.

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Je	fais	I do/make
Tu	fais	You do/make
Il/Elle/On	fait	He/She/One does/makes
Nous	faisons	We do/make
Vous	faites	You do/make (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	font	They do/make

5. Prendre (to take)

The verb "prendre" has an irregular conjugation with changes in the plural forms.

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Je	prends	I take
Tu	prends	You take
Il/Elle/On	prend	He/She/One takes
Nous	prenons	We take
Vous	prenez	You take (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	prennent	They take

6. Pouvoir (can, to be able to)

This verb is often used to express ability or permission.

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Je	peux	I can
Tu	peux	You can
Il/Elle/On	peut	He/She/One can
Nous	pouvons	We can
Vous	pouvez	You can (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	peuvent	They can

7. Vouloir (to want)

"Vouloir" is used to express desire or wish.

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Je	veux	I want
Tu	veux	You want
Il/Elle/On	veut	He/She/One wants
Nous	voulons	We want
Vous	voulez	You want (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	veulent	They want

8. Savoir (to know)

"Savoir" is used for knowing facts or how to do something.

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Je	sais	I know
Tu	sais	You know
Il/Elle/On	sait	He/She/One knows
Nous	savons	We know
Vous	savez	You know (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	savent	They know

9. Venir (to come)

This verb is irregular with changes in its stem in plural forms.

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Je	viens	I come
Tu	viens	You come
Il/Elle/On	vient	He/She/One comes
Nous	venons	We come
Vous	venez	You come (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	viennent	They come

10. Mettre (to put)

"Mettre" is irregular with changes in the singular and plural forms.

Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
Je	mets	I put
Tu	mets	You put
Il/Elle/On	met	He/She/One puts
Nous	mettons	We put
Vous	mettez	You put (formal/plural)
Ils/Elles	mettent	They put

Key Points:

• Irregular verbs don’t follow a single conjugation pattern, so they need to be memorized individually.
• Many irregular verbs like aller, faire, avoir, and être are used frequently in daily conversations.
• Some verbs share irregularities, like venir and tenir (to hold), which follow similar stem changes.