Regular -er verb conjugation

Level 1

Regular -er verbs (the 1st Group) follow a predictable pattern: remove the -er and add -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.

How It Works

The present tense of regular -er verbs is the foundation of French communication, covering about 90% of all verbs.

1. Formation:
To conjugate these verbs, take the infinitive (the 'to' form, like manger), remove the -er to find the stem (mang-), and add the following endings:

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

2. Pronunciation Rules:
A key challenge for learners is that the endings -e, -es, -e, and -ent are all silent. This means je parle, tu parles, il parle, and ils parlent all sound exactly the same (/paʁl/). Only the nous and vous forms sound different.

3. Important Exceptions and Spelling Changes:

  • The Exception: The verb aller (to go) is the only verb ending in -er that is irregular and does not follow this pattern.
  • -ger Verbs: For verbs like manger, an extra 'e' is added in the nous form to keep the 'g' soft: nous mangeons. See -ger verbs e spelling change.
  • -cer Verbs: For verbs like lancer, the 'c' becomes a 'ç' in the nous form to keep the 's' sound: nous lançons. See -cer verbs cedilla spelling change.

4. Important Nuances:

  • Elision: If the verb starts with a vowel or mute 'h', je becomes j' (e.g., J'aime).
  • Liaison: In the plural forms, you often hear a liaison (a /z/ sound) between the subject pronoun and a verb starting with a vowel (e.g., Ils aiment).
  • Continuous Action: French does not have a separate 'ing' form. Je travaille means both 'I work' and 'I am working.'
  • Ongoing Past: Use the present tense with depuis to say how long you have been doing something (e.g., J'habite ici depuis un an).

Examples (5)

  1. Je parle français avec mes amis.

    I speak French with my friends.

    Word by Word: I speak French with my friends.

    Shows the basic 'je' conjugation with the silent -e ending.

  2. Tu habites à Paris ?

    Do you live in Paris?

    Word by Word: You live at Paris?

    The 'tu' form adds a silent -es. Note that 'habiter' starts with a mute 'h'.

  3. Nous regardons la télé ce soir.

    We are watching TV tonight.

    Word by Word: We watch the TV this evening.

    The 'nous' form uses the -ons ending, which is pronounced.

  4. Ils jouent au foot le samedi.

    They play football on Saturdays.

    Word by Word: They play at the football the Saturday.

    The -ent ending for 'ils/elles' is always silent.

  5. J'étudie le français depuis deux mois.

    I have been studying French for two months.

    Word by Word: I study the French since two months.

    Demonstrates elision (j') and the use of the present tense for ongoing actions starting in the past.

Common Mistakes

  • Pronouncing the '-ent' ending.

    ils parlent [paʁlɑ̃]
    ils parlent [paʁl]

    The third-person plural ending -ent is always silent in French verbs.

  • Using 'être' to form the present continuous.

    Je suis parle.
    Je parle.

    English speakers often try to translate 'I am speaking' literally. In French, the simple present 'Je parle' covers both 'I speak' and 'I am speaking'.

  • Forgetting the silent 's' on the 'tu' form.

    Tu parle bien.
    Tu parles bien.

    Even though the 's' is silent, it is grammatically required in written French for the 'tu' form.

How It Connects

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Regular -er verb conjugationLevel 1

Learn This First

To learn regular -er verb conjugation, you need to know the subject pronouns (je, tu, il, etc.) that trigger the different endings. You also need to understand basic sentence structure and how elision affects the pronoun 'je' when it precedes a verb starting with a vowel.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 16 more in the full list.

Words in This Pattern

-er