French -er verbs in the present for English speakers
Vocalyra teaching team · Last updated:
French uses a different verb ending for each subject, unlike English, where only he, she and it normally change the present-simple form. Start with parler, meaning to speak, and notice how several written endings sound alike.
Find the stem and choose an ending
Remove -er from parler to obtain parl-. Add -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent for je, tu, il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles. The complete forms are je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez and ils parlent. The spelling tells you the subject even when the ending is not audible.
What you actually hear
Je parle, tu parles, il parle and ils parlent share the same final verb sound in ordinary French. Nous parlons and vous parlez have audible endings. A beginner who tries to pronounce the final -s or -ent is transferring English spelling habits. Read a short dialogue aloud and use the subject pronoun to identify the person.
Use the present in context
Je travaille le lundi means I work on Mondays; je travaille maintenant can mean I am working now. French present tense can cover habits and actions in progress, where English usually distinguishes simple and continuous forms. Before a vowel, je contracts: j’aime, not je aime. For regular spelling adjustments, nous mangeons keeps an e and nous commençons uses ç to preserve the consonant sound.
Practice beyond a conjugation chart
First identify the subject in a sentence, then choose the ending. Replace nous by ils in nous regardons la télévision and you get ils regardent la télévision. The verb sounds different from regardons even though the written plural -ent itself is silent. Make three real sentences about your routine and one about something happening now.
Contrast with your first language
English speakers should not add an English-style -s to the French third-person singular: il parle, not il parles. Conversely, ils parlent has -ent in writing, not an English plural -s. English I am speaking is often simply je parle in French. When speaking, pronounce the pronoun clearly; it often carries information that the verb ending does not.
| Subject | Present form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| je | parle | I speak / am speaking |
| nous | parlons | we speak |
| vous | parlez | you speak |
| ils | parlent | they speak |
Listening tip: compare je parle and ils parlent; they sound alike in the verb, so listen for the pronoun.
Quick self-check
Complete: nous ___ (parler).
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parlons
Change je regarde to ils.
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ils regardent
Translate: I am working now.
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Je travaille maintenant.
Choose: tu (parle / parles).
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tu parles
Write the correct form: je + aimer.
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j’aime