French Verbs in the Present Indicative
The present indicative is used to express a present action, a habit, or a general truth. In French, verbs are divided into three groups according to the ending of their infinitive.
1. The 1st Group: Verbs Ending in -ER
This is the most regular and most common group (parler, habiter, aimer, étudier, travailler).
Formation rule:
Take the stem (the infinitive without -er) and add the endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.
Example with the verb PARLER (Stem: parl-)
| Subject pronoun | Ending | Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | -e | Je parle |
| Tu | -es | Tu parles |
| Il / Elle / On | -e | Il / Elle / On parle |
| Nous | -ons | Nous parlons |
| Vous | -ez | Vous parlez |
| Ils / Elles | -ent | Ils / Elles parlent |
(Attention: The endings -e, -es, -e, -ent are not pronounced!)
Only exception in the 1st group: The verb aller is an irregular verb from the 3rd group (je vais, tu vas, il va…).
2. The 2nd Group: Verbs Ending in -IR (like Finir)
This group includes regular verbs ending in -ir that form their plural with -issons, -issez, -issent (finir, choisir, grandir, réussir).
Formation rule:
Take the stem (the infinitive without -ir) and add the endings: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent.
Example with the verb FINIR (Stem: fin-)
| Subject pronoun | Ending | Conjugation |
|---|---|---|
| Je | -is | Je finis |
| Tu | -is | Tu finis |
| Il / Elle / On | -it | Il / Elle / On finit |
| Nous | -issons | Nous finissons |
| Vous | -issez | Vous finissez |
| Ils / Elles | -issent | Ils / Elles finissent |
3. The 3rd Group: Essential Irregular Verbs
This group includes all irregular verbs (ending in -re, -oir, and some in -ir). At A1 level, the most frequent verbs need to be learned by heart.
A. The three auxiliary and basic verbs
| Pronoun | ÊTRE | AVOIR | ALLER | FAIRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je / J’ | suis | 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 |
B. Other very common 3rd-group verbs (A1)
| Pronoun | PRENDRE | VENIR | POUVOIR | VOULOIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je / J’ | prends | viens | peux | veux |
| Tu | prends | viens | peux | veux |
| Il / Elle / On | prend | vient | peut | veut |
| Nous | prenons | venons | pouvons | voulons |
| Vous | prenez | venez | pouvez | voulez |
| Ils / Elles | prennent | viennent | peuvent | veulent |
4. Reflexive Verbs (se laver, s’appeler…)
Reflexive verbs are used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) corresponding to the same person as the subject.
Example with the verb S’APPELER
- Je m’appelle
- Tu t’appelles
- Il / Elle / On s’appelle
- Nous nous appelons
- Vous vous appelez
- Ils / Elles s’appellent
(Note: me, te, se become m’, t’, s’ before a vowel or a silent h.)