Present Tense: -er Verbs — Le Présent des Verbes en -er

The -er Verb Pattern

Most French verbs end in -er in the infinitive (to + verb). To conjugate, drop the -er and add the endings. The endings are the same for ALL regular -er verbs.

⚠️ The endings -e, -es, -ent are all silent in speech. Only -ons and -ez are pronounced differently.

No Do-Support in French

English uses do/does/did in questions and negatives. French does NOT have this. One verb form covers it all.

Common -er Verbs

These high-frequency verbs all follow the same -er pattern:

• parler — to speak: je parle, tu parles…
• manger — to eat: je mange, tu manges… (nous mangeons — spelling change)
• habiter — to live (somewhere): j'habite à Paris
• travailler — to work: elle travaille
• aimer — to like/love: j'aime le café
• écouter — to listen: vous écoutez
• regarder — to watch: ils regardent
• jouer — to play: on joue au foot

Spelling Changes: -ger and -cer Verbs

Some -er verbs have minor spelling changes to preserve pronunciation before -ons.

• manger (to eat): nous mangeons (not mangerons — to keep soft g sound)
• voyager (to travel): nous voyageons
• commencer (to start): nous commençons (cedilla to keep /s/ sound)
• placer (to place): nous plaçons
• Only the nous form is affected — all others conjugate normally.

The Present Tense Covers Three English Uses

One French present form does the work of three English constructions:

There is no equivalent of "I am speaking" in French — use the same present tense.

Common Mistakes

Summary