Present Tense: Regular and Irregular Verbs
Present Tense in French
The present tense (le présent) describes what is happening now or what happens regularly. Mastering this tense is essential — it appears across all four exam papers.
Regular Verbs
French regular verbs fall into three groups based on their infinitive ending:
-ER Verbs (largest group ~80% of French verbs)
Remove -er and add:
| Subject | Ending | Example: jouer (to play) |
|---|---|---|
| je | -e | je joue |
| tu | -es | tu joues |
| il/elle/on | -e | il joue |
| nous | -ons | nous jouons |
| vous | -ez | vous jouez |
| ils/elles | -ent | ils jouent |
- Je regarde la télé tous les soirs. — I watch TV every evening.
- Elle travaille dans un bureau. — She works in an office.
-IR Verbs
Remove -ir and add: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent
- Je finis mes devoirs à six heures. — I finish my homework at six o'clock.
- Nous choisissons un film. — We choose a film.
-RE Verbs
Remove -re and add: -s, -s, –, -ons, -ez, -ent
- J'attends le bus. — I wait for the bus.
- Il vend des glaces. — He sells ice creams.
Key Irregular Verbs
These must be learned individually:
| Verb | je | tu | il/elle | nous | vous | ils/elles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| être (to be) | suis | es | est | sommes | êtes | sont |
| avoir (to have) | ai | as | a | avons | avez | ont |
| aller (to go) | vais | vas | va | allons | allez | vont |
| faire (to do/make) | fais | fais | fait | faisons | faites | font |
| prendre (to take) | prends | prends | prend | prenons | prenez | prennent |
| pouvoir (can) | peux | peux | peut | pouvons | pouvez | peuvent |
| vouloir (to want) | veux | veux | veut | voulons | voulez | veulent |
Spelling-Change Verbs
Some -ER verbs have small spelling changes:
- manger → nous mangeons (keep the e before -ons)
- commencer → nous commençons (cedilla before -ons)
- appeler → j'appelle (double l before silent endings)
- acheter → j'achète (grave accent before silent endings)
Reflexive Verbs in the Present
Add the reflexive pronoun before the verb:
- Je me lève à sept heures. — I get up at seven.
- Elle se couche tard. — She goes to bed late.
- Nous nous amusons au parc. — We have fun in the park.
Exam Tips
- In the writing exam, vary your tenses — but a solid present tense paragraph anchors your response.
- In translation tasks, watch for English present continuous ("I am playing") which is just the simple present in French: je joue.
- The pronoun on is extremely useful — it can mean "we" informally and scores well in writing: On joue au foot le weekend (We play football at the weekend).