Present simpleFrench words

by DuoCards

*Welcome to French in the Present Tense!* By the end of this course, you’ll be able to craft sentences using the most common French verbs. Excited? Let’s jump in! The present tense is used for things happening now, future plans, or regular actions. French verbs are split into three groups: *verbs in -er* (for example, "chanter", "parler") *verbs in -ir* (with a few exceptions) *verbs in -re* (with the exception of irregular verbs) Most verbs belong to the first group, and their endings are : -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. C'est parti!

Je marche

I walk

Tu pars

You walk

Il chante.

He sings.

Il chante bien.

Elle marche.

She walks.

Nous marchons.

We walk.

Vous marchez.

You walk (pl.)

Ils marchent.

They walk.

ils marchent dans la rue

*S'APPELER* You may have already come across the verb "S'APPELER" (to be called). This verb is as commonly used as it is tricky. Let's make it clear how to use it so that you never hesitate. "je m'appelle" "tu t'appelles" "il s'appelle" "nous nous appelons" "vous vous appelez" "ils s'appellent" Notice where there is a double -ll- and where -l- is only used once. *Whether L is doubled or not makes a difference in pronunciation*, so make sure you listen to all listed examples to spot it. Also, make sure to link the pronunciation in the 1st and 2nd person plural.

Je m'appelle Amandine.

My name is Amandine.

Tu t'appelles Thomas.

Your name is Thomas.

Il s'appelle Nico.

His name is Nico.

On s'appelle Julien et Juliette.

We are called Julien and Juliette.

Nous nous appelons Marie et Gérard.

Our names are Marie and Gérard.

Vous vous appelez Manon, Simon et Laura.

Your names are Manon, Simon and Laura.

Elles s'appellent Chantal et Jade.

Their names are Chantal and Jade.

Ils s'appellent Johnny et Jean-Claude.

Their names are Johnny and Jean-Claude.

*French reflexive verbs* With the previous verb, we have already touched upon a reflexive verbs. French reflexive verbs are not super intricate -they all follow the following pattern of using *the object pronouns (me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les) along with the subject pronouns, which they follow right after*. See the verb "SE LAVER" (to wash oneself) as an example: "je me lave" "tu te laves" "il/elle/on se lave" "nous nous lavons" "vous vous lavez" "ils/elles se lavent" or the verb "SE LEVER" (to get up): "je me lève" "tu te lèves" "il se lève" "nous nous levons" "vous vous levez" "ils se lèvent" Other verbs of this kind are "S'HABILLER" (to get dressed), "SE RÉVEILLER" (to wake up) or "S'AMUSER" (to have fun) and so on.

Elle se lave le matin.

She washes herself in the morning.

Nous nous levons tôt.

We get up early.

Vous vous amusez bien ?

Are you having fun? (plural/formal)

Ils s'habillent pour aller dehors.

They are getting dressed to go outside.

Tu te réveilles à sept heures du matin.

You wake up at seven in the morning.

Je me lève pour aller au rendez-vous.

I get up to go to the meeting.

Je m'amuse beaucoup avec mon meilleur ami.

I have a lot of fun with my best friend.

Il ne se réveille jamais à temps.

He never wakes up in time.

Nous nous lavons tous les jours.

We wash ourselves every day.

*Verbs ending -ayer* There are some tricky verbs even in the 1st group. We're talking about French, after all... In the verbs below, notice the change of -y- into -i- in all persons of singular and 3rd person plural. Pay special attention to *verbs ending - ayer:*, such as PAYER (to pay) or BALAYER (to sweep). Listen to the following to spot the difference in pronunciation: "je paie" "tu paies" "il/elle/on paie" "nous payons" "vous payez" "ils/elles paient" "je balaie" "tu balaies" "il/elle/on balaie" "nous balayons" "vous balayez" "ils/elles balaient" "j'envoie" "tu envoies" "il/elle/on envoie" "nous envoyons" "vous envoyez" "ils/elles envoient"

Nous payons.

We pay.

Vous envoyez le courrier par la poste.

You send the mail by post.

Je paie l'addition.

I pay the bill.

Nous balayons le sol.

We sweep the floor.

Il ne paie jamais pour sa copine.

He never pays for his girlfriend.

Elle balaie l'escalier

She sweeps the stairs.

On envoie les messages à nos amis.

We send messages to our friends.

Nous envoyons nos enfants à l'école.

We send our children to school.

Vous payez moins cher.

You pay less.

tu paies plus cher?

Pourquoi tu paies pas avec la carte ?

Why don't you pay with the card?

Elles envoient leurs élèves dans la classe.

They send their students to the classroom.

*Verbs with a special form to keep their pronunciation* Other tricky French verbs of this group are those that want to *maintain their pronunciation*, which means they will always keep the letter -e- before the tense-specific ending. Those are for example the verbs MANGER, RANGER, or COMMENCER. See below their present forms: "je mange" "tu manges" "il/elle/on mange" "nous mangeons" "vous mangez" "ils/elles mangent" "je range" "tu ranges" "il/elle/on range" "nous rangeons" "vous rangez" "ils/elles rangent" "je commence" "tu commences" "il/elle/on commence" "nous commençons" "vous commencez" "ils/elles commencent" See above the tricky part that applies to the *1st person plural*.

Je mange cinq fois par jour.

I eat five times a day.

Elle range son dressing chaque mois.

She tidies her dressing room every month.

Nous mangeons souvent des pâtes. .

We eat pasta often.

Ils mangent dans un restaurant.

They eat in a restaurant.

Elle commence dans une heure.

It starts in an hour.

Il ne range jamais sa chambre.

He never tidies his room.

Il mange seul.

He eats alone.

Nous commençons à travailler au bureau.

We start working in the office.

Je ne range pas ma cuisine régulièrement.

I don't tidy my kitchen regularly.

Vous commencez à apprendre le chinois ?

Are you starting to learn Chinese?

Nous rangeons notre appartement pendant le weekend.

We clean our flat during the weekend.

*2nd verb group* The 2nd verb group constitutes verbs that end with -ir in their infinitive form and those with -issant in their present participle form. Those verbs are for example FINIR (to finish), CHOISIR (to choose), or RÉUSSIR (to manage). Find their conjugation below: "je finis" "tu finis" "il/elle/on finit" "nous finissons" "vous finissez" "ils/elles finissent" "je choisis" "tu choisis" "il/elle/on choisit" "nous choisissons" "vous choisissez" "ils/elles choisissent" "je réussis" "tu réussis" "il/elle/on réussit" "nous réussissons" "vous réussissez" "ils/elles réussissent" In spoken French, make sure you always pronounce -ss- as S, but -s- in between two vowels as Z. Also, we never read the final -t or -s.

Je choisis le café au lait.

I choose the coffee with milk.

Il finit bientôt son travail.

He soon finishes his work.

Je réussis à dîner à sept heures chaque jour.

I manage to have dinner at seven o'clock every day.

Elle finit son cours de yoga à six heures.

She finishes her yoga class at six.

Elle ne réussit jamais à apprécier le cadeau de son copain.

She never manages to appreciate her boyfriend's gift.

On choisit la gaufre au nutella !

We choose the nutella waffle!

Nous réussissons à apprendre vite.

We manage to learn quickly.

Tu finis la bouteille de vin rouge tout seul ?!

You finish the bottle of red wine by yourself?!

Pourquoi vous choisissez de quitter votre pays ?

Why do you choose to leave your country?

Ils ne réussissent jamais à arriver à temps aux fêtes !

They never manage to get to the parties on time!

Vous finissez bientôt vos études.

You will soon finish your studies.

*3rd verb group* There is a lot to learn about the 3rd verb group. *All irregular verbs, be it those ending -oir, -re or verbs ending -ir* in their infinitive form belong here. We have already covered the verbs "FAIRE" (to do), "AVOIR" (to have) and "ETRE" (to be) in the Complete beginner course. "ALLER" (to go), "CONNAITRE" (to know), "SAVOIR" (to know), "PRENDRE" (to take) have been covered in the Basic course. And lastly, you will find the verbs "VENIR" (to come), "VOULOIR" (to want), and "BOIRE" (to drink) from this group in Basic course II. All of these are irregular verbs and therefore belong to the 3rd verb group. Let's not rush it and revise *the verb "DORMIR" (to sleep):* "je dors" "tu dors" "il/elle/on dort" "nous dormons" "vous dormez" "ils dorment" Note that the verb COURIR (to run) also takes the same endings: "je cours" "tu cours" "il/elle/on court" "nous courons" "vous courez" "ils/elles courent" When saying these forms, also make sure to drop the ending -s and -t when saying them out loud.

Nous dormons bien la nuit.

We sleep well at night.

Je dors jamais huit heures.

I never sleep for eight hours.

Il court tous les mardis.

He runs every Tuesday.

Vous dormez toujours chez vos parents ?

Do you still sleep at home?

Tu dors sans rêver ?

Do you sleep without dreaming?

Vous courez trés vite !

You run very fast!

On ne dort jamais dans un hôtel cher.

You never sleep in an expensive hotel.

Mes grand-parents ne courent plus.

My grandparents don't run anymore.

Ils ne dorment pas dans la journée.

They do not sleep during the day.

Elle dort chez son copin.

She sleeps at her boyfriend's house.

Je cours jamais parce que je le déteste !

I never run because I hate it!

Elles dorment nues.

They sleep naked.

Ils courent pour gagner de l'argent pour les handicapés.

They run to earn money for the disabled.

*Verbs of the 3rd group ending -dre* Verbs ending -dre in their infinitive form follow the same pattern. They are for example "PRENDRE" (to take), "VENDRE" (to sell), "APPRENDRE" (to learn): "je prends" "tu prends" "il/elle/on prend" "nous prenons" "vous prenez" "ils/elles prennent" "je vends" "tu vends" "il/elle/on vend" "nous vendons" "vous vendez" "ils/elles vendent" "j'apprends" "tu apprends" "il/elle/on apprend" "nous apprenons" "vous apprenez" "ils/elles apprennent" The endings of the singular forms are pronounced the same way - we do not pronounce -ds nor -d at all.

Je prends mon temps.

I take my time.

Ils vendent leur maison.

They sell their house.

Prenez le miel pour votre thé.

Take the honey for your tea.

Il apprend à parler allemand vite.

He learns to speak German quickly.

Tu prends beaucoup de photos pendant tes vacances.

You take a lot of pictures during your holidays.

Elle vend son manteau d'Hermine.

She sells her Ermine coat.

Prenez assez de temps à finir vos devoirs.

Take enough time to finish your homework.

Nous n'apprenons rien pendant les cours de biologie.

We don't learn anything in biology classes.

Elles prennent toujours un café noir.

They always have a black coffee.

Nous vendons nos vieux livres sur Internet.

We sell our old books on the Internet.

*Irregular verbs METTRE and OMETTRE* The verbs "METTRE" (to put) and "OMETTRE" (to omit) follow the pattern below: "je mets" "tu mets" "il/elle/on met" "nous mettons" "vous mettez" "ils/elles mettent" "j'omets" "tu omets" "il/elle/on omet" "nous omettons" "vous omettez" "ils/elles omettent" Notice that the -tt- becomes -t- in singular.

Je mets de la cannelle dans mon café.

I put cinnamon in my coffee.

On omet jamais de laisser de pourboire aux restaurants.

Never forget to tip in restaurants.

Tu mets combien de temps à prendre ta douche ?

How long does it take you to shower?

Elle omet souvent à saluer.

She often fails to greet.

Nous mettons assez de temps à apprendre les temps français.

It takes us long enough to learn the French tenses.

N'omettez pas à dire merci à votre grand-père.

Don't forget to say thank you to your grandfather.

Ils ne mettent pas de citron dans l'eau.

They don't put lemon in water.

*Irregular verb POUVOIR (to be able to / can)* We already covered the conjugation of the verb "VOULOIR" (to want) in Basic Course II. The present tense form of the "POVOIR" (to be able to / can) is the same: "je peux" "tu peux" "il/elle/on peut" "nous pouvons" "vous pouvez" "ils/elles peuvent" Just like in many other forms of the present tense, we do not pronounce the last letters - x and -t. Also, pay very good attention to the consonant change in the middle of these two verbs, as -eu- becomes -ou- in the 1st and 2nd forms of the plural.

Je peux manger deux pizzas!

I can eat two pizzas!

Est-ce que tu peux venir me voir ce soir ?

Can you come and see me tonight?

Nous allons chez tes parent si tu veux.

We'll go to your parents' house if you want.

Il ne peut pas boire du lait.

He cannot drink milk.

Nous ne pouvons pas voyager sans passeport.

We cannot travel without a passport.

Ils ne peuvent pas s'amuser tout le temps.

They can't have fun all the time.

Elle ne veut pas quitter son mari.

She does not want to leave her husband.

*Irregular verb DIRE (to say)* Next irregular verb of the 3rd group is the verb "DIRE" (to say): "je dis" "tu dis" "il/elle/on dit" "nous disons" "vous dites" "ils/elles disent" Again, we do not pronounce the ending -s and -t.

Je te le dis pour la troisième fois.

I'm telling you this for the third time.

Ils se disent "je t'aime" tous les jours !

They say "I love you" to each other every day!

Tu dis ce que tu penses.

You say what you think.

Est-ce que vous dites la vérité ?

Are you telling the truth?

Nous ne disons pas ce que nous ne savons pas.

We do not say what we do not know.

Elle ne dit jamais "salut" quand elle arrive.

She never says "hi" when she arrives.

*Irregular verb VOIR (to see)* The verb "VOIR" (to see) is also conjugated in its own specific manner: "je vois" "tu vois" "il/elle/on voit" "nous voyons" "vous voyez" "ils/elles voient" Make sure you pronounce them well - notice the difference between forms containing -y- vs. -i-.

Les chats voient bien la nuit.

Cats see well at night.

Je vois bien avec mes lunettes.

I can see well with my glasses.

Tu vois mieux maintenant ?

Can you see better now?

Les gens agés voient pire.

Older people see worse.

Il voit sa copine charmante.

He sees his charming girlfriend.

Nous voyons la tour Eiffel de loin.

We see the Eiffel Tower from a distance.

Vous ne voyez pas votre fille souvent ?

Don't you see your daughter often?

*French verbs ending -indre* *Verbs ending -eindre, -aindre and -oindre take similar forms. We remove the -dre ending and replace it with -s, -s, -t, -ons, -ez, and -ent:* "CRAINDRE" (to fear) "je crains" "tu crains" "il/elle/on craint" "nous craignons" "vous craignez" "ils/elles craignent" "PLAINDRE" (to complain) "je plains" "tu plains" "il/elle/on plaint" "nous plaignons" "vous plaignez" "ils/elles plaignent" "JOINDRE" (to join) "je joins" "tu joins" "il/elle/on joint" "nous joignons" "vous joignez" "ils/elles joignent" In spoken French, the pronunciation of the first three forms of singular of the above verbs is the same. The person can be distinguished by the subject of the sentence.