The present indicative

1 Formation of -er verbs

1.1 Regulars

For the purposes of conjugation, French verbs are separated into 3 groups, corresponding roughly to -er, -ir and irregular verbs.

For verbs of the 1st group (-er) verbs, the present indicative is formed by removing the -er from the infinitive and adding the following endings: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Tu aimes les feuilletons?

Do you like soap operas?

Nous habitons ici depuis plus de cinq ans

We've lived here for over five years

Vous fermez à quelle heure?

What time do you close?

Ils regardent beaucoup la télévision

They watch TV a lot

1.2 Semi-irregulars

Some -er verbs do not follow this pattern and they are sometimes referred to as semi-irregulars. These include:

1.2.1 Verbs ending in -cer

Verbs ending in -cer take a cedilla beneath the c before the vowels a and o.

Je commence / Nous commençons le travail à 9 heures

I / We start work at 9 o'clock

1.2.2 Verbs ending in -ger

Verbs ending in -ger retain the e after the g before the vowels a and o.

Je mange / Nous mangeons rarement la viande

I / We rarely eat meat

1.2.3 Verbs with mute -e in penultimate syllable

Verbs which have a mute e in the penultimate syllable of the infinitive take an è before a mute syllable.

Je me lève / Nous nous levons à 7 heures le matin

I / We get up in the morning at 7 o'clock

1.2.4 Verbs containing é in penultimate syllable

Verbs which have an é in the penultimate syllable of the infinitive change the é to è before a mute syllable .

J'espère / Nous espérons te revoir bientôt

I / We hope to see you again soon

1.2.5 Verbs ending in -eler or -eter

Verbs ending in -eler or -eter double the consonant l or t before a mute syllable .

Je ne jette jamais / Nous ne jetons jamais les bouteilles avec les ordures

I / We never throw bottles out with the rubbish

Je m'appelle Célia

My name's Célia

Nous nous appelons une à deux fois par semaine

We call each other once or twice a week.

Some verbs ending in -eter or -eler do not double the t or l before a mute syllable . These include:

J'achète tous mes vêtements dans ce magasin

I buy all my clothes from this shop

Nous achetons tous nos vêtements dans ce magasin

We buy all our clothes from this shop

Il modèle sa conduite sur son frère

He models his behaviour on his brother

Nous modelons notre conduite sur nos parents

We model our behaviour on our parents

1.3 2nd group verbs

For verbs of the 2nd group, the present indicative is formed by removing the -ir from the infinitive and adding the following endings: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent:

Elle réussit tout ce qu'elle entreprend

She succeeds in everything she does

Nous finissons le travail à cinq heures trente

We finish work at 5.30

Ils garantissent la qualité de ce produit

They guarantee the quality of this product

1.4 Verbs ending in -dre

Most 3rd-group verbs ending in -dre are formed by removing the -re from the infinitive and adding the following endings: -s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent:

J'attends Pierre depuis une demi-heure

I've been waiting for Pierre for half an hour

Cette entreprise vend une grande gamme de produits

This company sells a large selection of products

Nous perdons du temps à attendre ici

We're wasting time waiting here

1.5 Verbs ending in -cevoir

3rd-group verbs ending in -cevoir are formed by removing this from the infinitive and adding the following endings: -çois, -çois, -çoit, -cevons, -cevez, -çoivent. These include recevoir, apercevoir, concevoir, décevoir:

1.6 Verbs ending in -vrir or -frir

3rd-group verbs ending in -vrir or -frir are formed by removing -ir from the infinitive and adding the following endings -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. These include ouvrir, couvrir, offrir, souffrir:

1.7 Verbs ending in -tir

3rd-group verbs ending in -tir are formed by removing this ending from the infinitive and adding the following endings: -s, -s, -t, -tons, -tez, -tent. These include sentir, mentir, partir, sortir:

1.8 Other 3rd-group verbs

2 Use

The present tense is used in the following contexts:

2.1 Action being accomplished

When the action or state described is in the process of being accomplished:

Où est Pierre? Il joue au tennis avec Paul

Where's Pierre? He's playing tennis with Paul

2.2 Habitual action

When an action is habitual:

Le samedi matin nous allons toujours au supermarché

On Saturday mornings we always go to the supermarket

2.3 General observation

When expressing a general observation about reality:

L'eau bout à 100oC

Water boils at 100oC

Rien n'est laid pour celui qui aime

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

2.4 Continuing action

When expressing an action or state that began in the past and that is still continuing:

Je travaille à Manchester depuis quatre ans

I have been working in Manchester for four years

Cela fait combien de temps que tu habites ici?

How long have you been living here?

2.5 Timetabled action

When expressing an action or state that has been timetabled or pre-arranged:

Le train part dans 5 minutes

The train leaves in 5 minutes

L'été prochain nous faisons un voyage en France

Next summer we're going on a trip to France

2.6 Analysing piece of work

When analysing a piece of work produced in the past:

Dans le roman l'auteur nous présente le conflit entre la société et l'individu

In the novel the author presents us with the conflict between society and the individual

2.7 Narrating actions in the past

When narrating actions in the past to create a greater sense of immediacy:

Nous nous promenions en ville. Tout à coup un jeune nous aborde. II a l'air fatigué et malade. II nous demande de l'argent.

We were walking in town. Suddenly a young man comes up to us. He looks tired and ill. He asks us for money.

2.8 Hypothetical action

When describing something as hypothetical:

Si tu viens à 2 heures, je serai disponible

If you come at 2, I'll be free