GCSE French: Present Tense Verbs Guide

Regular -er verbs

Most French verbs end in -er, like parler (to speak). Remove the -er and add: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent for je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles — so je parle, nous parlons, ils parlent.

Regular -ir and -re verbs

-ir verbs like finir (to finish) take -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. -re verbs like vendre (to sell) take -s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Key irregular verbs

être (to be): je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont. avoir (to have): j'ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont. aller (to go): je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont. faire (to do/make): je fais, tu fais, il/elle fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils/elles font.

Using the present tense

The present tense describes what happens now or regularly — je mange can mean "I eat" or "I am eating". It's also used for near-future plans with aller + infinitive, e.g. je vais manger ("I am going to eat").

Common mistakes

• Forgetting to change the verb ending to match the subject pronoun.
• Mixing up the endings for -er, -ir and -re verbs.
• Using être where avoir is needed, or the other way round, especially in set phrases like j'ai faim ("I am hungry", literally "I have hunger").