Regular -er verbs in the present tense
Most French verbs end in -er in the dictionary (the infinitive), like parler (to speak) or manger (to eat). To conjugate them, remove -er and add a new ending for each subject.
| Subject | Ending | parler → |
|---|---|---|
| je | -e | je parle |
| tu | -es | tu parles |
| il / elle | -e | il parle |
| nous | -ons | nous parlons |
| vous | -ez | vous parlez |
| ils / elles | -ent | ils parlent |
More examples: "Je mange une pomme." (I eat an apple.) · "Tu regardes la télé." (You watch TV.) · "Nous écoutons la radio." (We listen to the radio.)
Note: je/tu/il/elle/ils forms often sound identical when spoken — only the spelling differs.
What this unlocks
- Aller ("to go") in the present tense
- Ne … pas — making a sentence negative
- Saying what you like doing
- Three ways to ask a question
- The imperative — giving directions and instructions
- Reflexive verbs — se lever, se sentir, se reposer
- The passé composé with avoir — talking about yesterday
- Regular -ir verbs
- Forming the imperfect
- The simple future
Knowing the rule is not the same as producing it.
This page explains the pattern. The track drills it: the point arrives inside a mini-dialogue, then production marked against a CEFR descriptor, then a module test that returns you to your two weakest sessions if you miss it.