Knowing the present tense allows you to talk about daily activities, habits, and things happening right now. It’s the first real tool you need to describe your life in French.

👉 Important tip: In the present tense, the final -e is always silent. If you pronounce it like /é/ (EH), it would sound like a past tense form. So remember: je parle is /parl/, not /parlé/.

1. First Group Verbs (-er verbs)

Most French verbs end in -er. These are called “first group verbs,” and they’re the easiest to conjugate.

To conjugate, remove -er and add these endings:

• je …e → I …

• tu …es → you …

• il/elle/on …e → he / she / one …

• nous …ons → we …

• vous …ez → you (formal or plural) …

• ils/elles …ent → they …

👉 Note: The endings -e, -es, -ent are all silent. You only hear the stem. That’s why je parle and ils parlent sound the same, even though they are written differently.

Common Examples

parler → to speak

• Je parle français. → I speak French. (pronounced “je parl,” not “je parlé”)

• Tu parles anglais ? → Do you speak English?

• Nous parlons espagnol. → We speak Spanish.

aimer → to like / to love

• J’aime le café. → I like coffee.

• Elle aime le chocolat. → She loves chocolate.

travailler → to work

• Il travaille à Paris. → He works in Paris.

• Vous travaillez demain ? → Are you working tomorrow?

2. Some Common Irregular Verbs

Of course, not all verbs follow the easy pattern. Here are three irregular verbs you’ll hear every day.

aller → to go

• Je vais au café. → I’m going to the café.

• Ils vont au cinéma. → They’re going to the movies.

faire → to do, to make

• Je fais du sport. → I do sports.

• Nous faisons une fête. → We’re having a party.

venir → to come

• Tu viens avec moi ? → Are you coming with me?

• Elle vient demain. → She’s coming tomorrow.

👉 These irregular verbs don’t follow the -er endings, but don’t panic. You’ll use them so often that they’ll become second nature.

👉 Important Note: Most verbs in the present tense do not end with the /é/ sound. For example, je parle (I speak) or il travaille (he works) are pronounced without “é” at the end.

But some very common verbs are exceptions:

• aller → je vais → I go

• faire → je fais → I do / I make

• savoir → je sais → I know (a fact, information)

These verbs keep a pronunciation that sounds a little like /é/. You’ll use them so often that they’ll quickly feel natural.

Activity: Mastering Aller Before the Future

The verb aller means to go. You’ll use it a lot on its own, but it’s also the building block of the futur proche (the near future), which we’ll learn in the next lesson.

First, let’s review aller in the present tense:

• je vais → I go / I’m going

• tu vas → you go (informal)

• il / elle / on va → he / she / one goes

• nous allons → we go (formal / written)

• vous allez → you go (formal / plural)

• ils / elles vont → they go

Step 1 - Repeat After Me

Say each form out loud 2–3 times:

• Je vais

• Tu vas

• Il va

• On va

• Nous allons

• Vous allez

• Ils vont

👉 Listen to how short and natural they are.

Step 2 - Daily Life Sentences

Now use aller with everyday places:

• Je vais au café. → I’m going to the café.

• Tu vas à l’école. → You’re going to school.

• Il va au travail. → He’s going to work.

• On va au marché. → We’re going to the market.

• Vous allez en France ? → Are you going to France?

• Ils vont au restaurant. → They’re going to the restaurant.

👉 Try changing the subject each time: je vais… tu vas… il va…

Step 3 - Mini Roleplay

Imagine you’re making plans with a friend. Practice these short exchanges:

— Tu vas où ? (Where are you going?)
— Je vais au cinéma. (I’m going to the movies.)

— Vous allez au restaurant ce soir ? (Are you going to the restaurant tonight?)
— Oui, on va avec des amis. (Yes, we’re going with some friends.)

Step 4 - Challenge Yourself

Pick 3 places from your real life (work, supermarket, gym, a friend’s house) and make sentences with aller:

• Je vais…

• Tu vas…

• On va…

👉 Example: Je vais au supermarché. Tu vas au gymnase. On va chez Marie.

🎯 Why This Matters

By practicing aller now, you’re preparing for the next step: the futur proche.

• Je vais travailler demain. → I’m going to work tomorrow.

• On va apprendre le futur proche ! → We’re going to learn the near future!

3. Mini Dialogue

Here’s a short, natural conversation that mixes regular and irregular verbs.

— Tu parles français ?
(Do you speak French?)

— Oui, je parle un peu français.
(Yes, I speak a little French.)

— On va au marché, tu viens ?
(We’re going to the market, are you coming?)

— Oui d'accord, je viens avec vous.
(Yes, I’m coming with you.)

👉 Notice how we use both parler (a regular -er verb) and aller / venir (irregular verbs) in the same conversation. That’s exactly how it works in real life.

4. Practice Tips

Here are some easy ways to practice right away:

1. Pick 3 regular -er verbs and make sentences with each pronoun:

   • je parle, tu parles, il parle…

   • j’aime, tu aimes, elle aime…

2. Add irregular verbs to describe your life:

   • Je vais à la boulangerie. (I’m going to the bakery.)

   • Il fait du sport. (He does sports.)

   • Nous venons ce soir. (We’re coming tonight.)

3. Mix in vocabulary from earlier lessons:

   • J’ai une sœur, elle parle anglais, on va au café.

   • Je suis fatigué, mais je fais mes devoirs.

🎯 What You Can Do Now

After this lesson, you can:

• Use the present tense of -er verbs to talk about your daily life.

• Recognize and use the irregular verbs aller, faire, venir in simple sentences.

• Build short conversations that sound natural and useful.

What’s Next

Bravo, you’ve just unlocked the door to real communication!

In the next lesson, we’ll add a powerful tool: le futur proche (the near future). This will let you talk about what you’re going to do, another key step toward fluency.

T'es chaud, on continue ? Bois un verre d'eau quand même. Progresser en français c'est bien, faire attention à sa santé, c'est mieux !