French present tense conjugation: regular verbs and key patterns

The French present tense is used for what someone does, is doing, or does regularly: je parle can mean “I speak”, “I am speaking” or “I do speak”. Regular verbs fall into three main groups: -er, -ir and -re. The most common pattern is -er: remove -er and add -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Verb group Example infinitive je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles
-er parler parle parles parle parlons parlez parlent
-ir finir finis finis finit finissons finissez finissent
-re vendre vends vends vend vendons vendez vendent

Regular -er verbs

Most new French verbs you meet are -er verbs. Drop -er and add the present endings.

Je parle français. Nous parlons anglais.
I speak French. We speak English.

The written endings change, but several forms sound the same: parle, parles and parlent are usually pronounced alike.

Regular -ir and -re verbs

Regular -ir verbs like finir and choisir use -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent.

Elle finit le travail. Ils choisissent une table.
She finishes the work. They choose a table.

Regular -re verbs like vendre use -s, -s, no ending, -ons, -ez, -ent after you remove -re.

Tu vends ton vélo ?
Are you selling your bike?

The verbs you must learn separately

High-frequency verbs are often irregular. Start with these blocks:

Infinitive je tu il/elle nous vous ils/elles
être suis es est sommes êtes sont
avoir ai as a avons avez ont
aller vais vas va allons allez vont
faire fais fais fait faisons faites font

You use these verbs too often to rebuild them from rules each time.

Present tense questions and negatives

The conjugated verb stays the anchor when you ask questions or make negatives.

Tu parles français ? Je ne parle pas italien.
Do you speak French? I don’t speak Italian.

In ne... pas, the ne goes before the conjugated verb and pas goes after it.

Common mistakes

Translating “am doing” with a separate form

French usually uses the present tense for both “I do” and “I am doing”.

Je travaille maintenant.
I am working now.

Pronouncing every written ending

Many final consonants are silent.

ils parlent
they speak

The -ent ending is not pronounced as a separate syllable.

Treating irregular verbs as regular

Very common verbs need their own forms.

je alle -> je vais
I go / I am going

The present tense is the base for almost every other French structure, including être and avoir and ne… pas. Fluera practices the ending inside short sentences, so you connect the subject, verb group and sound instead of memorizing a table alone. Try it when you practice French.

Practice

Question 1 of 10

Regular -er with je:

Frequently asked questions

What does the French present tense mean?
It can mean "I do", "I am doing" or "I do regularly". For example, je parle can mean "I speak" or "I am speaking", depending on context.
What are the regular -er endings in French?
For regular -er verbs, use -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent: je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent.
Are être and avoir regular in the present tense?
No. They are irregular and should be learned as separate blocks: je suis, tu es, il est and j'ai, tu as, il a, plus the plural forms.
Do you pronounce the -ent ending?
Usually no. In ils parlent, the final -ent is silent, so it sounds like il parle.