Present tense of -er verbs

A1 — Verbes

Regular -er verb conjugation: parler, manger, habiter

Can conjugate regular -er verbs in the present tense

Examples

Je parle français et j'habite à Lyon. — I speak French and I live in Lyon.
Vous travaillez beaucoup et ils étudient le soir. — You work a lot and they study in the evening.
Nous mangeons une pizza et nous commençons le cours. — We're eating a pizza and we're starting the class.

VerbsA1

Present tense of -er verbs

Regular -er verb conjugation: parler, manger, habiter

Learning Goal

Can conjugate regular -er verbs in the present tense

Exam Skills:WritingSpeaking

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Je parle français et j'habite à Lyon.

I speak French and I live in Lyon.

Vous travaillez beaucoup et ils étudient le soir.

You work a lot and they study in the evening.

Nous mangeons une pizza et nous commençons le cours.

We're eating a pizza and we're starting the class.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Verbs ending in -er make up the large majority of French verbs, and new verbs join this group (surfer, googler). Apart from aller, they are regular: learn one and you can conjugate thousands.

Take off -er and add the endings:

	Ending	parler - to speak	habiter - to live
je / j'	-e	parle	habite
tu	-es	parles	habites
il / elle / on	-e	parle	habite
nous	-ons	parlons	habitons
vous	-ez	parlez	habitez
ils / elles	-ent	parlent	habitent

Five spellings, three sounds

Je parle, tu parles, il parle, ils parlent all sound the same: [paʁl]. The -ent of the third person plural is silent, which surprises almost every English speaker - do not say "parl-ent". Only parlons [paʁlɔ̃] and parlez [paʁle] sound different. So in speech you hear three forms, and the pronoun tells you who is speaking.

One French present, two English ones

Je parle covers "I speak", "I'm speaking" and, in questions, "do I speak". Do not look for a separate French form for "-ing": J'habite à Lille is "I live in Lille", and Je mange can be "I'm eating".

Spelling changes

Verbs in -ger keep an e before -ons so the g stays soft: nous mangeons, nous voyageons.
Verbs in -cer write ç before -ons: nous commençons.
Some verbs change their stem vowel when the ending is silent: acheter → j'achète, appeler → je m'appelle, préférer → je préfère (but nous achetons, vous préférez).

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Pronouncing the silent endings (-e, -es, -ent); forgetting spelling changes (-ger, -cer). 🇬🇧 English speakers: English verbs barely conjugate, so learners forget endings or pronounce silent -ent. The 5 identical-sounding forms (je/tu/il/ils + infinitive) are confusing in writing.

Common Error Patterns

Wrong ending on a regular -er verb

je -e, tu -es, il -e, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils -ent. Remember: -ent is silent!

Missing spelling adjustment for -ger or -cer verbs

-ger → mangeons (e before ons). -cer → commençons (ç before ons).

Je parle français et j'habite à Lyon.

I speak French and I live in Lyon.

Parler: je parle (-e ending, silent). Habiter: j'habite (j' before vowel, -e ending).

Vous travaillez beaucoup et ils étudient le soir.

You work a lot and they study in the evening.

Travailler: vous travaillez (-ez, pronounced). Étudier: ils étudient (-ent is SILENT).

Nous mangeons une pizza et nous commençons le cours.

We're eating a pizza and we're starting the class.

Manger → nous mangeons (extra 'e' to keep soft [ʒ]). Commencer → nous commençons (ç to keep soft [s]).

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Frequently asked questions

When do you use Present tense of -er verbs?: Verbs ending in -er make up the large majority of French verbs, and new verbs join this group ( surfer , googler ). Apart from aller , they are regular: learn one and you can conjugate thousands.
How do you form Present tense of -er verbs?: Je parle, tu parles, il parle, ils parlent all sound the same: [paʁl]. The -ent of the third person plural is silent, which surprises almost every English speaker - do not say "parl-ent". Only parlons [paʁlɔ̃] and parlez [paʁle] sound different. So in speech you hear three forms, and the pronoun tells you who is speaking. Je parle covers "I speak", "I'm speaking" and, in questions, "do I speak". Do not look for a separate French form for "-ing": J'habite à Lille is "I live in Lille", and Je mange can be "I'm eating".
What are common mistakes with Present tense of -er verbs?: Pronouncing the silent endings (-e, -es, -ent); forgetting spelling changes (-ger, -cer). 🇬🇧 English speakers: English verbs barely conjugate, so learners forget endings or pronounce silent -ent. The 5 identical-sounding forms (je/tu/il/ils + infinitive) are confusing in writing.

Ending

parler - to speak

habiter - to live

je / j'

-e

parle

habite

-es

parles

habites

il / elle / on

-e

parle

habite

nous

-ons

parlons

habitons

vous

-ez

parlez

habitez

ils / elles

-ent

parlent

habitent

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Present tense of -er verbs?

Verbs ending in -er make up the large majority of French verbs, and new verbs join this group ( surfer , googler ). Apart from aller , they are regular: learn one and you can conjugate thousands.

How do you form Present tense of -er verbs?

Je parle, tu parles, il parle, ils parlent all sound the same: [paʁl]. The -ent of the third person plural is silent, which surprises almost every English speaker - do not say "parl-ent". Only parlons [paʁlɔ̃] and parlez [paʁle] sound different. So in speech you hear three forms, and the pronoun tells you who is speaking. Je parle covers "I speak", "I'm speaking" and, in questions, "do I speak". Do not look for a separate French form for "-ing": J'habite à Lille is "I live in Lille", and Je mange can be "I'm eating".

What are common mistakes with Present tense of -er verbs?

Pronouncing the silent endings (-e, -es, -ent); forgetting spelling changes (-ger, -cer). 🇬🇧 English speakers: English verbs barely conjugate, so learners forget endings or pronounce silent -ent. The 5 identical-sounding forms (je/tu/il/ils + infinitive) are confusing in writing.