3.4. Les verbes réguliers en -er

Regular -er Verbs

3.4.1. The Main Idea

Many common French verbs end in -er. These are called regular -er verbs.

parler	to speak
étudier	to study
travailler	to work
écouter	to listen
regarder	to watch / to look at
manger	to eat

To use these verbs in the present tense, remove -er and add a new ending.

3.4.2. The Regular -er Pattern

parler	to speak
parl-	stem

je parle	I speak / I am speaking
tu parles	you speak / you are speaking
il parle	he speaks / he is speaking
elle parle	she speaks / she is speaking
nous parlons	we speak / we are speaking
vous parlez	you speak / you are speaking
ils parlent	they speak / they are speaking
elles parlent	they speak / they are speaking

3.4.3. Regular -er Endings

je	-e
tu	-es
il / elle	-e
nous	-ons
vous	-ez
ils / elles	-ent

The endings -e, -es, and -ent are usually silent.

3.4.4. Example: Étudier

j’étudie	I study / I am studying
tu étudies	you study / you are studying
il étudie	he studies / he is studying
elle étudie	she studies / she is studying
nous étudions	we study / we are studying
vous étudiez	you study / you are studying
ils étudient	they study / they are studying
elles étudient	they study / they are studying

Because étudier begins with a vowel sound, je becomes j’.

3.4.5. Example: Travailler

je travaille	I work / I am working
tu travailles	you work / you are working
il travaille	he works / he is working
elle travaille	she works / she is working
nous travaillons	we work / we are working
vous travaillez	you work / you are working
ils travaillent	they work / they are working
elles travaillent	they work / they are working

3.4.6. Example: Écouter

j’écoute	I listen / I am listening
tu écoutes	you listen / you are listening
il écoute	he listens / he is listening
elle écoute	she listens / she is listening
nous écoutons	we listen / we are listening
vous écoutez	you listen / you are listening
ils écoutent	they listen / they are listening
elles écoutent	they listen / they are listening

3.4.7. Example: Regarder

je regarde	I watch / I am watching
tu regardes	you watch / you are watching
il regarde	he watches / he is watching
elle regarde	she watches / she is watching
nous regardons	we watch / we are watching
vous regardez	you watch / you are watching
ils regardent	they watch / they are watching
elles regardent	they watch / they are watching

3.4.8. Example: Manger

je mange	I eat / I am eating
tu manges	you eat / you are eating
il mange	he eats / he is eating
elle mange	she eats / she is eating
nous mangeons	we eat / we are eating
vous mangez	you eat / you are eating
ils mangent	they eat / they are eating
elles mangent	they eat / they are eating

With manger, the nous form is nous mangeons, not nous mangons.

3.4.9. More Common Regular -er Verbs

aimer	to like / to love
adorer	to love / to really like
détester	to hate
habiter	to live
jouer	to play
préférer	to prefer
commencer	to begin / to start
chercher	to look for
donner	to give
trouver	to find

3.4.10. Examples with Daily Activities

J’étudie le français.	I study French.
Tu travailles aujourd’hui ?	Are you working today?
Il écoute de la musique.	He is listening to music.
Elle regarde une vidéo.	She is watching a video.
Nous mangeons à la maison.	We eat at home.
Vous parlez français.	You speak French.
Ils aiment le cours.	They like the class.
Elles habitent à Calgary.	They live in Calgary.

3.4.11. Negative Sentences

Place ne… pas around the verb.

Je parle français.	I speak French.
Je ne parle pas français.	I do not speak French.
J’écoute de la musique.	I listen to music.
Je n’écoute pas de musique.	I do not listen to music.
Tu travailles.	You work.
Tu ne travailles pas.	You do not work.

3.4.12. Informal Questions

In informal speech, keep the same word order and raise your voice.

Tu parles français ?	Do you speak French?
Tu étudies aujourd’hui ?	Are you studying today?
Tu travailles demain ?	Are you working tomorrow?
Tu écoutes de la musique ?	Are you listening to music?
Tu regardes un film ?	Are you watching a movie?

3.4.13. Core Patterns

infinitive ending in -er	parler
remove -er	parl-
add je ending	je parle
add tu ending	tu parles
add il / elle ending	il parle / elle parle
add nous ending	nous parlons
add vous ending	vous parlez
add ils / elles ending	ils parlent / elles parlent

3.4.14. Practice

I speak French. |

You study French. informal |

He works today. |

She listens to music. |

We eat at home. |

You watch a movie. formal |

They like the class. masculine or mixed |

I do not speak French. |

Do you study today? informal |

3.4.15. Answers

I speak French.	Je parle français.
You study French. informal	Tu étudies le français.
He works today.	Il travaille aujourd’hui.
She listens to music.	Elle écoute de la musique.
We eat at home.	Nous mangeons à la maison.
You watch a movie. formal	Vous regardez un film.
They like the class. masculine or mixed	Ils aiment le cours.
I do not speak French.	Je ne parle pas français.
Do you study today? informal	Tu étudies aujourd’hui ?

3.4.16. Short Dialogue

A : Tu parles français ?	A: Do you speak French?
B : Oui, je parle français. Et toi ?	B: Yes, I speak French. And you?
A : J’étudie le français, mais je ne parle pas beaucoup.	A: I study French, but I do not speak much.
B : Très bien !	B: Very good!

3.4.17. Checkpoint

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to recognize regular -er verbs, form the present tense by removing -er and adding the correct ending, use common verbs like parler, étudier, travailler, écouter, regarder, and manger, and make simple questions and negative sentences with regular -er verbs.