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.
3.4.18. Try It Out
Try saying this in French:
Do you speak French?
I study French.
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