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French grammar Part of Chapter 3

CEFR A1-A2

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French -er Verbs Conjugation: Present Tense Chart and Rules

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

To conjugate a regular French -er verb in the present, drop the -er ( becomes parl-) and add -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. About nine French verbs in ten follow this one pattern. A few change a letter to protect a sound, and is the single true exception.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

This is the first of three present-tense primers; the others cover -ir verbs and -re verbs, and the French conjugation overview shows how the present fits with the other tenses.

The regular -er endings

Drop the -er, keep the stem, add the ending for the subject. Parler (to speak) is the model.

ending you hearending you write but never sayWhat do the colours mean?
Drop -er, add the ending: nous parlons, we speak
SubjectEndingparler (to speak)
-e
-
/ / on-e
-
-ez
/ -ent
  • , . - I speak French, and they speak English. (Both verbs sound the same.)
  • ? - Do you speak French?

Before a vowel, becomes j': . - I like music.

One present does the work of three English ones, so there is no separate I am speaking or I do speak:

FrenchEnglish
.I eat. / I'm eating.
?Are you working? / Do you work?
.We stay. / We're staying.

Every regular -er verb runs the same way. Ten everyday ones:

VerbEnglishil / elle form
to like, love
to help
to find
to give
to pass
to think
to stay
to look for
to watch
to listen to

. - She's looking for her keys. already means look for: no pour after it.

Spelling-shift verbs (predictable, not really irregular)

A few -er verbs change one letter of the stem to keep a sound. The endings stay regular; only the spelling of the stem moves.

the letter that changesWhat do the colours mean?
Verbjenousils
paiepaient

Two rules explain the whole table.

Rule 1: -ger and -cer verbs change only in the form. Before the o of -ons, a plain g or c would turn hard (as in go, cot). French adds an e, or a cedilla, to keep it soft.

The e keeps the g soft: nous mangeons, we eat
  • . - We eat at eight.
  • . - We start tomorrow.

Rule 2: the other shifts happen where the ending is silent (, , , ). There the stem carries the stress: a plain e opens to è (or the consonant ), é opens to è, and y becomes i.

  • . - I'm buying bread. But: . - We're buying bread.
  • . - I'm calling my mother. But: . - We're calling our mother.
  • . - I hope you're well.
  • paie. - I'm paying.
DetailExampleNote
-ayer: optional paie or both are correct
-oyer: always .I'm sending a letter.
-ier is not -yer.the i is the stem: no change
: two shifts , è, then ge before o

takes an accent and its consonant; too ( , I throw). Learn which model a new verb follows when you learn the verb.

The one outlier: aller

Aller (to go) is the only -er verb that is irregular in the present, and one of the most used verbs in French. Four of its forms come from a different Latin verb (vadere), so they share nothing with the infinitive.

from another verbthe all- of allerWhat do the colours mean?
SubjectallerEnglish
I go
you go
/ / onhe / she goes
we go
you go
/ they go
  • . - I'm going to .
  • . - We're going to the cinema.
  • ? - . - How are things? - Fine. ( also asks how someone is.)

It sits with , and in the French irregular verbs chart.

aller + infinitive: the near future

Put the present of in front of any infinitive and you are talking about the future: the , French for going to. It is the everyday future of spoken French, and it needs no new endings.

Subject
aller
Infinitive
Rest
WhoFrenchEnglish
.I'm going to eat some bread.
Marie ?Are you going to talk to Marie?
.We're going to watch a film.
.They're going to stay here.

Only with the subject; the second verb stays in the infinitive whoever is speaking. For the negative, ... wraps the form, not the infinitive:

  • . - I'm not going to stay.
  • . - She isn't going to look for her keys.

The French future tense guide sets it beside the one-word ( ).

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
. .- is the ending
. . needs -ent, said or not
mangons e keeps the g soft
è before a silent ending
. .only changes
allent. . is irregular

What to do next

  1. Write out the six forms of one new -er verb a day: your ear cannot check them.
  2. Learn cold, then say three plans with + infinitive.
  3. Practise producing forms in the French conjugation game.

The 10 verbs in this curriculum

Curriculum
10 words
# Freq Word
120allerto go
267parlerto speak, to talk
370penserto think
480aimerto love, to like
584trouverto find, to think
6102donnerto give
7103passerto pass, to go by, to spend (time)
8151aiderto help
9164chercherto look for, to search
10170resterto stay, to remain

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/5

Build the present-tense form from the stem and the ending.

  1. nous + parler

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. tu + aimer

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. ils + chercher

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. vous + rester

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  5. nous + manger

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/5

Say each form aloud. Does it sound exactly like je parle?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the mistake.

Fill in the blank

0/6

Conjugate the verb in brackets to match the subject.

  1. Je français tous les jours. (parler)

  2. Nous la musique. (aimer)

  3. Elle ses clés. (chercher)

  4. Ils à la maison. (rester)

  5. Vous le livre ? (trouver)

  6. Je à Paris. (aller) (aller is irregular)

Pick the right one

0/5

Choose the right French.

  1. elle + aller

  2. ils + aller

  3. I'm going to eat.

  4. We're going to watch.

  5. I'm not going to stay.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the present-tense endings for French -er verbs?
The six endings are -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent, added to the stem (the infinitive -er): , , , , , . Only the (-ons) and (-ez) endings are pronounced; the other four are silent, so , and sound identical.
How do you conjugate in the present tense?
is the model regular -er verb: , , //on , , , / . Drop -er from the infinitive to get the stem parl-, then add the endings. , , , and thousands more work exactly the same way.
Why is it and not mangons?
Before an o, a plain g sounds hard, as in 'go'. French writes an extra e to keep the soft g of : . Verbs in -cer do the same job with a cedilla: . Only the form changes, because it is the only ending that starts with o.
Why is it with a grave accent but without one?
When the ending is silent (, , , ), the stress falls on the stem's last vowel, and a plain e there would not be pronounced. So it opens to è: , . With and the ending is pronounced, and the plain e stays. solves the same problem by doubling the l: .
How do you conjugate in the present tense?
is the one irregular -er verb: , , //on , , , / . Only and keep the all- of the infinitive; the other four come from a different Latin verb. Learn it first: it also makes the near future, (I'm going to eat).
How do you say 'going to' in French?
With the present of plus an infinitive, the : (I'm going to eat), (we're going to watch a film). Only with the subject; the second verb always stays in the infinitive. For the negative, ... wraps : .