The Present Tense
When to use it:
To talk about what is happening at the moment or now, what happens usually or normally.
How to form it:
Many French verbs are regular -er verbs. The infinitive ends in -er. e.g. jouer, regarder, écouter, arriver.
These verbs are regular because the ending of the word follows a pattern according to who or what is doing the action:
-er verbs
regarder = to watch
je regarde = I watch
tu regardes = you watch
il regarde = he watches
elle regarde = she watches
on regarde = one watches
nous regardons = we watch
vous regardez = you watch
ils regardent = they watch
elles regardent = they watch There are also regular -ir verbs and regular -re verbs. The endings of these words also follow a pattern:
-ir verbs finir = to finish
je finis = I finish
tu finis = you finish
il finit = he finishes
elle finit = she finishes
nous finissons = we finish
vous finissez = you finish
ils finissent = they finish
elles finissent = they finish
-re verbs perdre = to lose
je perds = I lose
tu perds = you lose
il perd = he loses
elle perd = she loses
nous perdons = we lose
vous perdez = you lose
ils perdent = they lose
elles perdent = they lose
Unfortuantely there are also many irregular present tense verbs which do NOT follow a pattern...
You should learn the common irregular verbs. Use a verb table in a French dictionary to help you with the less common irregular verbs.
To talk about what is happening at the moment or now, what happens usually or normally.
How to form it:
Many French verbs are regular -er verbs. The infinitive ends in -er. e.g. jouer, regarder, écouter, arriver.
These verbs are regular because the ending of the word follows a pattern according to who or what is doing the action:
-er verbs
regarder = to watch
je regarde = I watch
tu regardes = you watch
il regarde = he watches
elle regarde = she watches
on regarde = one watches
nous regardons = we watch
vous regardez = you watch
ils regardent = they watch
elles regardent = they watch There are also regular -ir verbs and regular -re verbs. The endings of these words also follow a pattern:
-ir verbs finir = to finish
je finis = I finish
tu finis = you finish
il finit = he finishes
elle finit = she finishes
nous finissons = we finish
vous finissez = you finish
ils finissent = they finish
elles finissent = they finish
-re verbs perdre = to lose
je perds = I lose
tu perds = you lose
il perd = he loses
elle perd = she loses
nous perdons = we lose
vous perdez = you lose
ils perdent = they lose
elles perdent = they lose
Unfortuantely there are also many irregular present tense verbs which do NOT follow a pattern...
You should learn the common irregular verbs. Use a verb table in a French dictionary to help you with the less common irregular verbs.