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.
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