Conjugating Regular Verbs in Present Tense

Important Grammar Points

1. Verb Conjugations

• Regular -ER Verbs (like parler which means "to speak"):

  • I speak: je parle
  • You speak: tu parles
  • He/She/One speaks: il/elle/on parle
  • We speak: nous parlons
  • You all speak: vous parlez
  • They speak: ils/elles parlent

• Regular -IR Verbs (like finir which means "to finish"):

  • I finish: je finis
  • You finish: tu finis
  • He/She/One finishes: il/elle/on finit
  • We finish: nous finissons
  • You all finish: vous finissez
  • They finish: ils/elles finissent

• Regular -RE Verbs (like vendre which means "to sell"):

  • I sell: je vends
  • You sell: tu vends
  • He/She/One sells: il/elle/on vend
  • We sell: nous vendons
  • You all sell: vous vendez
  • They sell: ils/elles vendent

2. Articles

• Definite Articles: These are used to talk about specific things and are le, la, les (for example, le livre means "the book").

• Indefinite Articles: These are used for general items and are un, une, des (for example, une pomme means "an apple").

• Don’t forget: Articles must match the gender (male or female) and number (singular or plural) of the nouns they go with.

3. Adjective Agreement

• Adjectives need to match the nouns they describe.
  • For example:
    • A smart man: un homme intelligent
    • A smart woman: une femme intelligente
    • Smart men: des hommes intelligents

4. Reflexive Verbs

• For reflexive verbs (which describe actions that people do to themselves), put the reflexive pronoun before the verb.
  • For example, to say "I wash myself" in French, you would say:
    • I wash myself: je me lave
    • You wash yourself: tu te laves

5. Passé Composé

• This is a way to talk about things that have already happened.
• It is usually made with helper verbs: avoir (to have) or être (to be).
  • For example: "I ate" is J'ai mangé, and "I went" is Je suis allé.

By learning these key parts of French grammar, you will get better at speaking and writing in French!