Common French Verbs for Simple Sentences

When you're learning French, it's important to understand how to use verbs. This helps you make basic sentences. In this guide, we’ll look at some common French verbs that you can use to create simple sentences. We’ll focus on the basic structure of a sentence: Subject-Verb-Object (SVO).

Basic Sentence Structure

In French, like in English, the basic structure of a sentence is usually Subject-Verb-Object. Here’s what each part means:

• Subject: The person or thing doing the action.
• Verb: The action that is happening.
• Object: The person or thing that the action is done to.

Example Structure

English: I (subject) eat (verb) an apple (object).

French: Je (subject) mange (verb) une pomme (object).

Common French Verbs

To make simple sentences in French, it’s helpful to know some common verbs. Here’s a list of often-used verbs with their meanings and example sentences:

1. Être (to be)
   • Example: Je suis étudiant. (I am a student.)
2. Avoir (to have)
   • Example: Tu as un livre. (You have a book.)
3. Manger (to eat)
   • Example: Il mange une pizza. (He is eating a pizza.)
4. Boire (to drink)
   • Example: Nous buvons de l'eau. (We are drinking water.)
5. Parler (to speak)
   • Example: Vous parlez français. (You speak French.)
6. Jouer (to play)
   • Example: Elles jouent au football. (They [feminine] play soccer.)
7. Travailler (to work)
   • Example: Je travaille à l'école. (I work at school.)
8. Regarder (to watch)
   • Example: Tu regardes la télé. (You watch TV.)
9. Écouter (to listen)
   • Example: Il écoute de la musique. (He listens to music.)
10. Fermer (to close)
    • Example: Nous fermons la porte. (We close the door.)

Forming Simple Sentences

To make sentences using these verbs, just follow the SVO order.

1. Choose a Subject: Decide who or what is doing the action (Je, Tu, Il, Elle, Nous, Vous, Ils).
2. Pick a Verb: Use one of the common verbs from the list.
3. Select an Object: Add what the subject is acting upon.

Examples of Sentence Formation

• Subject + Verb + Object:
  • Example: Nous mangeons des pommes. (We eat apples.)
• When using Être for descriptions:
  • Structure: Subject + Être + Adjective
  • Example: Je suis heureux. (I am happy.)
• For possession using Avoir:
  • Structure: Subject + Avoir + Object
  • Example: Vous avez une maison. (You have a house.)

Practice

Now it's your turn to practice! Here are some examples to try:

1. I play basketball.

   • Try: Je joue au basket.

2. She listens to music.

   • Try: Elle écoute de la musique.

3. They have a dog.

   • Try: Ils ont un chien.

Summary

In short, knowing some common French verbs and using the basic SVO sentence structure will help you a lot in speaking simple French. Start by practicing these verbs in different sentences, and soon you'll feel more comfortable creating your own. Keep practicing, and try to use French as much as you can!