Conjugating ER, IR, and RE Verbs in Present Tense

Important Points to Remember

1. Present Tense Conjugation:

   • ER Verbs (like parler, which means "to talk"):

     • Je parle (I talk)
     • Tu parles (You talk)
     • Il/Elle parle (He/She talks)
     • Nous parlons (We talk)
     • Vous parlez (You talk - formal)
     • Ils/Elles parlent (They talk)

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

     • Je finis (I finish)
     • Tu finis (You finish)
     • Il/Elle finit (He/She finishes)
     • Nous finissons (We finish)
     • Vous finissez (You finish - formal)
     • Ils/Elles finissent (They finish)

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

     • Je vends (I sell)
     • Tu vends (You sell)
     • Il/Elle vend (He/She sells)
     • Nous vendons (We sell)
     • Vous vendez (You sell - formal)
     • Ils/Elles vendent (They sell)

2. Making Negative Sentences:

   • To say something isn't true, use ne...pas.
   • For example: Je ne parle pas means "I do not talk."

3. Articles:

   • Definite articles (which mean "the"):
     • le (for boys/masculine nouns)
     • la (for girls/feminine nouns)
   • Indefinite articles (which mean "a" or "an"):
     • un (for boys/masculine nouns)
     • une (for girls/feminine nouns)
   • Example: un livre means "a book," and la table means "the table."

4. Asking Questions:

   • Use inversion: Parles-tu français? means "Do you speak French?"
   • Or use Est-ce que: Est-ce que tu parles français? also means "Do you speak French?"

5. Adjective Agreement:

   • Adjectives need to match the noun they describe.
   • Example: un livre intéressant means "an interesting book," and des filles intelligentes means "intelligent girls."

6. Possessive Adjectives:

   • Words that show ownership:
     • Mon, ma (my)
     • Mes (my for many items)
     • Ton, ta (your)
     • Tes (your for many items)

7. Demonstrative Adjectives:

   • These show something specific:
     • Ce (this/that - for boys/masculine)
     • Cette (for girls/feminine)
     • Ces (for many)
   • Example: Ce livre means "this book."

8. Reflexive Verbs:

   • These are actions you do to yourself.
   • Use se for these verbs.
   • Example: Je me réveille means "I wake up."

9. Using Tu vs. Vous:

   • Use tu for friends or people your age.
   • Use vous for adults or in formal situations.

10. Basic Conjunctions:

    • These words help connect sentences:
      • Et (and)
      • Mais (but)
      • Ou (or)
    • Example: J’aime le chocolat, mais je n’aime pas les bonbons means "I like chocolate, but I don’t like candies."