Understanding Regular -er Verbs in French: Present Tense Made Simple

Learning how to use regular -er verbs in French is really important. Let's make it easy to understand step by step!

1. How to Conjugate Regular -er Verbs:
   To start, take the verb and remove the -er at the end. Then, add different endings based on who is doing the action. Here’s what you need to add:

   • je (I): -e
   • tu (you): -es
   • il/elle/on (he/she/one): -e
   • nous (we): -ons
   • vous (you – plural/formal): -ez
   • ils/elles (they): -ent

   For example, with the verb "parler" (to speak):

   • je parle (I speak)
   • tu parles (you speak)
   • il/elle/on parle (he/she/one speaks)
   • nous parlons (we speak)
   • vous parlez (you speak)
   • ils/elles parlent (they speak)

2. Understanding Subject Pronouns:
   Subject pronouns show us who is doing the action. Here are the important ones:

   • Singular:

     • je (I)
     • tu (you)
     • il/elle/on (he/she/one)

   • Plural:

     • nous (we)
     • vous (you - formal or plural)
     • ils/elles (they)

3. Articles:
   Articles tell us if we are talking about something specific or something general. Here’s a quick guide:

   • Definite Articles (for specific things):

     • le (for masculine singular nouns)
     • la (for feminine singular nouns)
     • les (for plural nouns)

   • Indefinite Articles (for general things):

     • un (for masculine nouns)
     • une (for feminine nouns)
     • des (for plural nouns)

4. Making Sentences Negative:
   If you want to say that someone does not do something, you can use "ne... pas."

   Examples:

   • Je ne parle pas (I do not speak).
   • Ils ne mangent pas (They do not eat).

With these simple rules, you can use regular -er verbs in French with confidence! Happy learning!