Subject: French Language | Level: JHS (Basic 7 – 9) | Topic: Regular -ER Verbs in the Present Tense | Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate
Introduction
In French, most verbs belong to one of three groups based on their infinitive ending: -ER, -IR, or -RE verbs. The -ER verbs are by far the largest and most common group, and they all follow the same pattern of conjugation. Once you learn this one pattern, you can conjugate hundreds of French verbs correctly. This lesson teaches you the -ER verb pattern, gives you the most important -ER verbs, and shows you how to use them in real sentences about daily life.
1. The Infinitive
The infinitive is the base form of a verb, its “dictionary form.” In English, the infinitive uses “to”: to speak, to eat, to play.
In French, -ER verbs end in -er: parler (to speak), manger (to eat), jouer (to play).
2. How to Conjugate -ER Verbs
To conjugate any regular -ER verb in the present tense:
- Remove the -er from the infinitive to get the stem
- Add the correct ending for each subject pronoun
Endings for -ER Verbs
| Subject | Ending | Pronunciation note |
|---|---|---|
| Je | -e | Silent ending |
| Tu | -es | Silent ending |
| Il / Elle | -e | Silent ending |
| Nous | -ons | Pronounced “ohn” |
| Vous | -ez | Pronounced “ay” |
| Ils / Elles | -ent | Silent ending |
Example: PARLER (to speak) – Stem: PARL-
| Subject | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | parle | I speak |
| Tu | parles | You speak |
| Il / Elle | parle | He speaks / She speaks |
| Nous | parlons | We speak |
| Vous | parlez | You speak (formal/plural) |
| Ils / Elles | parlent | They speak |
Important: Note that je, tu, il, elle, ils, and elles all end in silent letters. In spoken French, “je parle,” “tu parles,” and “il parle” all sound the same! The endings -e, -es, -ent are not pronounced.
3. Essential -ER Verbs to Learn
| French Infinitive | English Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| parler | to speak | Je parle français. (I speak French.) |
| manger | to eat | Nous mangeons du riz. (We eat rice.) |
| habiter | to live (in a place) | Elle habite à Accra. (She lives in Accra.) |
| travailler | to work | Mon père travaille au marché. (My father works at the market.) |
| étudier | to study | J’étudie les maths. (I study Maths.) |
| aimer | to love / to like | J’aime le foot. (I love football.) |
| jouer | to play | Ils jouent au football. (They play football.) |
| écouter | to listen | Nous écoutons la radio. (We listen to the radio.) |
| regarder | to watch / to look at | Elle regarde la télévision. (She watches television.) |
| chanter | to sing | Les élèves chantent bien. (The students sing well.) |
| danser | to dance | Vous dansez à la fête. (You dance at the party.) |
| marcher | to walk | Je marche à l’école. (I walk to school.) |
| porter | to carry / to wear | Elle porte un uniforme. (She wears a uniform.) |
| acheter | to buy | Il achète du pain. (He buys bread.) |
| arriver | to arrive | Nous arrivons tôt. (We arrive early.) |
4. Special Spelling Notes
Verbs ending in -GER (like manger)
In the nous form, add an extra ‘e’ before the ending to keep the ‘g’ soft:
manger → nous mangeons (not mangons)
Other examples: nager (to swim) → nous nageons; voyager (to travel) → nous voyageons
Verbs ending in -CER (like commencer)
In the nous form, the ‘c’ becomes ‘ç’:
commencer (to begin) → nous commençons
5. Making Sentences Negative
Place ne… pas around the verb:
- Je parle français. → Je ne parle pas français. (I do not speak French.)
- Il mange. → Il ne mange pas. (He does not eat.)
- Nous jouons. → Nous ne jouons pas. (We do not play.)
6. Asking Questions
In French, there are three ways to turn a statement into a question:
Method 1 (simplest): Add a question mark and raise your voice at the end.
Tu parles français? (Do you speak French?)
Method 2: Add “Est-ce que” at the beginning.
Est-ce que tu parles français? (Do you speak French?)
Method 3 (formal): Invert the subject and verb with a hyphen.
Parles-tu français? (Do you speak French?)
7. Practice Sentences with Context
Read these sentences about a typical Ghanaian school day in French:
- Je marche à l’école chaque matin. (I walk to school every morning.)
- Les élèves étudient les maths et l’anglais. (The students study Maths and English.)
- Nous mangeons du riz à midi. (We eat rice at noon.)
- Le professeur parle très bien français. (The teacher speaks French very well.)
- Après l’école, je joue avec mes amis. (After school, I play with my friends.)
- Ma mère travaille au marché de Kejetia. (My mother works at Kejetia market.)
Summary
- -ER verbs are the most common type of French verb.
- To conjugate: remove -er to get the stem, then add: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.
- The endings -e, -es, -ent are silent in speech.
- Negation: ne + verb + pas.
- Question: est-ce que + subject + verb, OR invert subject and verb.
Practice Exercises
- Conjugate the verb HABITER for all six subject pronouns.
- Translate: “She studies French. We do not listen. Do you play football?”
- Write three sentences about your daily routine using -ER verbs.
- Make these sentences negative: “Il mange à l’école.” / “Vous chantez bien.”
- What is the nous form of VOYAGER? Why is it spelled that way?
Answers: (1) j’habite, tu habites, il/elle habite, nous habitons, vous habitez, ils/elles habitent (2) Elle étudie le français. Nous n’écoutons pas. Est-ce que tu joues au foot? (3) Open answer (4) Il ne mange pas à l’école. Vous ne chantez pas bien. (5) Nous voyageons – the ‘e’ is added to keep the ‘g’ soft before ‘ons’
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