French Present Tense: Conjugation, Uses and Examples

The French present tense, or le présent de l’indicatif, is the tense you will use most often in everyday French. You can use it to introduce yourself, talk about your routine, describe what is happening now and mention plans that are already arranged.

French has one main present tense, while English uses both the present simple and the present continuous. Depending on the context, je travaille can mean “I work” or “I’m working”. To emphasise that an action is happening right now, you can use être en train de: Je suis en train de travailler (I’m working right now).

In this guide, you will learn when to use the French present tense, how to conjugate regular and common irregular verbs, and how to avoid frequent mistakes. You will also find practical examples and exercises to help you use the present tense more naturally. If you would like personalised speaking practice, discover my French conversation lessons.

The French present tense covers several situations that English may express with different forms.

• A description or situation in the present

Use the present to describe a person, identity, place, state or situation that is true now.

Je m’appelle Benjamin. Je suis anglais = My name is Benjamin. I’m English.

• Regular, habitual and repeated facts or actions

Words such as toujours, souvent, parfois and tous les jours often indicate a habit.

Je travaille avec mon mari tous les jours = I work with my husband

• Actions that are currently happening now

Je travaille sur un projet important (en ce moment / maintenant) = I’m working on an important project

• Scheduled actions in the near future

Mardi prochain, il a une réunion importante après son cours de français = Next Tuesday, he has an important meeting after his French class

Être and avoir are the two essential auxiliary verbs in French. They are irregular and do not follow the regular patterns below, so learn their forms early.

Nous sommes prêt(e)s et nous avons le temps. (We are ready and we have time.)

The first group contains verbs ending in -er, apart from aller. It is the largest and most regular verb group.

The first group contains verbs ending in -er, apart from aller. It is the largest and most regular verb group. Examples include chanter (to sing), parler (to speak), aimer (to like or love) and s’habiller (to get dressed).

Remove -er from the infinitive and add the endings -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Spelling Changes in Common ER Verbs

The first group is the easiest one to conjugate. However, bear in mind there are just a few exceptions to the rules.

• French Verbs with -CER

You need to add a cedilla (ç) to the -c of the first person plural

AVANCER = to move forward
COMMENCER = to begin

ex : J’avance / Tu avances / Il-Elle-On avance /Nous avançons / Vous avancez / Ils-Elles avancent

• Verbs with -GER

Here, we add an -e of the first person plural.

MANGER = to eat
VOYAGER = to travel

ex : Je mange / Tu manges / Il-Elle-On mange /Nous mangeons / Vous mangez / Ils-Elles mangent

• Verbs with -YER

The -y will change before the mute -i. The verbs with -AYER also have 2 forms.

PAYER = to pay

ex1 : Je paye/ Tu payes / Il-Elle-On paye /Nous payons / Vous payez / Ils-Elles payent
ex2 : Je paie / Tu paies / Il-Elle-On paie / Nous payons / Vous payez / Ils-Elles paient

• Verbs with -ELER/ETER

They take two -l ou two -t before a mute -e.

APPELER = to call

ex : J’appelle / Tu appelles / Il-Elle-On appelle /Nous appelons / Vous appelez / Ils-Elles appellent

Then, the 2^nd group has all the verbs ending with -issons at the “nous” form.

• ACCOMPLIR > nous accomplissons = we accomplish
• CHOISIR > nous choisissons  = we choose
• FINIR > nous finissons = we finish
• REAGIR > nous réagissons = we react

Verbs end with : -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent

The third group includes aller, many verbs ending in -ir, -oir and -re, and other irregular verbs. There is no single ending pattern for the whole group. Learn the most useful verbs in complete sentences and notice how their stems change between singular and plural forms.

verb ALLER

• ALLER = to go

verbs ending with –IR (but not ending with –issons at the 1^st person plural)

Ouvrir and offrir belong to the third group, but their present tense endings resemble those of regular -er verbs.

• OFFRIR = to offer
• OUVRIR = to open

verbs ending with –RE

Vendre follows the common -re pattern, while prendre and apprendre change their stem in the plural forms.

• PRENDRE = to take
• VENDRE = to sell
• APPRENDRE = to learn
• ATTENDRE = to wait

verbs ending with –OIR

• DEVOIR = must / to have to
• POUVOIR = to be able to
• SAVOIR = to know
• VOULOIR = to want

French present tense endings are often easier to recognise in writing than in speech. The endings -e, -es and -ent are normally silent in regular -er verbs, so je parle, tu parles, il parle and ils parlent have the same verb sound.

The nous and vous endings are easier to hear: nous parlons and vous parlez. When an ils or elles subject is followed by a verb beginning with a vowel sound, a liaison may also occur: ils ont and elles aiment.

For more guidance, read these tips to improve your French pronunciation. Repeat each verb with its subject pronoun so that you learn the sound and the form together.

Learn the Verbs You Use Most

Start with être, avoir, aller, faire, pouvoir, vouloir and verbs connected to your daily routine. Learning useful verbs first will help you build sentences more quickly.

Learn Each Verb with Its Pronoun

Say je vais rather than memorising only vais. Learning the verb with its subject pronoun will help you recall the correct form more naturally when you speak. If you need to review French subject and object pronouns, read The Pronouns in French: A Simple Guide.

Practise with Personal Sentences

Use each verb in a sentence related to your life: Je travaille à la maison, Nous choisissons un restaurant or Je prends le train à huit heures. Personal examples are easier to remember than isolated lists.