We use the Present Tense to talk about what is happening right now, at this very minute, e.g. “The teacher is talking.” “The boy is listening.”

A “regular” verb follows a pattern

Eg I sing we sing

you sing you sing

he/she sings they sing

The pattern in English is EASY!

The pattern in French is more complicated.

There are three groups of regular verbs in French and we are going to look at each group separately.

The first group is

90% of French verbs are regular ER verbs so it is well worth learning these endings.

To form the present tense of a regular ER verb, you should follow these rules:

1. Start off with the infinitive, i.e. regarder – to watch

2. Take off the ER at the end, leaving the stem, i.e. regard

3. Add the endings as shown:

Here’s how it’s done:

Take off the ER, leaving the stem:

Add the following endings:

Take the infinitive:

regarder = to watch

I watch, am watchingYou watch, are watchingHe watch, is watchingShe watches, is watchingWe watch, are watchingWe watch, are watchingYou all watch, are

watchingThey watch, are watchingThey watch, are watching (girls only)

• Je regardE• Tu regardES• Il regardE• Elle regardE• On regardE• Nous regardONS• Vous regardEZ• Ils regardENT• Elles regardENT

• Je • Tu• Il • Elle • On • Nous• Vous• Ils• Elles

• Je regarder• Tu regarder• Il regarder• Elle regarder• On regarder• Nous regarder• Vous regarder• Ils regarder• Elles regarder

• Je regard• Tu regard• Il regard• Elle regard• On regard• Nous regard• Vous regard• Ils regard• Elles regard

Let’s use those rules to create all the parts of the verb

écouter = to listen • I listen• You listen• He listens• She listens• We listen• We listen• You listen• They listen• They listen

• J’écoute• Tu écoutes• Il écoute• Elle écoute• On écoute• Nous écoutons• Vous écoutez• Ils écoutent• Elles écoutent

REGULAR “ER” VERBS

PRACTICE EXERCISES  1. Je ____________ la télé. (regarder) 2. Il _____________ à Dornoch. (habiter) 3. Nous _______________ à la disco. (danser) 4. Elles ______________ au volleyball. (jouer) 5. Tu ____________ faire les magasins. (aimer) 6. Vous ______________ de la musique. (écouter) 7. On _________________ au téléphone. (parler) 8. Elle _______________ des baskets. (chercher) 9. Ils _______________ au collège. (travailler)10. Elles ______________ au cinéma. (arriver)

regardehabite

dansonsjouent

aimesécoutezparle

cherchetravaillentarrivent

Some common ER verbsCopy and match up

1. travailler – 2. porter – 3. penser - 4. chanter - 5. ranger - 6. laver – 7. oublier –8. trouver -9. chercher -10.se presenter -

a) to forgetb) to singc) to introduced) to finde) to washf) to look forg) to tidyh) to worki) to wearj) to think

h) to worki) to wearj) to thinkk) to singg) to tidyh) to washi) to forgetd) to findf) to look forc) to introduce

The second group of verbs are ‘RE’ verbs.REGULAR “RE” VERBS

There are relatively few common « RE » verbs. Here are some of the most common ones:

vendre - to sellentendre - to hearattendre - to wait forrépondre - to replydescendre- to go downperdre - to lose

The RE verbs work in the same way as ER verbs:

To form the present tense of a regular RE verb, you should follow the following rules:

1. Start off with the infinitive, e.g. vendre – to sell

2. Take off the RE at the end, leaving the stem, i.e. vend

3. Add the endings as shown:

Here’s how it’s done:

Take the infinitive:

Take off the RE, leaving the stem:

Add the following endings:

vendre = to sell

I sell, am sellingYou sell, are sellingHe sells, is sellingShe sells, is sellingWe sell, are sellingWe sell, are sellingYou all sell, are sellingThey sell, are sellingThey sell, are selling (girls only)

• Je vendS• Tu vendS• Il vend_• Elle vend_• On vend_• Nous vendONS• Vous vendEZ• Ils vendENT• Elles vendENT

• Je • Tu• Il • Elle • On • Nous• Vous• Ils• Elles

• Je vendre• Tu vendre• Il vendre• Elle vendre• On vendre• Nous vendre• Vous vendre• Ils vendre• Elles vendre

• Je vend• Tu vend• Il vend• Elle vend• On vend• Nous vend• Vous vend• Ils vend• Elles vend

Practice Exercises:

1. J’ ___________ le bus. (attendre)

2. Il ___________ son ballon. (perdre)

3. Nous ___________ notre maison. (vendre)

4. Elles ____________ la colline. (descendre)

5. On _____________ les oiseaux. (entendre)

6. Tu _____________ à la lettre. (répondre)

7. Vous ____________ des livres. (vendre)

8. Je _____________ l’escalier. (descendre)

9. Ils _____________ la sonnerie. (entendre)

10. Elle _____________ au courier électronique. (répondre)

attends

perd

vendons

descendent

entend

réponds

vendez

descends

entendent

répond

REGULAR “IR” VERBS

There are relatively few common « IR » verbs.

Here is some practice with the most common ones:

finir - to finishgrossir - to get fatrougir - to blushnourrir - to feedchoisir - to choose

The third group of verbs are:

To form the present tense of a regular IR verb, you should follow these rules:

1. Start off with the infinitive, i.e.finir – to finish

2. Take off the IR at the end, leaving the stem, i.e. fin

3. Add the endings as shown:

Here’s how it’s done:

Take the infinitive:

Take off the IR, leaving the stem:

Add the following endings:

finir = to finish

I finish am finishingYou finish, are finishingHe finishes, is finishingShe finishes, is finishingWe finish, are finishingWe finish, are finishingYou all finish, are finishingThey finish, are finishingThey finish, are finishing (girls only)

• Je finIS• Tu finIS• Il finIT• Elle finIT• On finIT• Nous finISSONS• Vous finISSEZ• Ils finISSENT• Elles finISSENT

• Je • Tu• Il • Elle • On • Nous• Vous• Ils• Elles

• Je finir• Tu finir• Il finir• Elle finir• On finir• Nous finir• Vous finir • Ils finir • Elles finir

• Je fin• Tu fin• Il fin• Elle fin• On fin• Nous fin• Vous fin• Ils fin• Elles fin

1. Tu ____________ tes devoirs. (finir)

2. Il ____________. (rougir)

3. Elles mangent trop de gâteaux et elles _____________. (grossir)

4. On ______________ le chien. (nourrir)

5. Nous ______________ la grande pizza. (choisir)

6. Elle _______________ les oiseaux. (nourrir)

7. Je _____________ le livre. (finir)

8. Vous ______________. (grossir)

9. Ils ________________ parce qu’ils sont timides. (rougir)

10.Je ________________ la robe bleue. (choisir)

finis

rougit

grossissent

nourrit

choisissons

nourrit

finis

grossissez

rougissent

choisis

Summary of Regular Verb EndingsTo form the present tense take off

the last 2 letters of the infinitive (ER, RE or IR) and add the following

endings.

ER RE IR

I Je -e -s -is

You Tu -es -s -is

He/She/We Il/Elle/On

-e - -it

We Nous -ons

-ons

-issons

You all/You (f) Vous -ez -ez -issez

They Ils/Elles -ent

-ent

-issent