50 Essential French Verbs — Present Tense Conjugation Guide

French Verbs — Present Tense Notes

The present tense (le présent) is used in French for actions happening now, daily routines, and general truths — very similar to the present tense in English.

There are three regular verb groups, plus a set of irregular verbs that do not follow the same pattern:

• -ER verbs — parler, manger, aimer
• -IR verbs — finir, choisir, réussir
• -RE verbs — vendre, attendre, répondre
• Irregular verbs — être, avoir, aller, faire

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Pronouns and Their Meanings

Pronoun	Meaning
je	I
tu	you
il / elle / on	he / she / one
nous	we
vous	you (formal / plural)
ils / elles	they

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Group 1: Regular -ER Verbs

PARLER (to speak)

Pronoun	Form
je	parle
tu	parles
il / elle / on	parle
nous	parlons
vous	parlez
ils / elles	parlent

AIMER (to like / love)

• je aime
• tu aimes
• il / elle / on aime
• nous aimons
• vous aimez
• ils / elles aiment

MANGER (to eat)

• je mange
• tu manges
• il / elle / on mange
• nous mangeons
• vous mangez
• ils / elles mangent

TRAVAILLER (to work)

• je travaille
• tu travailles
• il / elle / on travaille
• nous travaillons
• vous travaillez
• ils / elles travaillent

Common -ER Verbs

Verb	Meaning
habiter	to live
écouter	to listen
regarder	to watch
chercher	to look for
trouver	to find
penser	to think
jouer	to play
marcher	to walk
acheter	to buy
donner	to give

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Group 2: Regular -IR Verbs

FINIR (to finish)

Pronoun	Form
je	finis
tu	finis
il / elle / on	finit
nous	finissons
vous	finissez
ils / elles	finissent

Common -IR Verbs

Verb	Meaning
choisir	to choose
réussir	to succeed
remplir	to fill
grandir	to grow
obéir	to obey
réfléchir	to think

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Group 3: Regular -RE Verbs

VENDRE (to sell)

Pronoun	Form
je	vends
tu	vends
il / elle / on	vend
nous	vendons
vous	vendez
ils / elles	vendent

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Simple Example Sentences

• Je parle français. I speak French.

• Nous aimons la musique. We like music.

• Il finit son travail. He finishes his work.

• Vous achetez un livre. You buy a book.

• Je suis étudiant. I am a student.

• Nous avons un cours. We have a class.

• Ils vont à l'école. They go to school.

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Why This List Matters

These verbs cover the large majority of everyday French sentences that a beginner or O/L student needs to write and speak. Instead of memorising every verb form separately, it is much easier to learn the pattern of each group — then new verbs become much easier to absorb later.

Simple French Songs for Practice

Listening to short French songs is a simple way to improve pronunciation and rhythm.

• La Vie en Rose — a classic and easy song for improving pronunciation.
• Aux Champs-Élysées — useful for everyday French vocabulary.
• Alouette — good for learning sounds and repetition.

Try listening first, then repeat the chorus slowly. Focus on pronunciation, not speed.

Study Note

Practise conjugating a small set of verbs — five or six — until they come naturally, before adding more. Writing full sentences with each pronoun (je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils) helps fix the pattern far better than simply reciting a chart.

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Ms. Shenya Wanninayake — MA Linguistics (UOK) · DELF B1 · French Avenue Masterclass