By the end of this lesson you'll be able to use any regular -er verb with every subject pronoun, say what you do and where you live and work, and know which endings you can hear.
A pattern, at last
So far, you've met verbs one at a time. Here's a whole family that follows one pattern. In the dictionary, French verbs appear in a basic form called the infinitive, like "to speak" in English. A very large group of them have infinitives ending in -er: parler, habiter, travailler.
To use one of these verbs, remove the -er to get the stem, then add the ending that matches the subject. You'll use the pronouns from the subject pronouns lesson.
| Subject | Ending | parler → parl- |
|---|---|---|
| je | -e | parle |
| tu | -es | parles |
| il / elle / on | -e | parle |
| nous | -ons | parlons |
| vous | -ez | parlez |
| ils / elles | -ent | parlent |
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je parle | zhuh PARL | I speak, I'm speaking |
| tu parles | tew PARL | you speak (informal) |
| il parle / elle parle | eel PARL / el PARL | he speaks / she speaks |
| on parle | ohn PARL | we speak (casual) |
| nous parlons | noo par-LOHN | we speak |
| vous parlez | voo par-LAY | you speak (formal or plural) |
| ils parlent / elles parlent | eel PARL / el PARL | they speak |
Which endings you can hear
This is the best news about -er verbs. Three of the endings are completely silent: -e, -es and -ent. So parle, parles and parlent all sound the same. In speech you only have to get the stem right, except with nous and vous.
The ending -ons sounds nasal, and -ez sounds just like the end of the infinitive, so parlez and parler sound the same.
You still have to write the endings, though. Ils parlent needs its -ent even though nobody hears it.
Verbs starting with a vowel
Some verbs start with a vowel or a silent h. Two familiar things happen. Je shortens to j', as in j'habite, and the final s of nous, vous, ils and elles links with a z sound, as in nous habitons.
Verbs you can use now
Here are some of the most useful ones. They all follow the same pattern.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| parler | par-LAY | to speak |
| habiter | ah-bee-TAY | to live (in a place) |
| travailler | trah-vah-YAY | to work |
| écouter | ay-koo-TAY | to listen to |
| regarder | ruh-gar-DAY | to watch, to look at |
| arriver | ah-ree-VAY | to arrive |
| chercher | shehr-SHAY | to look for |
| étudier | ay-tew-DYAY | to study |
To say where you live or work, or which language you speak, you only need these three small words.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| français | frahn-SEH | French (the language) |
| anglais | ahn-GLEH | English (the language) |
| à | ah | in, at (with a city)à Paris (in Paris) |
Je parle français et anglais.
I speak French and English.
Elle habite à Marseille.
She lives in Marseille.
Vous travaillez où ?
Where do you work?
Nous cherchons la gare.
We're looking for the station.
Ils arrivent !
They're arriving!
Notice the question: to ask something casually, you can simply use a statement with a question mark, as in Vous travaillez où ? or Tu parles anglais ?
One form, several meanings
English has several ways of saying the present: "I work", "I'm working", "I do work". French uses a single form for all of them: je travaille. The context tells the listener which you mean.
If you use the verb manger (to eat), you'll spot a small spelling change with nous: nous mangeons. The extra e keeps the g soft. Every other form follows the pattern.
Putting it together
Here's a quick exchange between two people at a conference. They use vous because they've just met.
- Bonjour ! Vous habitez à Paris ? (Hello! Do you live in Paris?)
- Non, j'habite à Rouen, et je travaille à Caen. Et vous ? (No, I live in Rouen, and I work in Caen. And you?)
- Moi, j'étudie à Strasbourg. (Me, I study in Strasbourg.)
What's next
Next, the lesson on likes and dislikes uses the -er verbs aimer, adorer and détester to talk about what you enjoy. The lesson on negation shows how to say you don't do something. Then the lesson on -ir and -re verbs introduces the two smaller verb families.