Question

French Mini-Tutorial: Introduction to Regular -er Verbs & The Present Tense

Answer 1

\({\bf{-er~Verb~Conjugations}}\)

most -er verbs follow this pattern

je: -e
tu: -es
vous: -ez
il/elle/on: -e
nous: -ons
ils/elles: -ent

example: aimer (to love). remove the -er to get "aim" then add the appropriate ending. don't forget liaisons, when applicable.

j'aime
tu aimes
vous aimez
il/elle/on aime
nous aimons
ils/elles aiment

Answer 2

\({\bf{Present~Tense}}\)

the present tense is used to indicate:
- current actions/statuses/etc.
- actions/statuses/etc. occurring in the near future
- ability

examples:
je jongle ---> I juggle, I am juggling, or I can/do juggle

Ils regardent la télé ce soir --> They will watch TV this evening

When using a verb construction involving two verbs (verb + infinitive), only conjugate the first verb.

ex: détester travailler (to hate working)

Tu détestes travailler. Notice how only détester was conjugated.

We will revisit this topic later, as this verb construction gets more complicated when prepositions are added.

Answer 3

\({\bf{Negation~In~The~Present~Tense}}\)

ne + verb + pas is the basic format. ne becomes n' in front of a vowel/h muet.

ex: Je ne vis pas ici --> I don't live here.

however, if you are using a verb + infinitive construction, "ne pas) comes before the verb

ex: Je n'aime pas chanter --> I don't like to sing.

Answer 4

\({\bf{References:}}\)

Rochester, Myrna B. Easy French Step-by-Step, United States, McGraw-Hill Education, 2009, 45-50.

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/vocabulary/calendar/

CollinsDictionary for French and English translations

Forvo (https://forvo.com/), a French pronunciation database with samples from native French speakers