List of Regular French Verbs Ending in -ER

List of Regular French Verbs Ending in -ER

A large number of French verbs end in -ER. Most belong to the first group of French verbs and follow the same conjugation pattern in the present tense.

To conjugate a regular -ER verb, remove the -ER ending from the infinitive and add the appropriate present-tense ending. The part of the verb that remains is called the stem or radical.

For example:

parler → parl-
aimer → aim-
demander → demand-

You can find a complete explanation of regular French present-tense verb endings, including -ER, -IR, and -RE verbs, in my related lesson.

You can download a PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.

How to conjugate regular French -ER verbs

Regular -ER verbs use the following endings in the present tense:

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

Let’s look at two examples.

Aimer (to like / to love)

French	English
J’aime	I like / I love
Tu aimes	You like / You love
Il / elle / on aime	He / she / one likes
Nous aimons	We like
Vous aimez	You like
Ils / elles aiment	They like

Demander (to ask)

French	English
Je demande	I ask
Tu demandes	You ask
Il / elle / on demande	He / she / one asks
Nous demandons	We ask
Vous demandez	You ask
Ils / elles demandent	They ask

Remember that the French present tense can express both the simple present and the present continuous in English.

For example:

Je travaille sur ce projet. = I work on this project. / I’m working on this project.
Il travaille chez BMW. = He works for BMW.
Tu manges de la soupe. = You eat soup. / You’re eating soup.
Je parle trois langues. = I speak three languages.
Nous parlons avec Carla. = We speak with Carla. / We’re speaking with Carla.

Using two verbs together

When one conjugated verb is followed by another verb, the second verb usually stays in the infinitive.

Examples:

J’aime parler à ma fille. = I like talking to my daughter.
Il préfère manger des fruits. = He prefers eating fruit.
Nous allons visiter Paris. = We’re going to visit Paris.

List of regular French verbs ending in -ER

Here is a list of common French -ER verbs and their English meanings. You can use it to build your vocabulary and practice conjugating verbs in the present tense.

French verb	English meaning
acheter	to buy
adorer	to adore
aider	to help
aimer	to like / to love
aimer mieux	to like better
amener	to bring a person somewhere
appeler	to call
apporter	to bring something
arriver	to arrive
casser	to break
changer	to change
chanter	to sing
chercher	to look for
commencer	to begin
continuer	to continue
coûter	to cost
cuisiner	to cook
déménager	to move house
dépenser	to spend
détester	to hate / to detest
dessiner	to draw
donner	to give
échanger	to exchange
écouter	to listen
emprunter	to borrow
étudier	to study
essayer	to try
gagner	to win / to earn
garder	to keep
habiter	to live
jardiner	to garden
jouer	to play
manger	to eat
marcher	to walk
oublier	to forget
parler	to speak
partager	to share
payer	to pay
penser (que)	to think (that)
préférer	to prefer
préparer	to prepare
prêter	to lend
quitter la maison	to leave the house
raconter	to tell a story
regarder	to watch / to look at
rencontrer	to meet
rentrer	to return / to go home
retrouver	to find again / to meet up with
rêver	to dream
rigoler	to laugh
terminer	to finish
travailler	to work
trouver	to find
voyager	to travel

A note about regularity: These verbs belong to the -ER verb group, but some have spelling changes in certain forms. Their endings follow the same general -ER pattern.

Spelling changes in some French -ER verbs

Most -ER verbs follow the same spelling pattern throughout their conjugation. However, some verbs have small spelling changes to preserve pronunciation.

The endings remain the same; it is the spelling of the stem that changes.

1. Verbs ending in -GER

Verbs such as manger, voyager, déménager, and nager keep an extra e in the nous form.

The extra e preserves the soft sound of the g.

Manger (to eat)

Je mange
Tu manges
Il / elle / on mange
Nous mangeons
Vous mangez
Ils / elles mangent

Notice that the nous form is mangeons, not mangons.

2. Verbs ending in -CER

Verbs such as commencer use a cedilla under the c in the nous form.

The cedilla preserves the soft sound of the c.

Commencer (to begin)

Je commence
Tu commences
Il / elle / on commence
Nous commençons
Vous commencez
Ils / elles commencent

Notice that the nous form is commençons, not commencons.

3. Verbs like préférer

Some verbs change the accent on the e in the stem. In verbs such as préférer, the é changes to è in all forms except nous and vous.

Préférer (to prefer)

Je préfère
Tu préfères
Il / elle / on préfère
Nous préférons
Vous préférez
Ils / elles préfèrent

The same pattern appears in verbs such as espérer and répéter.

4. Verbs like acheter and appeler

Some verbs change the spelling of their stem in the same forms: je, tu, il / elle / on, and ils / elles.

With acheter, the e changes to è:

J’achète
Tu achètes
Il / elle / on achète
Nous achetons
Vous achetez
Ils / elles achètent

With appeler, the consonant l doubles:

J’appelle
Tu appelles
Il / elle / on appelle
Nous appelons
Vous appelez
Ils / elles appellent

These spelling changes help preserve the pronunciation of the verb.

5. Verbs ending in -YER

Some verbs ending in -YER change the y to i in certain forms. With payer, both spellings are possible in some forms.

Payer (to pay)

Je paie / paye
Tu paies / payes
Il / elle / on paie / paye
Nous payons
Vous payez
Ils / elles paient / payent

Other -YER verbs have similar spelling patterns. The exact rule can depend on the verb.

Practice conjugating French -ER verbs

The best way to become comfortable with these verbs is to practice using them in sentences. Start with the regular endings, then pay attention to the spelling changes in verbs such as manger, commencer, préférer, acheter, and appeler.

Remember: