Regular French Verbs Ending in -ER
A very high percentage of verbs in French end in -ER. These are for the most part regular verbs, and their conjugation in the present tense follows a set pattern; you just need to drop the -ER ending of the infinitive form of the verb (in English, the infinitive form is the verb preceded by the word ‘to’). The verb minus its ending is called the stem or radical.
Scroll down to the bottom of this post to watch my video lesson on regular -ER verbs in the present, past, and future tenses.
Conjugating the verbs
In order to conjugate the verbs, you need to drop the -ER and replace it by the following endings:
Aimer (to like/ to love)
J’aim + e
Tu aim + es
Il/elle/on aim + e
Nous aim + ons
Vous aim + ez
Ils/elles aim + ent
Demander (to ask)
Je demand + e
Tu demand + es
Il/elle/on demand + e
Nous demand + ons
Vous demand + ez
Ils/elles demand + ent
Note: When verbs are conjugated in the present tense, they can be interpreted as either the continuous present (“ing” in English) or the simple present.
Examples:
Je travaille sur ce projet = I’m working on this project.
Il travaille chez BMW = He works for BMW.
Tu manges de la soupe = You’re eating soup.
Je mange des plats épicés = I eat spicy foods.
Nous parlons avec Carla = We are speaking with Carla.
Je parle trois langues = I speak three languages.
Note: If there is a second verb following the main verb in the sentence, you only need to conjugate the first one and leave the second one in its infinitive form.
Examples:
J’aime parler à ma fille = I like talking/to talk to my daughter.
Il préfère manger des fruits = He prefers eating/to eat fruits.
A short list of common -ER verbs:
| acheter | to buy |
| adorer | to adore |
| aider | to help |
| aimer | to like / to love |
| aimer mieux | to prefer |
| 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 detest ; to hate |
| dessiner | to draw |
| donner | to give |
| échanger | to exchange |
| écouter | to listen |
| emprunter | to borrow |
| étudier | to study |
| essayer | to try |
| gagner | to win |
| 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 loan |
| quitter la maison | to leave the house |
| raconter | to tell a story |
| regarder | to watch |
| rencontrer | to meet |
| rentrer | to return |
| retrouver | to meet up |
| rêver | to dream |
| rigoler | to laugh |
| terminer | to end |
| travailler | to work |
| trouver | to find |
| voyager | to travel |
There are a few spelling differences for certain -ER verbs:
Manger (to eat) and other verbs that end in ger (voyager, déménager, nager) are conjugated a bit differently in the nous form: An extra E is added for pronunciation purposes.
Je mang + e
Tu mang + es
Il/elle/on mang + e
Nous mang + eons
Vous mang + ez
Ils/elles mang + ent
Verbs like préférer that end in érer have an accent change in every conjugation except for the nous and vous forms.
Je préfère
Tu préfères
Il/elle/on préfère
Nous préférons
Vous préférez
Ils/elles préfèrent
The verbs amener, acheter, appeler and other verbs that end in e + single consonant + er require an added accent, or in the case of appeler, a doubling of the consonant in every conjugation except the nous and vous forms.
J’amène (achète) (appelle)
Tu amènes (achètes) (appelles)
Il/elle/on amène (achète) (appelle)
Nous amenons (achetons) (appelons)
Vous amenez (achetez) (appelez)Ils/elles amènent (achètent) (appellent)
Regular French Verbs Ending in -ER: Present, Passé Composé, and Futur Simple Tenses
A very high percentage of verbs in French end in -ER. These are for the most part regular verbs, and their conjugations follow a set pattern in the présent, passé composé, and even in the futur simple! That’s why this lesson is appropriate for Level A1 even though you usually don’t learn the past and future tenses until later on. You’re going to learn so many verbs, and imagine how great it will feel to use them in 3 tenses!
STEP 1 ➯ Download your 10 page lesson guide and get ready to take notes.
STEP 2 ➯ Watch my 16 minute video presentation of the lesson and follow along with your lesson guide.
STEP 3 ➯ Download and complete your first exercise. It’s in the present tense, multiple choice, and you have to choose which verb fits according to context.
STEP 4 ➯ Download your list of 54 common -ER verbs. You’ll receive a QUIZLET study set to help you memorize the French verbs with their English translations. For each verb, you get an example sentence written in French with English translations.
STEP 5 ➯ Audio recording – 13 minutes. Read along on your list from Step 4 as you listen to an audio recording of each French sentence. Practice reading the sentences aloud with me to practice pronunciation and oral production. Listen to the recording over and over during your commute, while you’re cooking dinner, whenever you like!
STEP 6 ➯ Complete four exercises using -ER verbs. The first one is in the present tense, the second is in the passé composé, the third is in the futur simple, and the fourth is a translation exercise using all three tenses. An answer key is provided.
STEP 7 ➯ Practice cards! You get 45 practice cards to help you master your new skill. Download the version with one card per page for online use, or the one with 4 per page if you prefer to print and cut them out (that’s what I like to do). The instructions are simple. When you pull out a card you will see a French verb written on it with the English translation. The idea is to say three sentences aloud using the verb. One sentence in the present tense, one in the passé composé, and one in the futur simple. You can say the same sentence three times in different tenses if you like, or you can challenge yourself to make three completely different sentences per card. This is a fantastic way to put your new skill into practice!
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