👉 Watch my video lesson on this French grammar topic at the bottom of this post 👈
👉 Click here for a list of regular French verbs ending in -ER 👈
PRESENT TENSE CONJUGATION CHART: REGULAR -ER VERBS
| JE PARLE | NOUS PARLONS |
| TU PARLES | VOUS PARLEZ |
| IL – ELLE – ON PARLE | ILS PARLENT |
PASSÉ COMPOSÉ CONJUGATION CHART: REGULAR -ER VERBS
| J’AI PARLÉ | NOUS AVONS PARLÉ |
| TU AS PARLÉ | VOUS AVEZ PARLÉ |
| IL A – ELLE A – ON A PARLÉ | ILS ONT – ELLES ONT PARLÉ |
SIMPLE FORMS OF NEGATION
Remember that when there’s an indefinite article (UN – UNE) or a partitive article (DU – DE LA – DES being used to mean SOME) after a negative, the article changes to DE.
| NE (VERB) PAS | SIMPLY NEGATES THE VERB |
| NE (VERB) JAMAIS | NEVER |
| NE (VERB) RIEN | NOTHING / ANYTHING |
| NE (VERB) PLUS | ANYMORE |
| NE (VERB) PAS ENCORE | NOT YET |
| JE | APPORTER TO BRING SOMETHING | J’apporte du chocolat. (DE + LE = DU) I am bringing some chocolate. |
| add | negation | Je n’apporte pas de chocolat. I am not bringing any chocolate. |
| add | passé composé | Je n’ai pas apporté de chocolat. I didn’t bring any chocolate. |
| TU | CHERCHER TO LOOK FOR | Tu cherches ton chien. You are looking for your dog. |
| add | negation | Tu ne cherches plus ton chien. You’re not looking for your dog anymore. |
| add | passé composé | Tu n’as plus cherché ton chien. You didn’t look for your dog anymore. |
| IL | COMMENCER À + VERB TO BEGIN DOING SOMETHING | Il commence à chanter. He is starting to sing. |
| add | negation | Il ne commence pas encore à chanter. He isn’t starting to sing yet. |
| add | passé composé | Il n’a pas encore commencé à chanter. He hasn’t yet started singing. |
| ELLE | DÉPENSER TO SPEND MONEY | Elle dépense de l’argent au supermarché. (À + LE = AU) She spends money at the supermarket. |
| add | negation | Elle ne dépense jamais d’argent au supermarché. She never spends any money at the supermarket. |
| add | passé composé | Elle n’a jamais dépensé d’argent au supermarché. |
| ON | HABITER TO LIVE | On habite dans un appartement. We live in an apartment. |
| add | negation | On n’habite plus dans un appartement. We don’t live in an apartment anymore. |
| add | passé composé | On n’a jamais habité dans un appartment. We have never lived in an apartment. |
| NOUS | JOUER À TO PLAY A GAME | Nous jouons au Scrabble. (À + LE = AU) We are playing Scrabble. |
| add | negation | Nous ne jouons pas au Scrabble. We aren’t playing Scrabble. |
| add | passé composé | Nous n’avons pas joué au Scrabble. We did not play Scrabble. |
| VOUS | MANGER TO EAT | Vous mangez une banane. You’re eating a banana. |
| add | negation | Vous ne mangez rien. You’re not eating anything. |
| add | passé composé | Vous n’avez rien mangé. You didn’t eat anything. |
| ILS | PARTAGER TO SHARE | Ils partagent leurs bonbons. They are sharing their candy. |
| add | negation | Ils ne partagent jamais leurs bonbons. They never share their candy. |
| add | passé composé | Ils n’ont pas partagé leurs bonbons. They did not share their candy. |
| JE | ENVOYER TO SEND | J’envoie des cartes d’anniversaire à ma tante. I send birthday cards to my aunt. |
| add | negation | Je n’envoie jamais de cartes d’anniversaire à ma tante. I never send birthday cards to my aunt. |
| add | passé composé | Je n’ai jamais envoyé de cartes d’anniversaire à ma tante. I have never sent birthday cards to my aunt. |
| TU | FERMER TO CLOSE | Pourquoi est-ce que tu fermes la porte? Why do you always close the door? |
| add | negation | Pourquoi est-ce que tu ne fermes jamais la porte? Why don’t you ever close the door? |
| add | passé composé | Pourquoi est-ce que tu n’as jamais fermé la porte? Why didn’t you ever close the door? |
| IL | RENCONTRER TO MEET | Il rencontre les parents de sa copine demain. He is meeting his girlfriend’s parents tomorrow. |
| add | negation | Il ne rencontre pas les parents de sa copine demain. He is not meeting his girlfriend’s parents tomorrow. |
| add | passé composé | Il n’a jamais rencontré les parents de sa copine. He has never met his girlfriend’s parents. |
| NOUS | TRAVAILLER TO WORK | Nous travaillons de la maison. We are working from home. |
| add | negation | Nous ne travaillons plus de la maison. We don’t work from home anymore. |
| add | passé composé | Nous n’avons jamais travaillé de la maison. We have never worked from home. |
| VOUS | VOYAGER TO TRAVEL | Vous voyagez en Irlande? You are traveling to Ireland? |
| add | negation | Vous ne voyagez pas en Irlande? You aren’t traveling to Ireland? |
| add | passé composé | Vous n’avez pas encore voyagé en Irlande? You haven’t traveled to Ireland yet? |
| ELLES | DONNER TO GIVE | Elles donnent un vélo à leur nièce. They are giving a bike to their niece. |
| add | negation | Elles ne donnent rien à leur nièce. They are not giving anything to their niece. |
| add | passé composé | Elles n’ont rien donné à leur nièce. They didn’t give anything to their niece. |
Level A1: Regular ER Verbs in the Present Tense and Passé Composé + 5 Ways to Use Negation
Regular verbs ending in ER represent the largest group of verbs in French. In this lesson we will focus on 15 of them, and you will learn how to use them both in the present tense and in the passé composé. You’ll learn how to use simple negation as well as how to say never, nothing, anymore, and not yet. This is a very comprehensive lesson in which I give lots of examples, and the way I teach it will make you feel as if we’re sitting together in a 1:1 session!
Included in this lesson:
➯ STEP 1 – «COURS»: Download your cours before watching the video and be ready to take notes. This is an 8 page skeleton outline of the lesson that you can print and use to follow along as I teach. There is space for you to write examples. This is an important part of the learning process as you will retain more if you actively participate rather than simply listening.
➯ STEP 2 – Lesson guide: I’m including a study guide so that you will have a neat 6 page copy of the lesson to add to your LLL French grammar resources.
➯ STEP 3 – Jennifer’s live lesson notes: As I teach this lesson, you will see that I write examples, notes, tips, and other helpful grammar information directly on the screen. This is a 9 page copy of my personal notes written while recording.
➯ STEP 4 – Video tutorial: 45 minute lesson in which I teach you everything outlined on your 8 page cours.
➯ STEP 5 – Written exercise:25 sentences to write either in the present tense or passé composé. All of them include one of the types of negation you will learn during the lesson. An answer key is included.
Modèle: Présent – Je – ne pas – souvent – parler – téléphone.
en français: Je ne parle pas souvent au téléphone.
en anglais: I don’t often speak on the phone.
➯ STEP 6 – Audio: 15 sentences using -ER verbs are included in this dictation exercise that will help you with listening comprehension and written production. All of the verbs from the lesson are used either in the present tense or passé composé, and half of the sentences use negation. I will read each sentence twice, giving you time to write what I say. An answer key is included.
➯ STEP 7 – Practice cards: Use your set of 100 practice cards to drill everything you learn during this lesson. Every verb from the lesson is included and repeated in different ways in this very useful set of cards. I’m including three versions:
- One set is for online use and does not include answers – 100 cards, 1 per page
- One set is for online use and includes answers on every other card – 200 cards, 1 per page
- One set is for printing and cutting out, answers not included (see the answers on SET 2) – 100 cards, 4 per page
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