Present Indicative in FrenchA1

The present situates an action or a state in the current moment. It is used when what is said is true at the moment of speaking: I am reading, he is working, we are here. The verb shows that the action is in progress, or that the situation exists now. With a state verb like to be, to seem or to appear, the present also describes a present condition: she is tired, the sky is gray.

The present is also used to talk about what repeats. It expresses a habit, a routine or a regular action: I take the metro every day, they eat at noon. It is also used for general truths and permanent facts: water boils at 100 degrees, Paris is in France. In these sentences, the tense does not refer to a single moment, but to a stable or repeated reality.

Uses of the present in daily life

Usage	Explanation
Répétition	We use the present for an action that comes up often in everyday life.
Vérité générale	We use the present to state a fact that is always true.

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In a narrative, the present can replace the past to give more immediacy. The story is then told as if it is unfolding before the reader: I enter the cafe, I look around me, then I see my friend. This present is often preceded by a past frame already understood in the context. It provides an immediacy effect, especially in oral narratives, anecdotes and some literary texts.

Present that makes the story feel alive

Usage	Explanation
Récit animé	We use the present to give more life to a past event.
Effet immédiat	We use the present to make the action feel current in a narrative.

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The present can announce a future action when it is already planned or when it is about to arrive very soon. It is encountered with a clear time cue: this evening, tomorrow, in five minutes, next week. We then say: I am leaving tomorrow, the train arrives in two minutes. The future meaning comes from the context, not from the form of the verb. For the more general future, one uses the simple future, studied in Temps verbaux .

Present for a very near future

Usage	Explanation
Very near plan	We use the present for an action already decided and very close.
Fixed schedule	We use the present for a rendezvous or a planned activity.

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The present can recount a past event if the time frame is already fixed. In a sequence of past actions, a speaker can switch to the present to make a scene more direct: Yesterday, I arrive at the station, I see my brother, and he tells me to get in. The reference time remains in the past, but the verb form changes to create a sense of proximity. This device always depends on a clear temporal context.

Present for a recounted past

Usage	Explanation
Past clarified by context	We use the present to tell about a past event when the moment is obvious.
Souvenir narratif	We use the present to make a memory more direct.

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Regular -er verbs take the verb stem + the endings -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. We remove -er from the infinitive, then add the endings: parler gives I speak, you speak, he speaks, we speak, you speak, they speak. The stem stays the same across the present. This regularity also serves as a base for many other verbs in Verbes réguliers .

Present of regular -er verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	parler	parle
tu	parler	parles
il	parler	parle
nous	parler	parlons
vous	parler	parlez
ils	parler	parlent

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Some regular -ir verbs follow the model of finir: I finish, you finish, he finishes, we finish, you finish, they finish. The plural forms take -iss- before the ending. Thus the stem is fin- for je, tu, il, ils and finiss- for nous and vous. This type of conjugation belongs to the regular verbs presented in Verbes réguliers .

Present of regular -ir verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	finir	finis
tu	finir	finis
il	finir	finit
nous	finir	finissons
vous	finir	finissez
ils	finir	finissent

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Regular -re verbs often keep the stem and change according to the person, as rendre : I render, you render, he renders, we render, you render, they render. The -re of the infinitive disappears, then the endings are added to the stem rend-. The singular and plural forms follow the same lexical core, which makes the structure easy to recognize once the pattern is learned. For the basics of conjugation, also see Verbes réguliers .

Present of regular -re verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	rendre	rends
tu	rendre	rends
il	rendre	rend
nous	rendre	rendons
vous	rendre	rendez
ils	rendre	rendent

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Être and avoir are two very common verbs in the present. Be is conjugated as I am, you are, he is, we are, you are, they are. Have is conjugated as I have, you have, he has, we have, you have, they have. Their forms do not follow a regular pattern, and they also serve as auxiliaries in other tenses, as explained in Temps verbaux . These verbs appear in basic sentences like I am sick or we have time.

Present of être and avoir

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	être	suis
tu	être	es
il	être	est
nous	être	sommes
vous	être	êtes
ils	être	sont
je	avoir	ai
tu	avoir	as
il	avoir	a
nous	avoir	avons
vous	avoir	avez
ils	avoir	ont

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Several very common verbs have irregular forms in the present. Aller gives I go, you go, he goes, we go, you go, they go. Faire gives I do, you do, he does, we do, you do, they do. Venir gives I come, you come, he comes, we come, you come, they come. Prendre gives I take, you take, he takes, we take, you take, they take. Pouvoir gives I can, you can, he can, we can, you can, they can. Vouloir gives I want, you want, he wants, we want, you want, they want. These verbs often change the stem or retain old forms.

Present of frequently irregular verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	aller	vais
tu	aller	vas
il	aller	va
nous	aller	allons
vous	aller	allez
ils	aller	vont
je	faire	fais
tu	faire	fais
il	faire	fait
nous	faire	faisons
vous	faire	faites
ils	faire	font
je	venir	viens
je	prendre	prends
je	pouvoir	peux
je	vouloir	veux

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Some very frequent verbs have even more peculiar forms. Savoir gives I know, you know, he knows, we know, you know, they know. Voir gives I see, you see, he sees, we see, you see, they see. Dire gives I say, you say, he says, we say, you say, they say. These verbs do not follow a single stem nor a perfectly regular pattern, but they remain easy to recognize because their forms recur often in everyday language. To distinguish verb families, also compare Verbes irréguliers .

Present of three very irregular verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	savoir	sais
nous	savoir	savons
je	voir	vois
ils	voir	voient
je	dire	dis
vous	dire	dites

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In speech, -ent is not pronounced in the third person plural for most verbs: they speak, they eat, they finish. The difference between he speaks and they speak is mainly visible in writing. Many present-tense forms are thus distinguished by the written ending, not by the sound. The we and you forms are often more audible, because they keep clearer endings like -ons and -ez.

Pronunciation of the ent final

Word	Notation	Description	Example
ils parlent	il parl	In most present tense verbs, the group ent is not pronounced at the end.	Dans le parc, ils parlent pendant que le vent applaudit.In the park, they speak while the wind applauds.
elles chantent	el ʃɑ̃t	In speech, the ending ent remains silent in this form.	Le soir, elles chantent pour endormir la lune.In the evening, they sing to lull the moon.
je parle	ʒə paʁl	In speech, the singular ending is sometimes heard alone without the group ent.	Quand tout le monde dort, je parle au poisson rouge.When everyone is asleep, I talk to the goldfish.

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