Overview
The verb être means to be in English and is one of the most essential and irregular verbs in French. It is used to describe identity, characteristics, locations, and states of being. Mastery of être is crucial for building basic sentences and expressing various concepts in French.
Present Tense
The present tense of être is used to describe current states or facts. It is irregular, so it does not follow regular conjugation patterns and must be memorized.
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | suis | I am | Je suis étudiant. | I am a student. |
| tu | es | you are (singular) | Tu es professeur. | You are a teacher. |
| il/elle/on | est | he/she/one is | Elle est contente. | She is happy. |
| nous | sommes | we are | Nous sommes prêts. | We are ready. |
| vous | êtes | you are (plural) | Vous êtes en retard. | You are late. |
| ils/elles | sont | they are | Ils sont contents. | They are happy. |
Past Tense: Passé Composé
The passé composé of être is formed with the auxiliary verb avoir plus the past participle été. It describes completed actions.
Example:
- J'ai été malade.
- I was sick.
Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense describes ongoing or habitual actions in the past.
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | étais | I was | J'étais fatigué. | I was tired. |
| tu | étais | you were | Tu étais jeune. | You were young. |
| il/elle/on | était | he/she/one was | Il était ici. | He was here. |
| nous | étions | we were | Nous étions contents. | We were happy. |
| vous | étiez | you were | Vous étiez là. | You were there. |
| ils/elles | étaient | they were | Elles étaient en vacances. | They were on vacation. |
Future Tense
The future tense is used to express what will happen.
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | serai | I will be | Je serai là demain. | I will be there tomorrow. |
| tu | seras | you will be | Tu seras prêt à temps. | You will be ready on time. |
| il/elle/on | sera | he/she/one will be | Elle sera contente. | She will be happy. |
| nous | serons | we will be | Nous serons en vacances. | We will be on vacation. |
| vous | serez | you will be | Vous serez surpris. | You will be surprised. |
| ils/elles | seront | they will be | Ils seront ici bientôt. | They will be here soon. |
Usage Notes
The verb être is also used as an auxiliary verb with many verbs in the passé composé, especially reflexive verbs and certain movement verbs (like aller - to go, venir - to come). Understanding être will help significantly with verb conjugation and sentence structure in French.
