Everyday communication depends on clearly making statements that describe actions, habits, and facts. This guide covers the key sentence structures for expressing what someone does, what happens, and what is true.
Present Tense
Use the present tense to describe habitual actions, current activities, and general truths. The guide focuses on the présent de l'indicatif with examples of common regular and irregular verbs.
Regular -er Verbs
Regular -er verbs follow a predictable pattern where you remove -er and add endings like -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent for each person. This makes them easy to conjugate in everyday sentences.
| French Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| je parle | I speak / I am speaking | |
| tu parles | you speak / you are speaking | |
| il/elle parle | he/she speaks / is speaking | |
| nous parlons | we speak / we are speaking | |
| vous parlez | you (pl.) speak / are speaking | |
| ils/elles parlent | they speak / they are speaking |
I speak with her every day.
Regular -ir Verbs
Regular -ir verbs like finir follow a pattern where you remove -ir and add endings such as -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. This pattern applies to many common verbs used in statements.
| French Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| je finis | I finish / I am finishing | |
| tu finis | you finish / you are finishing | |
| il/elle finit | he/she finishes / is finishing | |
| nous finissons | we finish / we are finishing | |
| vous finissez | you (pl.) finish / are finishing | |
| ils/elles finissent | they finish / they are finishing |
Regular -re Verbs
Regular -re verbs like attendre remove the -re and add endings such as -s, -s, -, -ons, -ez, -ent. This pattern is used for many common verbs that describe actions in statements.
| French Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| j'attends | I wait / I am waiting | |
| tu attends | you wait / you are waiting | |
| il/elle attend | he/she waits / is waiting | |
| nous attendons | we wait / we are waiting | |
| vous attendez | you (pl.) wait / are waiting | |
| ils/elles attendent | they wait / they are waiting |
Key Verbs
Certain high-frequency verbs like être, avoir, aller, and faire are essential for making statements and often appear in everyday sentences. They are irregular but must be learned to communicate smoothly.
| French Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| je suis | I am | |
| tu es | you are | |
| il/elle est | he/she is | |
| nous sommes | we are | |
| vous êtes | you (pl.) are | |
| ils/elles sont | they are |
| French Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| j'ai | I have | |
| tu as | you have | |
| il/elle a | he/she has | |
| nous avons | we have | |
| vous avez | you (pl.) have | |
| ils/elles ont | they have |
| French Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| je vais | I go / I am going | |
| tu vas | you go / you are going | |
| il/elle va | he/she goes / is going | |
| nous allons | we go / we are going | |
| vous allez | you (pl.) go / are going | |
| ils/elles vont | they go / they are going |
| French Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| je fais | I do / I make | |
| tu fais | you do / you make | |
| il/elle fait | he/she does / makes | |
| nous faisons | we do / we make | |
| vous faites | you (pl.) do / make | |
| ils/elles font | they do / they make |
Expressions with avoir
Many common expressions use avoir plus a noun to describe states like age, thirst, hunger, and fear. These set phrases are more natural than using être for such conditions.
| French Expression | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| j'ai faim | I am hungry | |
| tu as soif | you are thirsty | |
| il/elle a peur | he/she is afraid | |
| nous avons chaud | we are hot | |
| vous avez froid | you (pl.) are cold | |
| ils/elles ont raison | they are right |
Negative Statements
To make a statement negative, place ne before the verb and pas after it. In everyday speech, the ne is often dropped, but including both makes the negation clear. This works with all tenses.
Summary
Making clear statements relies on the present tense for habitual and current actions, mastering regular endings for -er, -ir, and -re verbs, and learning key irregular verbs. Negative forms and set expressions with avoir round out everyday sentence building.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025