The French Present Tense (Présent de l'Indicatif)
The present tense (présent de l'indicatif) is the most frequently used verb tense in French. It describes habitual actions, current states and general facts. Mastering it is the first step toward fluent communication, and it is essential at every level of the DELF.
Conjugating regular -er verbs
Verbs ending in -er form the largest group in French. To conjugate them in the present, remove the -er ending from the infinitive and add: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. Example with parler (to speak): je parle, tu parles, il/elle parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent. Pronunciation is key here: the je, tu, il and ils forms sound identical for most -er verbs, even though they are spelled differently.
Conjugating -ir and -re verbs
Regular -ir verbs (like finir) follow this pattern: je finis, tu finis, il finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent. Notice the double -ss- in the plural forms. Verbs ending in -re (like vendre) drop the final -e: je vends, tu vends, il vend, nous vendons, vous vendez, ils vendent. The third-person singular of -re verbs has no ending -t.
Essential irregular verbs
The most common verbs are irregular: être (to be): suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont. Avoir (to have): ai, as, a, avons, avez, ont. Aller (to go): vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont. Faire (to do/make): fais, fais, fait, faisons, faites, font. Pouvoir (can/to be able to): peux, peux, peut, pouvons, pouvez, peuvent. Vouloir (to want): veux, veux, veut, voulons, voulez, veulent. These verbs appear in almost every DELF sentence, so they deserve top priority when memorizing.
Main uses of the present tense in French
The French present has five main uses: (1) Habitual actions or routines: Je vais au travail tous les jours (I go to work every day). (2) Current states: Il fait froid aujourd'hui (It's cold today). (3) General and scientific truths: L'eau bout à 100 degrés (Water boils at 100 degrees). (4) Historical present, used to make narration more vivid: En 1789, la Révolution éclate (In 1789, the Revolution breaks out). (5) Near future with a time marker: Demain, je pars en vacances (Tomorrow, I'm leaving on holiday). In the DELF oral exam, using the present tense correctly is a strong sign of natural fluency.
Verbs with spelling changes
Some -er verbs need spelling adjustments to keep their pronunciation consistent. Verbs ending in -cer take a cedilla before -a and -o (commencer → nous commençons). Verbs ending in -ger add an extra -e before -a and -o (manger → nous mangeons). Verbs ending in -yer change -y to -i before a silent -e (envoyer → j'envoie, tu envoies). Verbs with -e + consonant + er (acheter, lever) either double the consonant or add a grave accent in the singular and third-person plural forms.
Practice exercises
1Conjugue correctamente: 'Nous _____ (manger) ensemble ce soir.'
2Which is the correct form? 'Est-ce que tu _____ (pouvoir) m'aider?'
3Completa: 'Ils _____ (vendre) des fleurs au marché.'
4What does this sentence express? "Demain, je prends le train."
Common mistakes to avoid
- Not marking gender on nouns and adjectives at all: English has no grammatical gender, so a word like table (la table) or livre (le livre) needs a memorized gender in French — there's no rule to fall back on, it must be learned with the noun.
- Placing adjectives before the noun by default, as in English: *une rouge voiture instead of une voiture rouge. Most French descriptive adjectives follow the noun.
- Adding -s or pronouncing the final -s/-t/-ent of verb forms: in ils parlent, the -ent is completely silent — it sounds exactly like il parle.
- Using the present continuous pattern from English (be + -ing) directly in French: there is no direct equivalent, so 'I am eating' is simply je mange, not a literal 'je suis mangeant'.
- Confusing avoir expressions with être/to be: age, hunger and fear use avoir in French (j'ai 20 ans, j'ai faim), while English always uses to be (I am 20, I am hungry).
DELF exam tips
- In the DELF written exam, always double-check subject-verb agreement: third-person plural takes -ent.
- Memorize the 20 most frequent irregular verbs by heart: être, avoir, aller, faire, venir, voir, savoir, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, prendre, mettre, dire, partir, sortir, connaître, croire, tenir, écrire, lire.
- In oral production, using the present tense correctly gives you fluency. Practice narrating your daily routine out loud.
- In reading comprehension, spotting verbs ending in -ent helps you identify plural subjects and understand texts more easily.