-ER Verbs in French

What Are Regular -ER Verbs in French?

In French, there are three categories of verbs: -er verbs, -ir verbs, and -re verbs. The letters come from the end of the infinitive form of the verb; that is, how the verb is spelled when it's not conjugated. Unlike irregular verbs, which usually have unique verb conjugations, regular French verbs that share one of these infinitive endings also share the same verb endings when they are conjugated in the present tense.

Verbs that end in -er are the most common type of verb in French! In French, they are called verbes du premier groupe(first-group verbs). You're likely to use them on a regular basis, so it's good to know all about them!

Conjugating Regular -ER Verbs in the Present Tense

To conjugate a regular -er verb in the present tense in French, drop the -er from the infinitive to get the verb stem. Add the regular present tense endings to the stem to conjugate the verb. Each conjugation has a particular regular present tense ending based on the subject used, as you can see in the table below. We'll use the verb jouer(to play) as an example. Let's take a look!

Conjugation of the Verb Jouer in the Present Tense

What Are Some Common -ER Verbs in French?

There are many regular -er verbs in French! Here are some regular -er verbs you might use in everyday situations. Remember, these all follow the same conjugation pattern as jouer!

Ten Useful Regular -ER Verbs in French

Regular -ER Verbs with Spelling Changes in the Present Tense in French

As we've just seen, regular -er verbs are conjugated by dropping the -er from the infinitive and adding the present tense verb endings to the stem. However, there are some regular -er verbs that require spelling changes when conjugated. These verbs still take the regular -er verb endings, but the spelling of the stem changes slightly. Here's an overview of those special cases!

1. Verbs That End in -AYER, -OYER, and -UYER

With the verbs ending in -oyer and -uyer, the letter y changes to an i in all the conjugated forms except nous and vous. For example, to conjugate the verb envoyer(to send), you'd write tu envoies(you send). Verbs in this category include aboyer(to bark), nettoyer(to clean), appuyer(to press), and s'ennuyer(to be bored).

The verbs ending in -ayer accept both forms: with or without changing the letter y into an i under the same conditions (all conjugated forms except nous and vous). For example, to conjugate the verb payer, you can write je payeor je paie(I pay). Verbs in this category include balayer(to sweep), effrayer(to frighten), and essayer(to try).

2. Some Verbs That End in -ELER and -ETER

With these verbs, the consonant that comes before -er (either l or t) is doubled in all the forms except nous and vous when the verb is conjugated. For example, when you conjugate the verb s'appeler(to be called), you'd write je m'appelle(I'm called). Other verbs like this are: rappeler(to remind), jeter(to throw), and rejeter(to reject).

3. Some Verbs That End in the Letter E or É Followed by a Consonant Then -ER

With these verbs, the e or é before the consonant changes to è with an accent grave(grave accent) in all the forms except for nous and vous when conjugated. For example, the verb espérer(to hope) is conjugated as elle espère(she hopes). Other verbs in this category are acheter(to buy), amener(to bring), préférer(to prefer), répéter(to repeat), and se lever(to get up).

4. Verbs That End in -GER and -CER

With these verbs, a change is required only in the nous form! Both the letters g and c make a hard sound before the letter o (which is at the start of the ending -ons). A change is needed to soften that consonant so it sounds the same as in the other forms. For -ger verbs, an e is added to the stem. For example, a verb like manger(to eat) is conjugated as nous mangeons(we eat). For -cer verbs, the cédille(cedilla) accent is added to soften the letter c, so a verb like commencer(to begin) is conjugated as nous commençons(we begin). Other verbs like this are annoncer(to announce), changer(to change), nager(to swim), prononcer(to pronounce), and voyager(to travel).

How To Form the Past Participle of -ER Verbs in French

All -er verbs follow the same rule for the formation of the participe passé(past participle). The -er is dropped from the infinitive and replaced with -é. For example, the past participle of aimer(to like) is aimé(liked).

Past participles are used in compound tenses like the passé composé(compound past).

Rules for Using -ER Verbs in the Imperative in French

The impératif(imperative) is a mode(mood) used to give commands or express desires. The imperative can only be conjugated in three forms: tu(you), nous(we), and vous(you or you-all). Basically, you start from the verb form in the present tense, drop the subject, and the verb changes from a statement, like vous parlez(you speak), to a command: Parlez !(Speak!).

The only special rule for conjugating -er verbs in the imperative applies to the tu form. The rule is that, along with the subject, the final -s is dropped when using the imperative in the tu form. For example, you'd write tu parles(you speak) in the present tense, but Parle !(Speak!) in the imperative.

Conjugating -ER Verbs in Other Tenses

Regular -er verbs can be conjugated in any verb tense or mood in French! Luckily, you won't need to memorize separate conjugation patterns for -er verbs in too many other tenses. The only tenses where different conjugation patterns apply are the present tense (as seen in this article) and the passé simple(past historic) (a past tense that is no longer used in everyday speech in French). In other frequently used tenses, like the imparfait(imperfect), all verb categories (-er, -ir, re) will use the same endings.

To learn about other conjugations, check out the language guide articles suggested below or try out our cool online French Verb Conjugation Tool to see all the possible conjugations of your favorite -er verbs in French!