1. Remove the -er ending → this leaves the stem
2. Add the following endings:
Subject
Ending
Example: parler (to speak)
je
-e
je parle
tu
-es
tu parles
il/elle/on
-e
il parle
nous
-ons
nous parlons
vous
-ez
vous parlez
ils/elles
-ent
ils parlent
🔊 Pronunciation note:
je parle, tu parles, il parle, ils parlent all sound the SAME (the -e, -es, -ent are silent)
The plural forms nous parlons, vous parlez are pronounced differently
📖 Full Conjugation – Parler (to speak)
Subject
Conjugation
Pronunciation
Meaning
je
parle
parl
I speak, I am speaking
tu
parles
parl
you speak
il/elle/on
parle
parl
he/she speaks
nous
parlons
par-lon
we speak
vous
parlez
par-lay
you speak
ils/elles
parlent
parl
they speak
📚 Common Regular -ER Verbs
Infinitive
Meaning
Stem
Example (je form)
aimer
to like, to love
aim-
j'aime
habiter
to live (in a place)
habit-
j'habite
écouter
to listen to
écout-
j'écoute
étudier
to study
étudi-
j'étudie
travailler
to work
travaill-
je travaille
regarder
to watch, to look at
regard-
je regarde
manger
to eat
mang-
je mange
commencer
to start, to begin
commenç-
je commence
danser
to dance
dans-
je danse
chanter
to sing
chant-
je chante
⚠️ Spelling Change Verbs (Important!)
📌 Verbs ending in -ger (like manger):
Add -e before -ons to keep the soft "j" sound.
nous mangeons (not mangons)
nous nageons (we swim), nous voyageons (we travel)
📌 Verbs ending in -cer (like commencer):
Change -c to -ç before -ons to keep the soft "s" sound.
nous commençons (not commencons)
nous prononçons (we pronounce)
🚫 Negation with -ER Verbs
📌 Put ne...pas around the conjugated verb:
Je ne parle pas anglais. → I don't speak English.
Elle n' aime pas le café. → She doesn't like coffee.
Nous ne travaillons pas le dimanche. → We don't work on Sundays.
❓ Asking Questions with -ER Verbs
📌 Three ways to ask a question:
Intonation (most common, informal):Tu parles français ?
Est-ce que (formal/neutral):Est-ce que tu parles français ?
Inversion (formal, written):Parles-tu français ?
📋 Summary – Regular -ER Verb Endings
Subject
Ending
Example: parler
Meaning
je
-e
parle
I speak
tu
-es
parles
you speak
il/elle/on
-e
parle
he/she speaks
nous
-ons
parlons
we speak
vous
-ez
parlez
you speak
ils/elles
-ent
parlent
they speak
💡 Pro tip: The je, tu, il, ils forms all sound the same! You need the subject pronoun to know who is speaking. This is different from Spanish, where verb endings change.
