Les Verbes en -er (-er Verbs): Introduction

Learning ObjectivesLearn how to change the verb 'parler' (to speak) [par-LAY] to match the words 'je' (I) [zhuh], 'tu' (you) [too], 'il' (he) [eel], and 'elle' (she) [ell].Use the same pattern for other common verbs that end in -er.Use the 'je' (I) [zhuh], 'tu' (you) [too], 'il' (he) [eel], and 'elle' (she) [ell] forms of these verbs to talk about simple actions.Imagine you're talking to your friend. You want to tell them what you're doing. You say: "Je joue (I play) [zhuh ZHOO] au hockey! 🏒" And your friend? "Il mange (He eats) [eel MAWNJ] une pomme! 🍎" The words 'joue' (play) [ZHOO] and 'mange' (eats) [MAWNJ] are action words, or verbs. Today, we'll learn how to make them!Real-World ApplicationsTelling people what you do at school.Describing what your family and friends are doing.Talki...

French TermWhat it MeansExample Sentenceparler (to speak) [par-LAY]This is the verb for 'to speak' or 'to talk'.Je parle (I speak) [zhuh PARL] avec mon ami (with my friend) [ah-VEK mohn ah-MEE].danser (to dance) [dahn-SAY]This is the verb for 'to dance'.Elle aime danser (She likes to dance) [ell em dahn-SAY]. 💃dessiner (to draw) [deh-see-NAY]This is the verb for 'to draw'.Tu dessines (You draw) [too deh-SEEN] un chat (a cat) [uhn SHAH]. 🐈marcher (to walk) [mar-SHAY]This is the verb for 'to walk'.Il marche (He walks) [eel MARSH] vers l'école (to school) [vair lay-KOHL].travailler (to work) [trah-vai-YAY]This is the verb for 'to work'.Papa travaille (Dad works) [pa-pa trah-VAI] à la maison (at home) [ah la may-ZOHN].habiter (to live) [ah-bee-TAY]This is the verb for 'to live' in a place.J'...

The Pattern for Verbs Ending in -erIn French, lots of verbs end with the letters -er. To use them with a person or thing like 'je' (I) [zhuh], 'tu' (you) [too], 'il' (he) [eel], or 'elle' (she) [ell], you just change the ending of the verb. It's easy!Rule 1: Find the StemFirst, take off the -er from the end of the verb. For example, with parler (to speak) [par-LAY], the stem is parl-. For jouer (to play) [zhoo-AY], the stem is jou-.Rule 2: Add the Right EndingNext, add a new ending to the stem depending on who is doing the action.For je (I) [zhuh], add -e. (je parle (I speak) [zhuh PARL])For tu (you) [too], add -es. (tu parles (you speak) [too PARL])For il (he) [eel] or elle (she) [ell], add -e. (il/elle parle (he/she speaks) [eel/ell PARL])