1 · GrammarBuild your first French sentence
You can make many useful French sentences with one practical pattern. You do not need a long grammar explanation first.
Build it one piece at a time
Je parle français. = I speak French. You already have a complete, useful sentence.
Regular present-tense verb endings
In French, the end of a verb changes according to the subject—the person or thing doing the action.
A verb is an action word, such as speak, work, finish, or sell. The subject tells us who does that action: I, you, Marie, we, or they.
English verbs change only a little: we say “I speak” but “she speaks.” French verbs change more. For example: je parle means I speak, but nous parlons means we speak. The ending changes because the subject changes.
The infinitive is the basic form you find in a dictionary, such as parler (to speak), finir (to finish), or vendre (to sell). Regular verbs follow a repeatable rule: remove -er, -ir, or -re, and add the ending that matches the subject.
Example: parler → remove -er → parl- → add -e for je → je parle. The table below gives the regular endings.
Some common verbs are irregular. They do not follow these tables exactly. Être, avoir, aller, and faire are examples. You will learn them separately; you do not need to memorize them now.
| Subject | -er endings | -ir endings (finir) | -re endings |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | -e | -is | -s |
| tu | -es | -is | -s |
| il / elle / on | -e | -it | no ending |
| nous | -ons | -issons | -ons |
| vous | -ez | -issez | -ez |
| ils / elles | -ent | -issent | -ent |
Two complete verb models for each regular family
Regular -er verbs
Remove -er. For parler, the stem is parl-. For travailler, the stem is travaill-. Add the regular -er ending for the subject.
| Subject | parler · to speak | travailler · to work |
|---|---|---|
| je | parle | travaille |
| tu | parles | travailles |
| il / elle / on | parle | travaille |
| nous | parlons | travaillons |
| vous | parlez | travaillez |
| ils / elles | parlent | travaillent |
Regular -ir verbs like finir
Remove -ir. For finir, the stem is fin-. For choisir, the stem is chois-. Add the regular -ir ending for the subject.
| Subject | finir · to finish | choisir · to choose |
|---|---|---|
| je | finis | choisis |
| tu | finis | choisis |
| il / elle / on | finit | choisit |
| nous | finissons | choisissons |
| vous | finissez | choisissez |
| ils / elles | finissent | choisissent |
Regular -re verbs
Remove -re. For vendre, the stem is vend-. For attendre, the stem is attend-. Add the regular -re ending for the subject.
| Subject | vendre · to sell | attendre · to wait |
|---|---|---|
| je | vends | attends |
| tu | vends | attends |
| il / elle / on | vend | attend |
| nous | vendons | attendons |
| vous | vendez | attendez |
| ils / elles | vendent | attendent |
Three reminders that save time
Use the words you know now. A short correct sentence such as « Je travaille » is more useful than waiting until you know every rule.
1 · Meet the grammar
Your first short conversation
Two people use very short sentences. Notice that each sentence starts with who, followed by the action.
Tu habites à Toronto ?
Oui, j’habite à Toronto.
Tu parles français ?
Oui, je parle un peu français.
Tu and je tell us who. Habites and parle tell us the action. The remaining words add useful information.
2 · PracticePractise and check your understanding
2 · Practice
Make useful sentences now
Choose one answer. Then select Check answer. You will see the correct form and a short explanation.
_____ travaille aujourd’hui.
Marie _____ à Toronto.
Choose the natural French order.
Nous _____ au café.
Choose the subject in: « Les enfants jouent dehors. »
Choose the verb in: « Elle aime la musique. »
Choose the extra information in: « Ils arrivent demain. »
_____ préparez le dîner.
Put the idea in the clearest order.
Which sentence is complete?
Translation practice
Move between French and English
Write your own translation before submitting. A model answer will then appear. Your wording may be different and still be correct if it keeps the same meaning and grammar.
Part 1 · Translate French into English
Part 2 · Translate English into French
Select an accent button to add it at the end of your answer.
3 · ComprehensionA busy morning
3 · Comprehension · Read it yourself
A busy morning
Read the short text. Each sentence uses the same basic order you learned.
Léa travaille à Toronto. Elle prend le bus à huit heures. Elle arrive au bureau à neuf heures. Son collègue prépare le café. Ils commencent le travail ensemble.
Show English translation
Léa works in Toronto. She takes the bus at eight o’clock. She arrives at the office at nine o’clock. Her colleague prepares the coffee. They start work together.
For every sentence, point to the person first, the action second, and the extra information last.
4 · VocabularyUseful words from this lesson
French words and their meanings
Use this list to understand the examples and complete the translation practice.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| je | I |
| tu | you (one person, informal) |
| il / elle | he / she |
| nous | we |
| vous | you (formal or more than one person) |
| ils / elles | they |
| parler | to speak |
| travailler | to work |
| habiter | to live |
| manger | to eat |
| arriver | to arrive |
| étudier | to study |
| aimer | to like / to love |
| préparer | to prepare |
| jouer | to play |
| prendre | to take |
| finir | to finish |
| choisir | to choose |
| vendre | to sell |
| attendre | to wait |
| français | French |
| à Montréal | in Montreal |
| au café | at the café |
| le soir | in the evening |
| la musique | music |
| le dîner | dinner |
| les enfants | the children |
| dehors | outside |
| le bus | the bus |
| à huit heures | at eight o’clock |
| aujourd’hui | today |
| demain | tomorrow |