About 90% of French verbs end in -er and follow the same simple pattern. Master this pattern and you instantly unlock thousands of verbs like parler, manger, habiter, aimer, travailler.
The recipe
Take the infinitive, drop the -er, then add the ending for each person.
| Pronoun | Ending | 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 |
Common -er verbs
Build your vocabulary with these high-frequency verbs.
- habiter — to live
- travailler — to work
- aimer — to like / love
- manger — to eat
- écouter — to listen
- regarder — to watch
Small spelling twists
Manger → nous mangeons (keep the -e before -ons). Commencer → nous commençons (ç before -ons). Acheter → j'achète (è in some forms). These are still 'regular' — just small spelling adjustments to match pronunciation.
Je ___ français. (parler)
Nous ___ à Paris. (habiter)
Tu ___ la musique ? (aimer)
Ils ___ beaucoup. (travailler)
Vous ___ un film. (regarder)
Elle ___ une pomme. (manger)
Nous ___ le français. (commencer)
Which form is WRONG?
Conjugate 'écouter' with 'vous'
vous ___
Conjugate 'aimer' with 'je'
j' ___
Conjugate 'habiter' with 'ils'
ils ___