When learning a new language, there are always a few tricky verbs that seem to cause the most problems. French is no exception!

In this article, we will take a look at 10 common French verbs conjugated in the present tense, and highlight some of the traps you need to watch out for. There are of course other tenses of the French conjugation to know! For example, the future tense, the imperative, the subjunctive or know the different moods of French conjugation.

Be sure to practice and review these regularly, so you can sound like a native speaker with ease! And do not underestimate the interest or even the difficulty of the French present 😱😂

Introducing the French present tense

The French present tense is a very important part of the language. It’s used to describe actions that happen at the same time, or about things that are happening now. This makes it different from other tenses which usually talk about something in the past or future.

The use of the French present tense

1) The French present tense expresses a fact or an action that is taking place at the time we are speaking.

Examples :

• Où vas-tu ?
• Je vais à la plage.

2) But it can be used to tell a past fact « as if you were there » or to express a scientific truth or a usual fact.

Example:
La Lune tourne autour de la Terre.
The Moon revolves around the Earth.

3) Finally, the present can have a future value. This is more often the case when speaking.

Example:
Ce soir, je vais au cinéma.
Tonight I’m going to the movies.

Ce soir is the future! But when speaking, we can use the present with a future value.

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Why is it important to know the present tense of the verbs « être » (to be) and « avoir » (to have) PERFECTLY?

1) être and avoir are the two verbs most used by the French.

Therefore, it is extremely important to master their conjugation. Especially since it is irregular.

	être	avoir
je (j’)	suis	ai
tu	es	as
il, elle, on	est	a
nous	sommes	avons
vous	êtes	avez
ils, elles	sont	ont

2) être and avoir to conjugate the past tense

The second reason to master the conjugation of être and avoir in the present tense is that they are used to conjugate the past tense (passé composé) of all other verbs.

Examples:

• Je suis allé au restaurant. (I went to the restaurant)
• Tu as fait tes devoirs. (You’ve done your homework)

These 10 verbs have many pitfalls when conjugated in the present tense

The 10 verbs we will see:

1. attendre (to wait),
2. battre (to beat),
3. dire (to say),
4. faire (to do),
5. pouvoir (to can),
6. rire (to laugh),
7. suivre (to follow),
8. vouloir (to want),
9. s’asseoir (to sit),
10. croire (to believe)

1. attendre (to wait)

2. battre (to beat)

3. dire (to say)

4. faire (to do)

5. pouvoir (to can)

6. rire (to laugh)

7. suivre (to follow)

8. vouloir (to want)

9. s’asseoir (to sit)

10. croire (to believe)

Do you know the Instagram account of Learn French Fun? You’re going to find a lot of examples of conjugations there that you need to watch out for!

How to avoid common traps when conjugating verbs in the French present tense?

When learning French, it’s important to be aware of the common traps that can occur when conjugating verbs in the present tense.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid making mistakes:

1) Make sure you know the conjugation for the verbs « être » and « avoir » perfectly. These two verbs are among the most commonly used in French, and their conjugation is irregular. So it’s important to master them!

2) Be aware of the different ways that the present tense can be used. It can express an action that is happening at the time we are speaking, a past fact « as if you were there », or a future event.

3) Practice regularly! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Little by little, you’ll get better and better at speaking French!

Conclusion

So, there you have it – the 10 common French verbs conjugated in the present tense. Just like with any other language, practice makes perfect! Be sure to review these regularly and you’ll be sounding like a native speaker before you know it.

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With tons of real-world examples and plenty of exercises to test your knowledge, you’ll be able to progress quickly from beginner to intermediate level.

Check us out today and see for yourself how easy it can be to learn a new language!

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A bientôt 😀

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