Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

French Grammar > The present tense > Flashcards

The present tense Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
French flashcards AP® French flashcards
1
Q

What is the present tense used for?

A

Actions in the present.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

With regular -er verbs, how do you conjugate the present tense?

A

Remove the -er and add the correct ending.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

For regular -er verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘je’?

A

-e

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

For regular -er verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘tu’?

A

-es

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

For regular -er verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘il / elle / on’?

A

-e

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

For regular -er verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘nous’?

A

-ons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

For regular -er verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘vous’?

A

-ez

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

For regular -er verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘ils / elles’?

A

-ent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is ‘he speaks’ in French?

A

Il parle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is ‘they (female) watch’ in French?

A

Elles regardent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is ‘we play’ in French?

A

On jouons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

With regular -ir verbs, how do you conjugate the present tense?

A

Remove the -ir and add the correct ending.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

For regular -ir verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘je’?

A

-is

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

For regular -ir verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘tu’?

A

-is

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

For regular -ir verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘il / elle / on’?

A

-it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

For regular -ir verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘nous’?

A

-issons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

For regular -ir verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘vous’?

A

-issez

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

For regular -ir verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘ils / elles’?

A

-issent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is ‘you (informal) choose’ in French?

A

Tu choisis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is ‘he acts’ in French?

A

Il agit

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is ‘you (formal) finish’ in French?

A

Vous finissez

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

With regular -re verbs, how do you conjugate the present tense?

A

Remove the -re and add the correct ending.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

For regular -re verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘je’?

A

-s

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

For regular -re verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘tu’?

A

-s

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

For regular -re verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘ils / elles / on’?

A

Nothing.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

For regular -re verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘nous’?

A

-ons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

For regular -re verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘vous’?

A

-ez

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

For regular -re verbs, what is the present tense ending for ‘ils / elles’?

A

-ent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What is ‘I sell’ in French?

A

Je vends

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What is ‘we wait’ in French?

A

On attendons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What is ‘they (male) lose’?

A

Ils perdent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What is the most common irregular -er verb and what does it mean?

A

Aller, to go

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What is ‘I go’ in the present tense?

A

Je vais

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

What is ‘you (informal) go’ in the present tense?

A

Tu vas

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

What is ‘he / she goes’ in the present tense?

A

Il / elle va

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

What is ‘we (formal) go’ in the present tense?

A

Nous allons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

What is ‘you (formal) go’ in the present tense?

A

Vous allez

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

What is ‘they (mixed) go’ in the present tense?

A

Ils vont

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

What are the four most common irregular -re verbs (remember- EFVD) and what do they mean?

A

être, to be
Faire, to do
Voire, to see
Dire, to say

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

What is ‘I am’ in the present tense?

A

Je suis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

What is ‘you (informal) are’ in the present tense?

A

Tu es

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

What is ‘he / she is’ in the present tense?

A

Il / elle est

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

What is ‘we (formal) are’ in the present tense?

A

Nous sommes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

What is ‘you (formal) are’ in the present tense?

A

Vous êtes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

What is ‘they (female) are’ in the present tense?

A

Elles sont

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

What is ‘I do’ in the present tense?

A

Je fais

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

What is ‘you (informal) do’ in the present tense?

A

Tu fais

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

What is ‘he / she / we do’ in the present tense?

A

Il / elle / on fait

49
Q

What is ‘we (formal) do’ in the present tense?

A

Nous faisons

50
Q

What is ‘you (formal) do’ in the present tense?

A

Vous faites

51
Q

What is ‘they (male) do’ in the present tense?

A

Ils font

52
Q

What is ‘I see’ in the present tense?

A

Je vois

53
Q

What is ‘you (informal) see’ in the present tense?

A

Tu vois

54
Q

What is ‘he / she / we (informal) see’ in the present tense?

A

Il / elle / on voit

55
Q

What is ‘we (formal) see’ in the present tense?

A

Nous voyons

56
Q

What is ‘you (formal) see’ in the present tense?

A

Vous voyez

57
Q

What is ‘they see’ in the present tense?

A

Ils / elles voient

58
Q

Name five common irregular -ir verbs (remember- ASVPDF). What do they mean?

A 
Avoir, to have
Savoir, to know
Vouloir, to want
Pouvoir, to be able to
Devoir, must
Falloir, to be necessary
59
Q

What is ‘I have’ in the present tense?

A

J’ai

60
Q

What is ‘you (informal) have’ in the present tense?

A

Tu as

61
Q

What is ‘he / she / we have’ in the present tense?

A

Il / elle / on a

62
Q

What is ‘we (formal) have’ in the present tense?

A

Nous avons

63
Q

What is ‘you (formal) have’ in the present tense?

A

Vous avez

64
Q

What is ‘they have’ in the present tense?

A

Ils / elles ont

65
Q

What is ‘I must’ in the present tense?

A

Je dois

66
Q

What is ‘you (informal) must’ in the present tense?

A

Tu dois

67
Q

What is ‘he / she / we must’ in the present tense?

A

Il / elle / on doit

68
Q

What is ‘we (formal) must’ in the present tense?

A

Nous devons

69
Q

What is ‘you (formal) must’ in the present tense?

A

Vous devez

70
Q

What is ‘they must’ in the present tense?

A

Ils / elles doivent

71
Q

What is ‘I want’ in the present tense?

A

Je veux

72
Q

What is ‘you (informal) want’ in the present tense?

A

Tu veux

73
Q

What is ‘he / she / we want’ in the present tense?

A

Il / elle / on veut

74
Q

What is ‘we (formal) want’ in the present tense?

A

Nous voulons

75
Q

What is ‘you (formal) want’ in the present tense?

A

Vous voulez

76
Q

What is ‘they want’ in the present tense?

A

Ils / elles veulent

77
Q

What is different about falloir?

A

There is only one form, ‘il faut’, which means ‘it is necessary’

78
Q

What is ‘I can’ in the present tense?

A

Je peux

79
Q

What is ‘you (informal) can’ in the present tense?

A

Tu peux

80
Q

What is ‘he / she / we can’ in the present tense?

A

Il / elle / on peut

81
Q

What is ‘we (formal) can’ in the present tense?

A

Nous pouvons

82
Q

What is ‘you (formal) can’ in the present tense?

A

Vous pouvez

83
Q

What is ‘they can’ in the present tense?

A

Ils / elles peuvent

84
Q

What is ‘I know’ in the present tense?

A

Je sais

85
Q

What is ‘you (informal) know’ in the present tense?

A

Tu sais

86
Q

What is ‘he / she knows’ in the present tense?

A

Il / elle sait

87
Q

What is ‘we (formal) know’ in the present tense?

A

Nous savons

88
Q

What is ‘you (formal) know’ in the present tense?

A

Vous savez

89
Q

What is ‘they know’ in the present tense?

A

Ils / elles savent

90
Q

What is ‘I say’ in the present tense?

A

Je dis

91
Q

What is ‘you (informal) say’ in the present tense?

A

Tu dis

92
Q

What is ‘he / she / we say’ in the present tense?

A

Il / elle / on dit

93
Q

What is ‘we (formal) say’ in the present tense?

A

Nous disons

94
Q

What is ‘you (formal) say’ in the present tense?

A

Vous disez

95
Q

What is ‘they say’ in the present tense?

A

Ils / elles disent

96
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

What does ‘prendre’ mean?

Which verbs follow the same pattern as prendre and what do they mean? Give 3 examples.

A

Prendre, to take

Those that end in -prendre, e.g.
apprendre, to learn
comprendre, to understand
méprendre, to mistake

97
Q

Conjugate ‘prendre’ for all pronouns.

A 
Je prend
Tu prend
Ils / elles / on prends
Nous prenons
Vous prenez
Ils / elles prennent
98
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

What does ‘mettre’ mean?

Which verbs follow the same pattern as mettre and what do they mean? Give 3 examples.

A

Mettre, to put

Those that end in -mettre, e.g.
admettre, to admit
permettre, to permit / allow
promettre, to promise

99
Q

Conjugate ‘mettre’ for all pronouns.

A 
Je mets
Tu mets
Ils / elles / on met
Nous mettons
Vous mettez
Ils / elles mettent
100
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

What do ‘tenir’ and ‘venir’ mean?

A

Tenir, to hold

Venir, to come

101
Q

Conjugate ‘venir’ for all pronouns.

A 
Je viens
Tu viens
Ils / elles / on vient
Nous venons
Vous venez
Ils / elles viennent
102
Q

Conjugate ‘tenir’ for all pronouns.

A 
Je tiens
Tu tiens
Il / elle / on tient
Nous tenons
Vous tenez
Ils / elles tiennent
103
Q

Which verbs follow the same pattern as tenir?

Give 3 examples.

A

Those that end in -tenir, e.g.

Maintenir, to maintain
Obtenir, to obtain
Soutenir, to support

104
Q

Which verbs follow the same pattern as venir?

Give 3 examples.

A

Those that end in -venir, e.g.

Advenir, to happen
Devenir, to become
Entretenir, to look after / support

105
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

What does ‘manger’ mean?

‘Manger’ is only irregular in the present tense for one pronoun. Which one? How is it formed?

A

Manger, to eat

Manger is irregular in the nous form. An extra -e is added to soften the ‘g’ sound, e.g. nous mangeons

106
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

Which verbs behave like ‘manger’? Give 8 common examples (remember- BCCEMNPV)

A

Those that end in -ger, e.g.

bouger, to move
changer, to change
corriger, to correct
encourager, to encourage
mélanger, to mix
nager, to swim
partager, to share
voyager, to travel
107
Q

Conjugate the following -

We (formal)…

move
change
correct
encourage
mix
swim
share
travel
A 
Nous bougeons
Nous changeons
Nous corrigeons
Nous encourageons
Nous mélangeons
Nous nageons
Nous partageons
Nous voyageons
108
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

What does ‘lancer’ mean?

‘Lancer’ is only irregular in the present tense for one pronoun. Which one? How is it formed?

A

Lancer, to launch

Lancer is irregular in the nous form. The ‘c’ is changed to a ‘ç’ to soften the sound, e.g. lançons

109
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

Which verbs behave like ‘lancer’? Give 8 examples (remember- AACDMPPR).

A

Those that end in -cer, e.g.

annoncer, to announce
avancer, to advance
commencer, to start
divorcer, to divorce
menacer, to threaten
placer, to put
prononcer, to pronounce
remplacer, to replace
110
Q

Conjugate the following -

We (formal)…

announce
advance
start
divorce
threaten
place
pronounce
replace
A 
Nous annonçons
Nous avançons
Nous commençons
Nous divorçons
Nous menaçons
Nous plaçons
Nous prononçons
Nous remplaçons
111
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

What does ‘payer’ mean?

‘Payer’ is irregular in the present tense for some pronouns. Which ones? How is this formed?

A

Payer, to pay

Pronouns:
Je
Tu
Il / elle / on
Ils / elles
** ALL EXCEPT NOUS / VOUS **

The -y is changed to an -i

112
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

Which verbs behave like ‘payer’? Give 5 examples (remember- EEEEN).

A

Those that end in -yer, e.g.

effrayer, to frighten / scare
s’ennuyer, to be bored
envoyer, to send
essayer, to try
nettoyer, to clean
113
Q

Conjugate the following

I frighten
You (informal) are bored
He sends
She tries
They (male) clean
A 
J'effraie
Tu t'ennuies
Il envoie
Elle essaie
Ils nettoient
114
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

What does ‘acheter’ mean?

‘Acheter’ is irregular in the present tense for some pronouns. Which ones? How is this formed?

A

Acheter, to buy

Pronouns:
Je
Tu
Il / elle / on
Ils / elles
** ALL EXCEPT NOUS / VOUS **

The -e in the root is changed to an -è

115
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

Which verbs behave like ‘acheter’? Give 7 examples.

A

Annoyingly there doesn’t seem to be a rule. The most common ones are:

amener, to bring
espérer, to hope / wish
se lever, to get up
posséder, to own / possess
préférer, to prefer
se promener, to go for a walk
suggérer, to suggest
116
Q

Conjugate the following.

I bring
You (informal) hope
She gets up
They (female) own
They (male) prefer
I go for a walk
He suggests
A 
J'amène
Tu espères
Elle se lève
Elles possèdent
Ils prefèrent
Je me promène
Il suggère
117
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

What does ‘appeler’ mean?

‘Appeler’ is irregular in the present tense for some pronouns. Which ones? How is this formed?

A

Appeler, to call

Pronouns:
Je
Tu
Il / elle / on
Ils / elles
** ALL EXCEPT NOUS / VOUS **

The final consonant is doubled, e.g. j’appelle

118
Q

There are some verbs that follow irregular conjugation patterns in the present tense.

Which verbs behave like ‘appeler’? Give 5 examples (remember EEFJR).

A

Those that end in -eler or -eter, e.g.

épeler, to spell out
étinceler, to sparkle
feuilleter, to flick / flip (through a book)
jeter, to throw
renouveler, to renew
119
Q

Conjugate the following:

I spell out
It sparkles
She flicks through
They (female) throw
You (informal) renews
A 
J'épelle
Il étincelle
Elle feuillette
Elles jettent
Tu renouvelles

French Grammar (13 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions