An 'er' verb is a set of regular verbs which end in 'er', e.g. parler- to speak
This set of verbs is the most common set in French.
To conjugate an 'er' verb, knock off the 'er'
Parler- parl. This is called the stem.
Parler is the infinitive.
You then add the endings.
The endings are:
Je- e
Tu- es
Il- e
Elle- e
On- e
Nous- ons
Vous- ez
Ils- ent
Elles- ent
Parler- To speak
Parl- stem
Je parle- I speak
Tu parles- you speak
Il parle- he speaks
Elle parle- she speaks
On parle- one speaks
Nous parlons- we speak
Vous parlez- you speak
Ils parlent- they speak
Elles parlent- they speak
To pronounce a regular 'er' verb:
Parler (parl-ay)
Pronounce it exactly the same as the stem, except the Nous and Vous forms. These are the only parts of the verb which have no silent ending.
E.g. Nous parlons- we speak (noo parl-on)
Vous parlez- you speak (voo parl-ay)
But
Ils parlent- they speak (eel parl)
Useful 'er' verbs:
Parler- to speak
Porter- to wear/ carry
Regarder- to look (at)
Chercher- to look for
Arriver- to arrive
Entrer- to enter
Rester- to stay
Aimer- to like
Adorer- to love
Détester- to hate
Tomber- to fall
Quitter- to leave (a specific place)
Laisser- to let/ leave (an object)
Manger- to eat
Acheter- to buy
Commencer- to start
Laver- to wash
Habiter- to live in (a place/ country)
Écouter- to listen
Marcher- to walk
'Er' verbs with slight spelling changes
For verbs ending in -ger:
Conjugate as normal, but in the Nous form, add an e before the ons. This is to make the g have a soft sound.
Je mange- I'm eating
Nous mangeons- we are eating
This also applies to verbs such as télécharger (to download), nager (to swim) etc.
For verbs ending in -cer
Put a cedille on the c in the Nous form before adding the ons
Example: Commencer- to start
Nous commençons
This is also to help with the soft c sound.
For verbs with an é or e before the -er:
Change the e or é to an è in the silent endings (e/ es/ ent)
The Nous and Vous forms do not change
Example
Acheter (ash-tay) to buy
J'achète- I buy (J-ash-ett)
Tu achètes- you buy (too ash-ett)
Elle achète- she buys (el ash-ett)
Nous achetons- we buy (nooz ash-ton)
Vous achetez- you buy (vooz ashtay)
Ils achètent- they buy (eelz ashtay)
For verbs ending in -yer
Change the y to an i before adding the endings.
This does not apply for the Nous and Vous forms
Nettoyer- to clean
Payer- to pay
Envoyer- to send
Envoyer- to send (en-voy-ay)
J'envoie- I send (J-en-vwa)
Tu envoies- you send (too en-vwa)
On envoie- one sends (on en-vwa)
Nous envoyons- we send (nooz en-voy-on)
Vous envoyez- you send (vooz en-voy-ay)
Elles envoient- they send (elz en-vwa)
Some verbs also double up on a letter before adding the silent endings
E.g. jeter- to throw
Je jette
Tu jettes
Il jette
Elle jette
On jette
Nous jetons
Vous jetez
Ils jettent
Elles jettent
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