Simple present statements

A0 Foundation

Simple present statements

Build calm present-tense statements about routine, likes, and simple actions.

Write short present-tense statements with a clear subject and verb.
Describe one routine or habit in simple French.
Connect short sentences into a mini paragraph.

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One pattern, thousands of verbs: the regular -er conjugation. Master parler and you can immediately use travailler, habiter, aimer, écouter and the rest of the biggest verb family.

Grammar focus: Regular -er verbs in the present tense. Work through the explanations and tables below, study the real examples, then lock the structures in with the interactive drills, the writing task, and the speaking task.

Grammar focus

Regular -er verbs in the present tense

About 90% of French verbs end in -er and follow one single pattern: remove -er, add the endings -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. Master parler and you can conjugate travailler, aimer, habiter, écouter, regarder and thousands more.

One pattern, thousands of verbs

Four of the six forms sound exactly the same: parle, parles, parle, parlent are all pronounced "parl". Only the nous (-ons) and vous (-ez) forms sound different. This is why French spelling matters so much: the ending you cannot hear still has to be written.

Frequent -er verbs to start with: aimer (to like/love), habiter (to live), travailler (to work), écouter (to listen), regarder (to watch), manger (to eat), étudier (to study), jouer (to play).

parler — to speak (model for regular -er verbs)

	Présent
je	parle
tu	parles
il/elle	parle
nous	parlons
vous	parlez
ils/elles	parlent

Examples

Je parle un peu français.I speak a little French.
Tu travailles où ?Where do you work?
Elle habite à Lyon.She lives in Lyon.
Nous aimons la musique.We like music.
Vous regardez la télévision ?Do you watch television?
Ils écoutent la radio.They listen to the radio.

Watch out

Writing "tu parle" without the s.

The tu form of -er verbs always takes -es: tu parles, tu aimes.

The s is silent, so only careful writing habits catch it.

Pronouncing the -ent in "ils parlent" as "parlont".

The -ent ending is completely silent: ils parlent sounds like "il parl".

It is a written ending only; saying it marks you as a beginner immediately.

Using the infinitive after a subject: "Je parler français."

Conjugate the verb after a subject: Je parle français.

The infinitive is the dictionary form; a sentence needs a conjugated verb.

Grammar and usage

A simple present sentence needs a subject, a verb, and one useful detail.
Do not overload the sentence; clarity is better than complexity at this stage.
A short present-tense sentence usually wins over a longer sentence full of unstable details.
Routine language becomes stronger when you keep the same time markers across speaking and writing.
Writing becomes stronger when you revise one sentence frame before inventing a new one.

Pronunciation

Read the whole sentence once for rhythm, then repeat the verb carefully.
Notice which final letters are written but not fully pronounced.
Read the sentence straight through once before isolating the verb for extra practice.
Repeat the time marker and the verb together: le matin je lis, le soir je revise.
Read the written sentence aloud so you can hear whether the structure still feels natural.

Vocabulary

je travaille
I work
j'etudie
I study
j'aime
I like
je regarde
I watch
je lis
I read
je parle
I speak
le matin
in the morning
l'après midi
in the afternoon
le soir
in the evening
tous les jours
every day
écrire
to write
phrase complete
complete sentence
brouillon
draft
correction
correction
avec
with
sans
without
d'abord
first
ensuite
then
souvent
often
ensemble
together
parce que
because
tout de suite
right away

Dialogue

Sara

J'etudie le matin et je travaille le soir.

Nabil

Moi, je regarde une video et j'ecris deux phrases.

Coach

Une phrase au présent devient plus claire quand elle reste courte et concrete.

Learner

Je garde le sujet, le verbe et un détail simple pour parler de ma journée.

Sara

Le matin, je lis un peu de français et le soir, je revise.

Nabil

Moi aussi, mais je garde la même petite routine tous les jours.

Coach

Commence par un brouillon court, puis ajoute une petite correction utile.

Learner

Quand ma phrase est complete et claire, je peux ensuite l'ameliorer sans perdre le sens.

Coach

aujourd'hui, on réutilise je travaille et j'etudie dans une petite situation de simple présent statements et routine.

Learner

Je commence avec une phrase courte, puis j'ajoute un détail simple pour rendre la réponse plus utile.

Coach

Très bien. Garde la structure stable et vérifie si chaque mot a une fonction claire.

Learner

d'accord. Je répète encore la phrase, puis je la change legerement pour parler de ma propre situation.

Reading

Mini routine

Sara etudie le matin. Elle boit un cafe et elle travaille l'après midi.

Le soir, elle regarde une video courte en français.

Le présent simple soutient beaucoup de situations de base: routine, gouts, petites habitudes et activites du jour. Quand les phrases restent courtes, le sens passe mieux et la répétition devient plus utile pour la mémoire.

La routine donne un cadre simple à la grammaire debutante. Avec quelques moments du jour et quelques verbes très fréquents, on peut déjà raconter une habitude, comparer deux moments et preparer une petite production écrite.

L'ecriture debutante avance mieux avec un brouillon court qu'avec une page trop longue. Une phrase complete, puis une deuxième phrase liee au même sujet, suffisent déjà a montrer une vraie progression. Ensuite, la correction aide à stabiliser les modèles importants.

When does Sara study?
What does she do in the evening?
Which everyday topics fit the simple present well?
Why are short present-tense sentences useful for memory?

Practice studio

Turn this lesson into active recall: drill the vocabulary with spaced repetition, then test yourself on meaning and comprehension.

Writing task

Write five simple present-tense sentences about your day. Keep the response short but complete: start clearly, add one detail, and end with one useful closing or follow-up line.

0 words0 / 22 target words used

je travaille
j'etudie
j'aime
je regarde
je lis
je parle
le matin
l'après midi
le soir
tous les jours
écrire
phrase complete
brouillon
correction
avec
sans
d'abord
ensuite
souvent
ensemble
parce que
tout de suite

Speaking task

Describe your routine in three calm present-tense sentences. Keep the response short but complete: start clearly, add one detail, and end with one useful closing or follow-up line.

Practice and drills

Pattern transfer

Take the model « Je parle un peu français. » (I speak a little French.) and change one detail — person, place, time, or object — so the sentence is true for you. Keep the structure intact.
Take the model « Vous regardez la télévision ? » (Do you watch television?) and change one detail — person, place, time, or object — so the sentence is true for you. Keep the structure intact.
Take the model « Elle habite à Lyon. » (She lives in Lyon.) and change one detail — person, place, time, or object — so the sentence is true for you. Keep the structure intact.
Write your adapted sentences down, then read each one aloud twice: once slowly for accuracy, once at natural speed.

Active recall

Close the lesson and write the three structures you just studied, each in one fresh example of your own.
Run the exercises in the practice studio below until you score at least 80 %.
Tomorrow, before the next lesson, redo only the items you missed today.

Production

Do the writing task below in one sitting, without a dictionary on the first draft; allow yourself one revision pass afterwards.
Record yourself doing the speaking task, listen once, and redo only the sentence that broke down.
Compare your output against the answer key, then read the corrected versions aloud once so the repair becomes active.

Answer key

Exercise 1: parle — parler (Présent) : je parle
Exercise 2: travailles — Tu travailles où ?
Exercise 3: écoutent — Ils écoutent la radio.
Exercise 4: aimons — Nous aimons la musique.
Exercise 5: parle — Je parle un peu français.
Exercise 6: parlez — parler (Présent) : vous parlez
Exercise 7: habite — Elle habite à Lyon.
Exercise 8: regardez — Vous regardez la télévision ?
Quiz — How do you say “in the afternoon” in French? → l après midi. « l après midi » means “in the afternoon”.
Quiz — How do you say “in the morning” in French? → le matin. « le matin » means “in the morning”.
Quiz — How do you say “I work” in French? → je travaille. « je travaille » means “I work”.
Quiz — Complete the sentence: « Ils ____ la radio. » (They listen to the radio.) → écoutent. « Ils écoutent la radio. » — They listen to the radio.

Common mistakes and repair

Writing "tu parle" without the s.

The tu form of -er verbs always takes -es: tu parles, tu aimes.

The s is silent, so only careful writing habits catch it.

Pronouncing the -ent in "ils parlent" as "parlont".

The -ent ending is completely silent: ils parlent sounds like "il parl".

It is a written ending only; saying it marks you as a beginner immediately.

Using the infinitive after a subject: "Je parler français."

Conjugate the verb after a subject: Je parle français.

The infinitive is the dictionary form; a sentence needs a conjugated verb.

Review and next steps

Regular -er verbs in the present tense — watch for: Writing "tu parle" without the s. Fix: The tu form of -er verbs always takes -es: tu parles, tu aimes.
Before the next lesson, rebuild « Je parle un peu français. » from its English (I speak a little French.) without looking, then check every ending and accent.
Second check — Pronouncing the -ent in "ils parlent" as "parlont". Fix: The -ent ending is completely silent: ils parlent sounds like "il parl".

Coaching notes

Write three short truthful sentences before inventing complex examples.
Use the same subject twice if it helps you stay accurate.
Use truthful examples first. They are easier to remember and easier to say again tomorrow.
Attach French to one real daily habit so revision becomes easier to maintain.
Keep one corrected model sentence and reuse it in the next lesson.

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