French Verbs Ending in -er

✚ Objectives:

• study the conjugation of regular verbs in -er
• learn how to do elision
• presentation of a list of the ten most used verbs in -er
• practical exercises

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Introduction

Let’s start by taking three easy-to-understand regular verbs in -er

admirer ( to admire ) , visiter ( to visit )  téléphoner ( to phone )

You notice that these three verbs end in -er. This ending is the infinitive marker of verbs in -er. It is this part of the verb that will change depending on the subject of the verb.

For example, in the first person and third person, the ending becomes -e.

J’admire, il visite, elle téléphone.

This -e ending is silent. The -e is not pronounced. Listen to the difference in pronunciation without the subject:

infinitif	forme conjuguée
admirer	admire
visiter	visite
téléphoner	téléphone, il téléphone

Now let’s listen to the difference in pronunciation with the subject:

infinitif	forme conjuguée
admirer	j’admire, il admire, elle admire
visiter	je visite, il visite, elle visite
téléphoner	je téléphone, il téléphone, elle téléphone

➜ Translate the following sentences into French:

1. I call.
2. She visits.
3. He admires.

Got it? So, we can continue by studying the complete conjugation of regular verbs in -er.

Conjugation of Regular -er Verbs

Regular -er verbs follow a simple conjugation pattern. Remove the “-er” from the infinitive and add the appropriate endings: –e, –es, –e, –ons, –ez, –ent.

Below is the conjugation of “parler” (to speak) with English translations:

parler	English
je parle	I speak
tu parles	you speak
il parle	he speaks
elle parle	she speaks
nous parlons	we speak
vous parlez	you speak
ils parlent	they speak
elles parlent	they speak

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🍀 Practice 🍀

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📌 Pronunciation Tips : Silent Letters:

• Only the endings nous and vous are pronounced : nous parlons, vous parlez
• The verbs for je, tu, il, elle, ils, elles are pronounced the same way : je parle, tu parles, il parle, elle parle, ils parlent, elles parlent
• The infinitive (parler) and the conjugated form of vous (parlez) are pronounced the same way : /parle/

Elision with Verbs Beginning with a Vowel

When a verb beginning with a vowel is preceded by a subject pronoun ending in a vowel, elision is necessary.

For example:

• J’écoute (I listen) instead of “Je écoute.”
• J’admire (I admire) instead of “Je admire.”

Écouter :

Conjugation	Pronunciation
j’écoute	[ ʒekut ]
tu écoutes	[ ty ekut ]
il écoute	[ ɛlekut ]
elle écoute	[ ɛlekut ]
nous écoutons	[ nuzekutɔ̃ ]
vous écoutez	[ vuzekute ]
ils écoutent	[ ilzekut ]
elles écoutent	[ ɛlzekut ]

📌 Pronunciation Tips : Singular vs. Plural:

• When a verb starts with a consonant, the singular and plural forms sound similar. With a vowel, the liaison in “Ils/Elles” creates a distinct sound. E.g., “Ils écoutent” (eelz ay-koot).

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Common -er Verbs

Here’s a table showing the pronunciation of common -er verbs:

French	Pronunciation
parler (to speak)	/ parle /
aimer (to like)	/ ɛme /
regarder (to watch)	/ rəgarde /
jouer (to play)	/ ʒue /
travailler (to work)	/ travaje /
habiter (to live)	/ abite /
chanter (to sing)	/ dɑ̃se /
entrer (to enter)	/ ɑ̃tre /
donner (to give)	/ dɔne /
accepter (to agree)	/ aksɛpte /

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🍀 Practice 🍀

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keywords : French Verbs Ending in -er