Etre Conjugation Present Tense – French
About The French verb etre
Meaning of etre
The French verb “etre” means “to be” in English. It is an irregular verb and is used to indicate a state of being or existence.
Example 1: Je suis étudiant. (I am a student.)
Example 2: Elle est heureuse. (She is happy.)
Example 3: Nous sommes à la plage. (We are at the beach.)
Example 4: Vous êtes mon ami. (You are my friend.)
Example 5: Ils sont en retard. (They are late.)
Main Uses of the Verb Etre
The French verb “être” means “to be” and is one of the most important verbs in the French language. It is used to describe what someone or something is, like “Je suis un étudiant” which means “I am a student.” You also use “être” to talk about where someone or something is, like “Elle est à la maison” which means “She is at home.” Additionally, “être” is used in many expressions, such as “être en retard” (to be late) and “être d’accord” (to agree). Finally, “être” is also crucial in forming the passé composé, which is a common past tense in French.
Differences Compared to English
In French, “être” is used much like the verb “to be” in English, but it has some special uses too. For example, “être” helps form the past tense for some verbs, like “je suis allé” meaning “I went.” In English, we don’t use “to be” in the same way to make past tense. Also, in French, “être” changes its form depending on who is doing the action, like “je suis” for “I am” and “nous sommes” for “we are.” In English, “to be” also changes, but not as much, like “I am” and “we are.”
Chart – Present Tense Conjugation of Etre
| Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Usage | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | suis | Je suis fatigué. | I am tired. |
| tu | es | Tu es intelligent. | You are intelligent. |
| il | est | Il est grand. | He is tall. |
| elle | est | Elle est belle. | She is beautiful. |
| on | est | On est ensemble. | We are together. |
| nous | sommes | Nous sommes riches. | We are rich. |
| vous | êtes | Vous êtes français. | You are French. |
| ils | sont | Ils sont en retard. | They are late. |
| elles | sont | Elles sont contentes. | They are happy. |
Download a Chart of Etre Conjugation in Present Tense 🔥
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Another Common Verb Conjugation
If you enjoyed this conjugation you may want to see another common French verb conjugation: Avoir conjugated in French present tense or voir in the present tense.
Alternatively you can also check out the full etre conjugation in all tenses.
