French Regular Verb: the -er Verb "parler"!

Photo by CURVD® on Unsplash

반응형

 

Hello, French learners! Today, we'll delve into the basics of French verb conjugation, focusing on regular verbs (specifically, -er verbs). We'll use the common verb "parler" (to speak) as our example and explore its various tense conjugations, along with its use in negative sentences, questions, and commands. Let's master French easily and enjoyably with abundant examples!

 

Present Tense Conjugation of -er Verbs: Focusing on "parler"

 

French verbs change their form depending on the subject, a process called "conjugation." -er verbs are conjugated by adding endings to the stem.

 

Here's the basic present tense conjugation for "parler":

 

Subject	Conjugated Form of parler	Meaning	Pronunciation
Je	parle	I speak	(parl)
Tu	parles	You speak	(parl)
Il/Elle/On	parle	He/She/One speaks	(parl)
Nous	parlons	We speak	(parlon)
Vous	parlez	You (plural/formal) speak	(parlay)
Ils/Elles	parlent	They speak	(parl)

Examples:

• Je parle français. (Zhuh parl frahn-say) - I speak French.
• Tu parles bien anglais. (Too parl bee-ahn ahn-glay) - You speak English well.
• Elle parle à son ami. (El parl ah son nah-mee) - She is talking to her friend.
• Nous parlons de nos vacances. (Noo parlon duh noh va-kahns) - We are talking about our vacation.
• Vous parlez trop vite! (Voo parlay troh veet!) - You're speaking too fast!
• Ils parlent de leur travail. (Eel parl duh leur trah-vai) - They are talking about their work.

 

-er Verbs in Passé Composé (Compound Past): Talking About the Past

 

Passé composé is formed by combining the present tense of the verb "avoir" with the past participle of "parler" (parlé). It indicates completed actions in the past and is the most commonly used past tense in French.

 

Subject	Conjugated Form of avoir	parlé	Meaning	Pronunciation
J'	ai	parlé	I spoke	(Zhay par-lay)
Tu	as	parlé	You spoke	(Too par-lay)
Il/Elle/On	a	parlé	He/She/One spoke	(Ah par-lay)
Nous	avons	parlé	We spoke	(Noo-za-vohn par-lay)
Vous	avez	parlé	You (plural/formal) spoke	(Voo-za-vay par-lay)
Ils/Elles	ont	parlé	They spoke	(Il-zohn par-lay)

Examples:

• J'ai parlé à ma mère hier. (Zhay par-lay ah ma mehr ee-air) - I spoke to my mother yesterday.
• Nous avons parlé de notre projet. (Noo-za-vohn par-lay duh noh-truh proh-zhay) - We talked about our project.
• Elle a parlé de son voyage en France. (El-ah par-lay duh son vwah-yahj ahn frahns) - She talked about her trip to France.

 

-er Verbs in Futur Simple (Simple Future): Talking About the Future

 

The futur simple is formed by adding future endings to the stem of the verb "parler." It is used to express actions that will happen in the future.

 

Subject	Conjugated Form of parler	Meaning	Pronunciation
Je	parlerai	I will speak	(par-ler-ay)
Tu	parleras	You will speak	(par-ler-ah)
Il/Elle/On	parlera	He/She/One will speak	(par-ler-ah)
Nous	parlerons	We will speak	(par-ler-ohn)
Vous	parlerez	You (plural/formal) will speak	(par-ler-ay)
Ils/Elles	parleront	They will speak	(par-ler-ohn)

Examples:

• Je parlerai à mon professeur demain. (Zhuh par-ler-ay ah mohn pro-feh-seur duh-mahn) - I will talk to my teacher tomorrow.
• Nous parlerons de ce sujet plus tard. (Noo par-ler-ohn duh suh soo-zhay ploo tar) - We will talk about this topic later.

 

Forming Negative Sentences: Using "ne... pas"

 

To create a negative sentence, place "ne... pas" around the verb.

Examples:

• Je ne parle pas espagnol. (Zhuh nuh parl pah es-pahn-yol) - I don't speak Spanish.
• Tu ne parles pas beaucoup. (Too nuh parl pah boh-koo) - You don't talk much.
• Il ne parle pas de ses problèmes. (Eel nuh parl pah duh say proh-blem) - He doesn't talk about his problems.

 

Forming Questions: Using "Est-ce que" / Inversion

 

To form a question, you can either add "Est-ce que" to the beginning of the sentence or invert the subject and verb.

Examples:

• Est-ce que tu parles chinois? (Es-kuh too parl shee-nwah?) - Do you speak Chinese?
• Parlez-vous français? (Parlay voo frahn-say?) - Do you speak French?
• Parle-t-il de son voyage? (Parl teel duh son vwah-yahzh?) - Is he talking about his trip?

 

Forming Commands: Using the "Tu" / "Vous" Form

 

Commands are formed without the subject, using only the verb, and they express the meaning "Do ~" or "Do ~ (formal/plural)."

Examples:

• Parle plus fort! (Parl ploo for!) - Speak louder!
• Parlez-moi de votre famille. (Parlay mwah duh voh-truh fa-mee) - Tell me about your family.

 

🇫🇷 Tips for Conquering French! 🇫🇷

 

• -er verbs are the most common type of French verbs, so mastering their conjugation rules will greatly help you conjugate other verbs as well.
• Practice verb conjugation with various examples and use them frequently in real-life situations.
• With consistent effort in your French studies, you'll naturally master verb conjugation in no time!

 

I hope the -er verb conjugation rules and examples we've explored today have been helpful in improving your French skills. Next time, we'll delve into other verb conjugations and grammar points. Bonne journée! (Have a nice day!)