1. Français I – Leçon 2A Structures
Present tense of regular –er verbs
Questions
Negation

2. Être is an irregular verb because it does not follow a pattern.
In English, verbs are words that express actions or states of being. You have already learned one verb in French: être (to be).
Être is an irregular verb because it does not follow a pattern.

3. There are also regular verbs in French. Regular verbs follow a pattern
There are also regular verbs in French. Regular verbs follow a pattern. The most common regular verbs in French end with –er.

4. To form “regular –er verbs,” you have to remove the –er from the verb, and add new endings to the stem to match the subject pronouns. This is called “conjugating.”
[Look at the example on the next slide. The verb is parler (to talk). Notice how the spelling changes depending on the subject pronoun.]

5. Parler = to speak Je parle Nous parlons Tu parles Vous parlez
(I speak)
Nous parlons
(We speak)
Tu parles
(You speak)
Vous parlez
(You speak)
Il parle
Ils parlent
(He speaks)
(They speak)
Elles parlent
Elle parle
(They speak)
(She speaks)
On parle
(One speaks)

6. Other regular –er verbs will be conjugated the same way
Other regular –er verbs will be conjugated the same way. Remove the –er and add the new endings that match the subject pronouns.
adorer = to love J’adore (I love) nous adorons (we love) Tu adores (you love) vous adorez (you love) Il adore (he loves) ils adorent (they love) Elle adore (she loves) elles adorent (they love) On adore (one loves)

7. Common –er verbs
Adorer = to love Aimer = to like, to love Aimer mieux = to prefer (to like better)

8. arriver = to arrive chercher = to look for commencer = to begin dessiner = to draw

9. détester = to hate donner = to give étudier = to study habiter (à/en) = to live in

10. manger = to eat oublier = to forget partager = to share penser (que/qu’…) = to think (that)

11. regarder = to look at rencontrer = to meet retrouver = to meet up with; to find (again) travailler = to work

12. jouer = to play danser = to dance chanter = to sing voyager = to travel

13. Other rules of –er verbs…
Verbs ending in –ger (*manger, voyager) and
–cer (**commencer) have a spelling change in the nous form.
*manger  nous mangeons
**commencer  nous commençons
Je becomes J’ when it appears before a verb that begins with a vowel sound.
J’adore -J’habite

14. (Other rules of –er verbs cont.)
When two verbs are used back-to-back in a sentence, only conjugate the first one. Leave the second one in the infinitive (unchanged) form.
J’aime jouer au foot.
(I like to play soccer)
Nous detestons manger les oignons!
(We hate to eat onions!)

15. There are several ways to ask a question in French.
Forming Questions
There are several ways to ask a question in French.

16. 1. Intonation
The simplest way to ask a question is to use the same wording as a statement, but changing the tone of your voice. This is called intonation.
In writing, you add a question mark at the end of the statement.
This method is informal.
Vous habitez à Paris? Tu aimes la pizza?
(You live in Paris?) (You like pizza?)

17. 2. Est-ce que…
A second way is to place the phrase Est-ce que… directly before a statement.
If the next word begins with a vowel sound, use Est-ce qu’…
Questions w/ est-ce que are formal.
Est-ce que vous habitez à Las Vegas?
(Do you live in Las Vegas?)
Est-ce qu’il aime la pizza?
(Does he like pizza?)

18. 3. Tag question Place a tag question at the end of a statement.
This can be formal or informal.
On commence à 2h, d’accord?
(We’re starting at 2:00, OK?)
Nous mangeons à midi, n’est-ce pas?
(We eat at noon, don’t we?)

19. 4. Inversion
Invert the order of the subject pronoun and the verb and hyphenate them.
If the verb ends in a vowel and the subject pronoun is il, elle, or on, -t- is inserted between the verb and the pronoun.
Inversion is considered formal.
Parlez-vous français? Mange-t-il à midi?
(Do you speak French?) (Does he eat at noon?)

20. Expressing Negation

21. Ne…pas
To make a sentence negative, place ne before the conjugated verb and pas after it.
If the verb has a vowel sound, place n’ before it instead of ne.
Je ne danse pas bien Je n’aime pas les maths.

22. Expressions of agreement and disagreement
Use these expressions to respond to a statement or a question that requires a yes or no answer.
Oui = yes
Bien sûr = of course
Moi/toi non plus = me/you neither
(mais) non = no (but of course not)
Pas du tout = not at all
Peut-être = maybe, perhaps