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Verbs

-er verbs (stem changing) present tense

Spelling changes occur in the stems of several groups of -er verbs in the present tense. These spelling changes reflect the pronunciation of the present tense forms.

You may have already noticed the spelling change in the verb s’appeler (Je m’appelle …, My name is …). For verbs like appeler (to call), rappeler (to call back) and jeter (to throw), the consonant -l or -t in the the stem doubles in all forms of the present tense, except in the first and second person plural (nous and vous). This follows the traditional boot pattern of -er verb conjugations in the present tense.


appeler ‘to call’
j’appelle nous appelons
tu appelles vous appelez
il/elle/on appelle ils/elles appellent
past participle : appelé

This same “boot” pattern is repeated in spelling change verbs like préférer (to prefer). In these verbs the é in the last syllable of the stem changes to an è, except in the first and second person plural (nous and vous). Listen carefully to the different pronunciations of é and è in the conjugations below.

préférer ‘to prefer’
je préfère nous préférons
tu préfères vous préférez
il/elle/on préfère ils/elles préfèrent
past participle : préfé

Verbs conjugated like préférer include:

  • considérer, to consider
  • espérer, to hope
  • régler, to regulate, pay, settle, adjust
  • répéter,to repeat
  • sécher, to dry, skip (a class)

In verbs which are conjugated like acheter (to buy), the e in the last syllable of the stem also changes to an è, again with the exception of the first and second person plural forms.

acheter ‘to buy’
j’achète nous achetons
tu achètes vous achetez
il/elle/on achète ils/elles achètent
past participle : acheté

Verbs conjugated like acheter include:

  • amener, to bring somebody (along)
  • emmener, to take somebody (along)
  • lever, to lift, raise
  • mener, to take, lead
  • peser, to weigh

Another group of stem-changing verbs include those ending in ayer, including essayer (to try) and payer (to pay). In these verbs the y changes to i in all persons except the first and second person plural (nous and vous).

essayer  ‘to try’
j’essaie nous essayons
tu essaies vous essayez
il/elle/on essaie ils/elles essaient
past participle : essayé

Finally, verbs ending in -ger like voyager (to travel) add an e after the g in the nous form of the present tense, so that the g is pronounced as a soft sound before the ons ending (i.e. nous voyageons). Similarly, in verbs ending in cercommencer (to start), for example, the c in the nous form changes to ç to keep the soft c sound (nous commençons).

voyager  ‘to travel
je voyage nous voyageons
tu voyages vous voyagez
il/elle/on voyage ils/elles voyagent
past participle: voyagé

Other verbs in this category include:

  • corriger, to correct
  • exiger, to demand, require
  • manger, to eat
  • nager, to swim
  • partager, to share
  • ranger, to tidy up, arrange
  • rédiger, to write, compose
  • songer, to dream, reflect

Quelle activité est-ce que vous préférez en été? What activity do you prefer in the summer?
Rita: J’emmène mes enfants à la piscine. Rita: I take my children to the pool.
Ses enfants: Nous nageons et nous mangeons de la glace. Her children: We swim and we eat ice cream.
Tammy: Moi, je préfère faire du shopping. J’achète beaucoup et papa paie tout. Tammy: Me, I prefer shopping. I buy lots and daddy pays for everything.

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Tex’s French Grammar Copyright © by Carl Blyth is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.