15 - How to Conjugate "to Be" in French (Present Tense)
Know how to conjugate the French verb "être" ("to be") in the present tense? That's what you're about to learn in this lesson. Plus, you'll learn some French words describing nationalities.
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Transcript
Intro: Welcome to the French Made Easy podcast, where I give you all the basics you need to speak French clearly and confidently. I'm your host, Mathilde, and I'm a French teacher, mumpreneur, and bread and cheese lover. Join me as I dive into all things French for beginners, and deliver to you bite-sized and easy-to-follow lessons every Tuesday. Let's get started, "on commence"!
Bonjour à tous! Hi, everyone. 👋 Bienvenue. Welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast. This is episode number 15, numéro quinze. Thanks for tuning in. Today, we'll talk about the verb "être," "to be" in French, and you'll also learn some new French words describing nationalities.
Before we start, make sure you've got your cheat sheet in front of you. If you don't have it yet, go download it first, it's free. Or at least check out the transcript! And after the lesson, don't forget to download your exercises, which are also free.
Ok. Vous êtes prêts? Are you ready? On y va.
"Être" ("to be") as well as "avoir" ("to have") are probably the most important verbs to learn in French. They are not only the most commonly used French verbs, but later on, you will also need them to form some past tenses (such as the infamous passé composé (the present perfect)).
So my advice to you? Learn these two verbs by heart. You'll thank me later. 😇
Anyway, today, we'll only concentrate on conjugating the verb "être" ("to be") in the present tense, and we'll learn " avoir" ("to have") in next week's lesson.
So first, what does conjugating a verb mean?
It means that the infinitive of the verb (here: "to be") changes depending on the subject ("I," "you," "the apple" etc.), and the tense (here: the present tense.)
So when you say "I am," "you are," "she is," etc., in fact, you are conjugating the verb "to be" in the present tense.
Alright, now that we all know that, let's learn how to conjugate the verb "être" ("to be") in the present tense.
Let's start with:
"je suis" is "I am" Répétez après moi. "je suis"
An example: "Je suis français." It means "I am French." And if you are a woman, you say "je suis française."
Next one:
"tu es" is "you are" (Note that this is the singular, informal version of "you are.")
For example: "Tu es américain." ("You’re American."). For a woman, "tu es américaine."
Next one:
"il est" is "he is" or "it is." (masculine) Répétez après moi. "il est"
For example: "Il est anglais." ("He’s English.")
"elle est" is "she is" or "it is" (feminine)
For example: "Elle est anglaise." ("She’s English.")
"on est" is or "one is" "we are" (informal)
For example: "On est australiens." (We are Australian.) For women, "On est australiennes."
Très bien. Next one is:
"nous sommes" (formal version of "we are")
For example: "Nous sommes allemands." ("We're German.") For women: "nous sommes allemandes."
Très bien.
"vous êtes" is "you are" (either singular formal or plural)
For example: "Vous êtes italien(s)." ("You're Italian.") For women: "Vous êtes italienne(s)"
"ils sont" is "they are" (masculine.)
For example: "Ils sont chinois." ("They're Chinese.")
"elles sont" is "they are" (feminine)
For example: "Elles sont chinoises." ("They're Chinese.")
Ok, how did you go? I hope that all made sense.
Now let's recap what you've learned.
"je suis" ("I am")
"tu es" ("you are" - informal singular)
"il est" ("he is" or "it is" masculine)
"elle est" ("she is" or "it is" feminine)
"on est" ("one is" or "we are" informal)
"nous sommes" ("we are", formal)
"vous êtes" ("you are", sing. formal or pl.)
"ils sont" ("they are" masculine)
"elles sont" ("they are" feminine)
✍️ Now, it's your turn. Let me know in the comments over at mathildekien.com: quelle est votre nationalité? (what's your nationality?) Moi, je suis française. (Me, I'm French.) And if you don't know how to say your nationality in French, just ask me, and I'll reply as soon as possible!
That brings us to the end of our lesson, thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to download your lesson's exercises by clicking the link in the episode's notes. Make sure you hit subscribe, so you don't miss out on any new episodes. And if you are enjoying this podcast, I'd really appreciate a quick rating and review on Apple Podcast!
Merci et à bientôt. 💗
⚠️ Nationalities are capitalized when they are used as nouns, but not as adjectives. Ex: Je connais un Français. (I know a French man.) / Je suis français. (I am French.)