Verb être (to be)

In French, as in all other European languages, you cannot simply say:

I'm beautiful, he's weird, they're at home, you're at work.

Get used to what any foreigner will say:

I am handsome, she is strange, they are at home, you are at work.

The so-called verb be – one of the most important verbs in any foreign language.

The English have “to be.” The Germans have sein.
The Italians have essere. The Frenchêtre – to be.

Conjugation of the verb être (to be).

The French language has the following pronouns:

	être
	suis	I am
		You are
Il(elle)		He, she is
Nous	sommes	We are
Vous	etes	You are
Ils (elles)	sont	They are (male and female)

Negative form of the verb être (to be).

ne + verb + pas

	ne suis pas	I don't have
	n' es pas	You are not
Il(elle)	n'est pas	He, she is not
Nous	ne sommes pas	We are not
Vous	n' etes pas	You are not
Ils (elles)	ne son pas	They are not (m. and f. r.)

The interrogative form of the verb être (to be).

How the question is asked depends on the situation and who you are asking.

The best interrogative turn is the turn with est-ce que.

Suis-je?	Est-ce que je suis?	Je suis?
Es-tu?	Est-ce que tu es?	Tu es?
Est-il?	Est-ce qu'il est?	Il est?
Est-elle?	Est-ce qu'elle est?	Elle est?
Sommes-nous?	Est-ce que nous sommes?	Nous sommes?
Êtes-vous?	Est-ce que vous etes?	Vous etes?
Sont-ils?	Est-ce qu'ils sont?	Is it possible?
Sont-elles?	Est-ce qu'elles sont?	Elles sont?

Set expressions with the verb être (to be).

With the verb être There are a lot of set expressions in the French language that will greatly decorate and enrich your speech at the start of learning French:

• être mal (malade) – to be sick
• être bien – to be healthy
• être libre - to be free
• être pris(e) – to be busy
• être prêt(e) – to be ready
• être content(e) – to be satisfied
• être marie(e) – to be married (married)
• être en retard – to be late
• être à l’heure – arrive on time
• être à la maison - to be at home
• être fatigué(e) – to be tired
• être désolé(e) – to regret
• être sûr(e) – to be confident
• être heureux (heureuse) – to be happy

Coordination

What to pay attention to. In Russian we say:

I'm healthy, I'm healthy Ah, they are healthy
I'm busy, I'm busy Oh, they're busy

In the language of grammar, this is called “agreeing an adjective in gender and number.” If it’s simpler, then you need to put the correct endings.

It turns out that:

A man will always talk without ending ,
those. as it is written in stable expressions
Woman - with ending-e
They, we - with an ending-s

• I'm happy. – Je suis content(-) .
• I am pleased . – Je suis content e.
• They are happy. – Ils sont contents.

Exercise 1. Translate from French into Russian.

1. Je suis libre aujourd'hui.
2. Il est sûre qu'elle est mal.
3. Nous sommes désolés qu'il est en retard.
4. Es-tu price ce soir? - Oui, mais mon ami n'est pas pris.
5. Ma sœur est mariee.
6. Mon frère est marie aussi.
7. Êtes-vous fatigués? - Non, pas du tout.
8. Je suis heureuse que nous sommes à la maison maintenant.
9. Et mon frère est heureux aussi.
10. Ils sont contents que nous sommes prêtes.
11. Elle est toujours à l'heure.
12. Est-t-il bien? – Oui, il est très bien.
13. Où est ton ami? – Il est à la maison maintenant parce qu’il est fatigué aujourd’hui.

Exercise 2. Translate from Russian to French.

1. I am at home now.
2. Where is your brother? He's at home now because he's not feeling well.
3. I'm sorry she's late.
4. Are you free tonight? - Yes.
5. They always arrive on time.
6. Are you married? - Yes. Are you married? - No.
7. They are confident that we are ready.
8. Now you are healthy.
9. We're sorry, but we're busy today.
10. We are happy that you are here today.
11. I'm sure he feels well.
12. They are happy because they are free.
13. I am always free, content and happy.

Exercise 3. Write the correct form of the verb ETRE.

1.Vous _______ monsieur Martin?

2.Elle _____ belle, ma soeur Lucie.

3.Je ____ Francais.

4.Nous _____ touristes russes.

5. Irene et Pauline ___ pianistes.

6.Tu ___ programmeur, comme ton pere?

7. Ma famille ____ grande, nous ______ six.

Exercise 4. Complete the sentences with pronouns: je,tu,il/elle,nous,vous,ils.

1. __ sommes tous fermiers.

2. __ es professeur de musique?

3. __ suis a Marseille.

4. __ sont à la maison.

5. __ etes acteurs.

Verb avoir (to have).

In Russian we say:

I (have) a brother, he (has) a new girlfriend, they (have) a house in the village.

Despite the fact that in Russian we say the word “is”, do not build such sentences with the verb “to be” from lesson 1 (I am beautiful, he is smart).

This is a common mistake. The fact is that we still try to translate all phrases literally.

The French, like all Europeans, will say:

I have a job, he has new girlfriend, they have House in the village.

All such sentences are always constructed with the verb avoir (to have).

Conjugation of the verb avoir (to have).

Verb avoir is one of the most important verbs in the French language, so its conjugation and pronunciation must be learned by heart at the very beginning!

	Avoir
J'ai (je ai)		I have (I have)
		Do you have (do you have)
Il(elle)		He/she has (he/she has) You There is (You have - polite form of address)
Nous	avons	We have (we have)
Vous	avez	Do you have (do you have)
Ils (elles)		They have (they have)

Negative form of the verb avoir (to have).

Before the verb ne, after the verb pas:

ne + verb + pas

Explanation of where it comes from de – in the audio part.

	n'ai pas de	I don't have (I don't have)
	n' as pas de	You don't have (you don't have)
Il(elle)	n' a pas de	He/she doesn't have (he/she doesn't have)
Nous	n' avons pas de	We don't have (we don't have)
Vous	n' avez pas de	You don't have (you don't have)
Ils (elles)	n't pas de	They dont have (they don't have) m.r. (f.r.)

The interrogative form of the verb avoir (to have).

Ai-je?	Est-ce que j'ai?	j'ai?
As-tu?	Est-ce que tu as?	Tu as?
A-t-il?	Est-ce qu'il a?	Il a?
A-t-elle?	Est-ce qu'elle a?	Elle a?
Avons-nous?	Est-ce que nous avons?	Nous avons?
Avez-vous?	Est-ce que vous-avez?	Vous-avez?
Ont-ils?	Est-ce qu'ils ont?	Is it on?
Ont-elles?	Est-ce qu'elles ont?	Elles ont?

Set expressions with the verb avoir (to have).

With the verb avoir (to have) in French there are a number of set expressions that are very useful for colloquial speech:

• avoir de la chance - to be lucky
• avoir du courage - to have courage
• avoir de la patience - to be patient
• avoir du succès – to have success, to enjoy success
• avoir peur de - to be afraid
• avoir froid – to feel cold
• avoir chaud – to experience a feeling of heat (in the sense of air temperature)
• avoir besoin de – to need something
• avoir raison – to be right
• avoir faim - want to eat, be hungry
• avoir soif – want to drink, feel thirsty
• avoir sommeil – want to sleep
• avoir lieu – take place, occur (about an event)
• avoir la grippe – to have the flu
• avoir ... ans – to be aged... years

Exercise 1. Translate from French into Russian.

1. Cathy a raison: ils ont les répétitions tous les jours et ils sont fatigués.
2. Mon frère a peur de notre voisine.
3. J'ai froid, et toi? - Moi, j'ai chaud.
4. Notre mère a de la patience.
5. Vous avez faim? - Non, nous n'avons pas faim, nous avons soif.
6. Elle a le petit magasin et elle a de la chance.
7. Elles sont très populaires et elles ont du succès.
8. Je n'ai pas besoin de la voiture.
9. Oui, vous avez raison: il a sommeil.
10. Quel âge a ton père? - Il a soixante ans.
11. Où est Hélène? – Elle est à la maison parce qu’elle a la grippe.
12. Les compétitions sportives ont lieu aujourd'hui.

1. Helen doesn't need a car.
2. Pierre has a small shop, but he is unlucky.
3. Are you hungry? - No, thanks, I'm not hungry. But my friend is thirsty.
4. Paul is very popular and has great success.
5. They are right: we are afraid of our neighbor.
6. She wants to sleep because she is tired.
7. Edith is sick with the flu, so she is at home.
8. There is a holiday taking place near our house.
9. I feel hot! - Yes? And they are cold!
10. We are not afraid of your dog!
11. They are impatient, that's why they get into trouble.
12. She doesn't want to sleep, she wants to eat.
13. We don't need your explanations!
14. Do they want to sleep? – Yes, they want to sleep because they are very tired.
15. Do you need a car? - Yes.

Check your answers

1. Hélène n'a pas besoin de la voiture.
2. Pierre a le petit magasin mais il n’a pas de la chance.
3. Vous avez faim? - Non, merci, je n’ai pas faim, mais mon amie a soif.
4. Paul est très populaire et il a du succès.
5. Ils ont raison: nous avons peur de notre voisin.
6. Elle a sommeil parce qu'elle est fatiguée.
7. Edith a la grippe c "est pour ça elle est a la maison.
8. Il y a une fête près de notre maison.
9. J'ai chaud. - Ah, bon? Et ils ont froid.
10. Nous n'avons pas peur de votre chien.
11. Ils (elles) n'ont pas de la patience c'est pour ça ils ont des problèmes.
12. Elle n'a pas de sommeil, elle a faim.
13. Nous n'avons pas besoin de vos explanations!
14. Is it ont sommeil? – Oui, ils ont sommeil parce qu’ils sont très fatigués.
15. Tu as besoin de la voiture? – Oui.

Exercises on the verbs avoir and être

Exercise 7. Fill in the blanks with the verbs “être” or “avoir” in the present tense. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. Camille...18 ans; elle... jeune.

2. Nous... au sommet du Mont Blanc. La vue...magnifique, mais nous...très froid. 3. Lucien... de la fièvre. Il...malade.

4. Vous...soif? Vous voulez un jus de fruits?

5. Les enfants crient et s"agitent. Ils... fatigués, ils... sommeil.

Exercise 8. Fill in the blanks with the verb “avoir”. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. Paul ... vingt ans.

2. Nous...une maison de campagne.

3. Les enfants... sommeil.

4. Vous... envie d"un café?

6. Ils... trois enfants.

7. On...soif!

8. Tu...faim?

Exercise 9. Fill in the blanks with the verb “avoir”. Translate the sentences into Russian.

Je...un fils. Il s"appelle Thibaud. Il...huit ans. Il...un très bon copain qui s"appelle Antoine. Ils... tous les deux les yeux verts et les cheveux roux. La mère d"Antoine et moi, nous... aussi les cheveux roux. On... à peu près le même âge: elle... trente et un ans, moi... trente-deux ans. Nous... les mêmes goûts, nous... les mêmes disques et les mêmes livres. Nos enfants... aussi les mêmes livres, les mêmes jouets et ils... les mêmes copains.

Exercise 10. Make sentences according to the model. Translate the sentences into Russian.

Ex. Roland Duval - acteur - acteur celèbre. → Roland Duval est acteur, c"est un acteur célèbre.

l. Monsieur Vigne - professeur - excellent professeur.

2. Klaus - étudiant - étudiant allemand.

3. Elton John - chanteur - chanteur très connu.

4. Madame Durand - infirmière - infirmière très aimée de ses malades.

5. Patrick - menuisier - menuisier très habile.

Exercise 11. Make sentences according to the model. Translate the sentences into Russian.

Ex. Chagall a peint le plafond de l"Opéra (c"est ... qui) → C"est Chagall qui s peint le plafond de l"Opéra.

1. Le coureur n°25 est arrive le premier de la course. (c"est...qui)

2. Je n "aime pas la veste noire. Je préfère la veste rouge. (c"est...que)

3. Dans ce texte, je ne comprends pas ce mot. (c"est...que)

4. Alain Reservera la table au restaurant. (c"est...qui)

5. On plante les tulipes en automne. (c"est...que)

6. Victor Hugo a habité dans cette maison pendant dix ans. (c"est...que)

Conjugation of the verb faire (to do)

Verb fair (to do) does not play a very important grammatical role in French, but there are a number of stable expressions with it, so it is better to learn its conjugation once and for all.

	Faire
	fais	I do
	fais	You are doing
Il(elle)	faith	He/she does
Nous	faisons	We do
Vous	faites	You doing
Ils (elles)	font	They make

The negative form of the verb faire (to do).

Before the verb ne, after the verb pas:

ne + verb + pas

	ne fais pas	I do not
	ne fais pas	You don't
Il(elle)	ne fait pas	He/she doesn't
Nous	ne faisons pas	We don't
Vous	ne faites pas	You do not do
Ils (elles)	ne font pas	They don't

The interrogative form of the verb faire (to do).

Fais-je?	Est-ce que je fais?	Je fais?
Fais-tu?	Est-ce que tu fais?	Tu fais?
Faith-il?	Est-ce qu'il fait?	Il fait?
Faith-elle?	Est-ce qu'elle fait?	Elle fait?
Faisons-nous?	Est-ce que nous faisons?	Nous faisons?
Faites-vous?	Est-ce que vous faites?	Vous faites?
Font-ils?	Est-ce qu'ils font?	What's the font?
Font-elles?	Est-ce qu'elles font?	Elles font?

Set expressions with the verb faire (to do).

• faire de la bicyclette – ride a bicycle
• faire du ble – to grow wheat (bread)
• faire du commerce – to trade, engage in commerce
• faire de la musique – make music
• faire du piano - play the piano
• faire de la politique – engage in politics
• faire du ski – to go skiing
• faire du tennis - play tennis
• faire du sport - to play sports
• faire la connaissance avec – to get to know someone
• faire attention à – to pay attention to someone, something
• faire plaisir à – to please someone
• faire peur à – to frighten someone
• faire obstacle à – to hinder something (someone)
• faire du progrès - to make progress
• faire un voyage – to travel
• faire ses études à – study at an educational institution

Expressions about the weather:

• Il fait beau – Good weather
• Il fait mauvais – Bad weather
• Il fait du vent – ​​Windy, the wind is blowing
• Il fait du soleil – Sunny, the sun is shining
• Il fait du brouillard – Foggy, foggy

Exercise 1. Read and translate from French into Russian.

1. Qu'est-ce que tu fais? - Je fais la gymnastique.
2. Il est très sportif et il fait de la bicyclette.
3. Elle fait de la musique et moi, je fais du piano.
4. Nous faisons de la politique.
5. Monsieur Delon toujours fait peur à mon frère.
6. Mes amis font du sport: ils font du ski, ils font du tennis et ils font de la bicyclette.
7. Ma sœur est très sympatique: tous les jours elle fait la connaissance avec quelqu’un.
8. Hélène, fais attention, tu peux tomber!
9. Etienne fait ses études à l’Université de Paris et il fait du progrès.
10. Vous faites un voyage tous les mois.
11. Il fait beau aujourd'hui! – Oui, il fait du soleil!
12. Merci pour les pommes, Madame Béart! Vous toujours faites plaisir à nous!
13. Oh, il fait mauvais aujourd'hui! Il fait du vent et il fait du brouillard.
14. Nos voisins sont les personnes très désagréable! Surtout Monsieur Bardot. Il fait toujours obstacle à nous quand nous rentrons tard.
15. Nous ne faisons pas du ski, mais nous faisons de la bicyclette.
16. Ma tante fait du commerce.
17. Est-ce que ton frère fait du voyage toutes les semaines? – Oui, il fait du voyage toutes les semaines, parce qu’il fait du commerce.
18. Où est-ce que Marie fait ses études? – Elle fait ses études à la faculté du droit. - Ah, oui? C'est bon! Elle fait du progrès? – Oui, bien sûr!
19. Pourquoi tu ne fais pas la connaissance avec quenlqu’un? - Oh, je ne sais pas.

Check your answers:

1. What are you doing? I have been doing gymnastics.
2. He is very athletic and he rides a bicycle.
3. She studies music and I play the piano.
4. We are involved in politics.
5. Monsieur Delon always scares my brother.
6. My friends play sports: they ski, play tennis and ride a bike.
7. My sister is very cute: every day she meets someone.
8. Helen, be careful, you might fall!
9. Etienne is studying at the University of Paris and he is making progress.
10. You travel every month.
11. It's a good weather today. Yes, it's sunny today!
12. Thanks for the apples, Madame Bert. You always give us pleasure.
13. Oh, the weather is bad today. Windy and foggy.
14. Our neighbors are very unpleasant people. Especially Mr. Bardot. He always hinders us when we return home late.
15. We don't ski, but we ride a bike.
16. My aunt is a businesswoman.
17. Does your brother travel every week? Yes, because he is engaged in commerce.
18. Where does Maria study? She is studying at the Faculty of Law. Is it true? Wonderful. Is she making progress? Certainly.
19. Why don't you meet anyone? I don't know.

Exercise 2. Translate from Russian into French.

1. What is Madame Poule doing? - She plays piano.
2. I don't ski, play tennis or play sports.
3. What is your brother doing? – He meets some girl.
4. Where's Katie? - She's riding a bike.
5. Today the weather is good: the sun is shining and there is no fog.
6. Our uncle always gives us pleasure.
7. Do you travel every week? – Yes, because we are engaged in commerce.
8. Are you studying at university? - Yes, I am a student at the university.
   And are you making progress? - No, I'm not making progress.
9. Today the weather is bad: windy and foggy.
10. It is not true! I'm not scaring your child!
11. Is Paul involved in music? - No, he doesn’t play music, he plays sports.
12. Our grandfather is very serious: he is involved in politics.
13. Where is your uncle? – He is involved in politics and commerce, so now he travels.

Check your answers:

1. Qu'est-ce que Madam Poule fait? Elle fait du piano.
2. Je ne fais pas du ski, pas du tennis et pas du sport.
3. Qu'est-ce que ton frère fait? Il fait la connaissance avec une fille.
4. Où est Cathy? Elle fait de la bicyclette.
5. Il fait beau aujourd'hui: Il fait du soleil et Il ne fait pas du brouillard.
6. Notre oncle toujours fait plaisir à nous.
7. Est-ce que vous faites un voyage toutes semaines. Oui, on fait un voyage toutes les emaines, parce que nous faisons du commerce.
8. Est-ce que tu fais tes études à l"Université? Oui, je fais mes études à l"Université.
   Et Est-ce que tu fais du progrès? Non, je ne fais pas du progrès.
9. Il fait mauvais aujourd'hui: Il fait du vent et Il fait du brouillard.
10. Ce n"est pas vrai. Je ne fais pas peur à Votre enfant.
11. Est-ce que Paul fait de la musique? Non. Il ne fait pas de la musique. Il fait du sport.
12. Notre grand-père est très sérieux. Il fait de la politique.
13. Où est votre oncle? - Il fait de la politique et du commerce, c "est pour ça il fait un voyage maintenant.

Conjugation of verbs of the 1st group

All verbs of the first group in French have an ending-er
Letter r the end is never pronounced

All you have to do to put the verb in the right form is remove the ending-er

For example:

Pronoun	parl er – to speak	trouver – to find
	parl+e	trouv + e
Tu	parl + es	trouv + es
Il/elle/on	parl + e	trouv + e
Nous	parl + ons	trouv + ons
Vous	parl + ez	trouv + ez
Ils (elles)	parl + ent	trouv + ent

The phrase “need” is a useful phrase in French, often found, sounds likeil faut. His denial is “not necessary” -il ne faut pas.

Must speak. – Il faut parler.
We need to do this. – Il faut faire ça.
You don't need to do this. – Il ne faut pas faire ça.

I speak French. – Je parle français.
Do you speak French? – Est-ce que tu parles français?
No, I don't speak French. - Non, je ne parle pas français.

I believe that... – Je trouve que...
I think French is a difficult language. – Je trouve que le Français est difficile.
No, I don't think French is a difficult language. – Et moi je ne trouve pas que le Français est difficile.
I find that French is not a difficult language. – Je trouve que le Français n"est pas difficile.

Verbs that start with a letterhand with a vowel, they are conjugated in exactly the same way. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the spelling and pronunciation of the pronoun I - the spelling merges, because 2 vowels or a vowel and a letterhAccording to the rules, they cannot stand together.

Pronoun	Aimer- be in love	Aider- to help	Habiter- live
Je	j"aime	j"aide	habite =j"habite
Tu	aimes	aides	habits
Il/elle/on	aime	aide	habite
Nous	aimons	aidons	habits
Vous	aimez	aidez	habitez
Ils (elles)	aim	identical	habitent

I love you. - Je t "aime.
I do not love you. - Je ne t"aime pas.
Who do you love? – Qui tu aimes? Qui est-ce que tu aimes?
Why don't you help me? – Pourquoi tu ne m"aides pas?
Who are you helping? – À qui tu aides?
Where do you live? – Où tu habites?
Who do you live with? – Avec qui tu habites?

Practice putting the correct endings on verbs and double-check yourself on the websiteles-verbes.com :

Travailler - to work
Regarder – watch
Demander - ask, ask
Acheter – buy
Chercher – search

Sorry, can I help you? – Est-ce que je peux vous aider?

Verb to be able -pouvoir– the verb of the next lesson, but you can practice it now :)

Verb of the 3rd group prendre (take)

Another popular colloquial verbprendre- take.

This is a verb of the 3rd group, but so that you can already use its stable expressions, we give it in this lesson:

Pronoun	prendre- take
Je	prends
Tu	prends
Il/elle/on	prend
Nous	prenons
Vous	prenez
Ils (elles)	prennent

I take an apple. - Je prends une pomme.
I take a skirt for my sister. – Je prends une jupe pour ma sour.

The first place where knowledge of this verb will be useful to you is transport. We say “I’m going by bus”, “I’m flying by plane”, but the French have to use a verb for absolutely all types of transporttake: I'll take ittrain,I'll take itmetro,I'll take itairplane, etc.

prendre l "avion – fly (on an airplane)
prendre l "autobus (le tram, le metro) - take the bus, (tram, metro)
prendre le train - take a train, travel by rail

I'm flying by plane tomorrow. – Je prends l’avion demain.
He doesn't fly by plane. He goes by train. – Il ne prend pas l "avion. Il prend le train.
What are you driving tomorrow (what are you taking)? – Qu"est ce que tu prends?

Verb of the 3rd group comprendre (understand)

Verb knowledgeprendre- take will help you communicate without problems on the topic of transport, but the following verb will help you understand everything without problems -comprendre.

All you have to do is just add the prefixcom-. You already know the rest:

Pronoun	comprendre- understand
Je	comprends
Tu	comprends
Il/elle/on	comprend
Nous	comprenons
Vous	comprenez
Ils (elles)	comprennent

You understand everything? – Est-ce que tu comprends tout?
I do not understand anything. - Je ne comprends rien.
Good luck! – Bonne chance!

1. What are you looking for?
2. Where she lives?
3. She works with her mother.
4. They are having dinner at a restaurant with colleagues.
5. Tonight I'm watching TV at home.
6. What are you doing tomorrow morning?
7. You live in a big house.
8. I really love my job, it's interesting.
9. Do you speak french? No, I don't speak French. I'm studying French.
10. Why are you learning French if you live in Russia?
11. He invites me to go to work with him.
12. I think (I find) that you work very hard.
13. Are you busy today? - Not at all. I only work in the morning. In the morning I have breakfast and then the whole day is free. When do you have lunch? - I don't have lunch. I'm just having dinner.
14. Why are you learning French? – Because I work and live in France.
15. I start work at 9 o'clock.
16. I don't think it's difficult. I think it's boring.
17. I'm walking straight ahead. Then I turn left.
18. They ask where the Louvre is.
19. What do you think about it?
20. From time to time we go by metro (take the metro).
21. We have breakfast at home.
22. We have lunch at work.
23. We are having dinner at a restaurant.

Check your answers:

1. Qu'est-ce que tu cherches?
2. Où est-ce qu’elle habite?
3. Elle travaille avec maman.
4. Ils dînent au restaurant avec leurs collegues.
5. Ce soir je regarde la tele à la maison.
6. Qu'est-ce que vous faites demain matin.
7. Tu habites dans une grande maison.
8. J'aime bien mon travail, il est très interessant.
9. Est-ce que vous parlez Français? Non, je ne parle pas Français, j’apprends le Français.
10. Pourqoui est-ce que tu apprends le Français quand tu habite en Russie?
11. Il me propose d'aller au travail avec lui.
12. Je trouve que tu travailles trop.
13. Est-ce que tu es pris aujourd'hui? - Pas du tout. Je travaille seulement le matin. Je prends le petit déjeuner et après je suis libre toute la journée. Et quand est-ce que tu dejeunes? - Je ne dejeune pas. Je dîne, c'est tout.
14. Pourqoui est-ce que tu apprends le Français? Parce que je travaille et j'habite en France.
15. Je commence à travailler à neuf heures.
16. Je ne crois pas que c'est difficile. Je crois que c'est ennuieux.
17. Je vais à pied tout droit. Ensuite je tourne à gauche.
18. Is demandent où se trouve le Louvre?
19. Qu'est-ce que tu en penses?
20. De temps en temps on prend le metro.
21. On a le petit déjeuner à la maison.
22. On déjeune au travail.
23. On dine au restaurant.

Verbs of groups 2 and 3.

Modal verbs I can, I want, I know that I must... Verbs of movement.

These are questions that arose after Lesson 4.

Apprendre – Teach
J"apprends le français. - I'm learning French.
Quelle langue tu apprends? - Which language do you learn?

Most verbs of group 2 have an ending-ir
In this case the letterr is clearly pronounced

To conjugate you need to remove the ending-rand add the necessary endings depending on the pronoun.

Pronoun	Finir– finish
Je	fini+ s
Tu	fini+ s
Il/elle/on	fini+ t
Nous	fini+ ssons
Vous	fini+ ssez
Ils (elles)	fini+ ssent

Quand est-ce que vous finissez le travail? – When do you finish work?
Quand est-ce que vous finissez travailler? – When do you finish work?

It is better to learn verbs of motion at once and in one group:

Pronoun	Aller – go (to go)	Venir – come (to come)	Revenir – come back	Partir – leave (to leave)
Je	vais	viens	reviens	pars
Tu	vas	viens	reviens	pars
Il/elle/on	va	vient	revient	part
Nous	allons	venons	revenons	partons
Vous	allez	venez	revenez	partez
Ils (elles)	vont	viennent	reviennent	partent

Où est-ce que vous allez? - Where are you going?

The phrase “How are you” is constructed with the verballer.

Comment ça va? – How are you (How is it going)?
Comment vas tu? – How are you doing (How are you going)?
Je vais très bien. – I’m doing well (I’m going very well).
Comment allez-vous? – How are you doing (How are you going)?
Je n"y vais pas. - I’m not going there.
Je reste à la maison. - I'm staying home.
When will you come? – Quand est-ce que tu viens?
I'll be back. - Je reviens.
When will you be back? – Quand est-ce que tu reviens?
Who will you return with? – Avec qui est-ce que vous revenez?
He will not return. – Il ne revient pas.

Verbs of group 3 have an ending-oiror-endre

Let's look at the main verbs:pouvoir(Can),vouloir(Want),devoir(must).

Pouvoir - To be able

jepeux

tupeux

il/elle/onpeut

nouspouvons

vouspouvez

Ils (elles)peuvent

I can help you. - Je peux t'aider.
I can help you? – Est-ce que je peux t’aider?

Vouloir - To want

jeveux

tuveux

il/elle/onveut

nousvoulons

vousvoulez

Ils (elles)veulent

What would you like? – Qu’est-ce que vous voulez?
I want you. - Je te veux.
I want to sleep with someone. – Je veux coucher avec quelqu’un.
I want to study at university. – Je veux faire mes études à l’université.

Polite phrase "I would like"– Je voudrais...

I want coffee. – Je voudrais un café.

To better understand the difference between the phrase Je veux and Je voudrais, remember the following:

If you are talking about a strong desire in life, about a goal,
then you use turnoverJe veux- I want.

If you are talking about everyday wishes (I want to drink, I want to sleep, I want to ask, I want to relax), then you use the phraseJe voudrais
or stable expressions with the verb avoir.

Devoir – Must, must be

jedois

tudois

il/elle/ondoit

nousdevons

vousdevez

Ils (elles)doivent

As in Russian, in French the order of verbs in such sentences is as follows:

Modal verb + regular verb

I have to go. - Je dois partir.
I have to learn French. – Je dois apprendre le français.
We have to finish this. – Nous devons (on doit) finir ça.
We need to finish. - Il faut finir.

In French, like in German, Spanish and Czech, there are 2 verbs “to know”!

If you don’t know something, it’s better to immediately learn the phrase:

Je ne sais pas. - I don't know.

Savoir - To know, to be able to

jesais

tusais

il/elle/onsait

noussavons

voussavez

Ils (elles)saved

I know that I don't know anything. - Je sais que je ne sais rien.
I can drive a car. - Je sais conduire la voiture.
I can read French. – Je sais lire en français.
Can you draw. - Tu sais dessiner.

Connaître – To know someone, to be acquainted with someone

jeconnaiss

tuconnaiss

il/elle/onconnaît/ait

nousconnaissons

vousconnaissez

Ils (elles)connaissant

If you know someone, for example, I know Uncle Petya and Aunt Marusya (you know them), then you will use the verbconnaître.

But if you know where they live, what they eat for breakfast and where they take out the trash, then you will use the verbsavoir!

Exercise 1. Translate from Russian into French.

1. You are leaving? - Yes, we are going on vacation.
2. Who are you going on vacation with? - I'm going with a friend.
3. When are you leaving? – We leave on Friday morning.
4. When are you coming back? – We return in a week, next Friday.
5. We are traveling by train.
6. Are you coming with us?
7. We go to the restaurant every Saturday.
8. What time will you arrive?
9. She will come tomorrow evening.
10. What are you driving? - We are flying by plane.
11. We are going to the cinema. Are you coming with us?
12. Are you going on vacation this year? - No, we are not going on vacation this year. We stay at home.
13. When will you come to me?
14. Why do they come to visit us so often/rarely?
15. What do you suggest?
16. What are you saying?
17. Where should I sit? Where to put the laptop?
18. Wait, I'm busy. I'm writing a letter.
19. I assure you that you are very beautiful.

Check your answers:

1. Est-ce que vous partez? Qui, nous partons en voyage, en vacances.
2. Avec qui est-ce vous partez en vacances? Je pars avec un ami.
3. Quand est-ce que vous partez? Nous partons vendredi matin.
4. Quand est-ce que vous revenez? - On revient dans une semaine, vendredi prochain.
5. Nous prenons le train.
6. Est-ce que tu vas avec nous?
7. On va au restaurant tous les samedis.
8. A quelle heure est-ce que tu viens?
9. Elle vient demain soir.
10. Qu'est-ce que vous prenez? - On prend l'avion.
11. Nous allons au cinema. Tu vas avec nous?
12. Est-ce que vous partez en vacances cette année? - Non, nous ne partons pas en vacances sette année. Nous restons à la maison.
13. Quand est-ce que tu viens chez moi?
14. Pourquoi est-ce qu’ lls vont si souvent/rarement chez nous?
15. Qu'est-ce que tu proposes?
16. Qu'est-ce que tu dis?
17. Où est-ce que je peux prendre ma place? Où est-ce que je peux mettre mon notebook?
18. Attends, je suis pris. J'écris une lettre.
19. Je te dis que tu es très belle.

Exercise 2. Translate from Russian into French.

1. Can you tell me when we are going on vacation?
2. Why don't you want to help me?
3. Can you do that again slowly?
4. You have to tell me this.
5. How should I know?
6. First you go straight and then you have to turn left.
7. You can ask me if you want.
8. They should arrive tomorrow.
9. What should I do?
10. Why can't I have lunch in peace?
11. She wants to live in a big house.
12. Do you think she wants to work here?
13. Mom, can I go to a friend?
14. Would you like to get coffee? - Yes, willingly.
15. Sorry, we don't have coffee. We can only offer tea.
16. In 2 weeks we are going on vacation. You have to buy tickets.
17. Would you like something to drink?
18. You must send this letter by tomorrow.
19. We want to leave very early because we are always late.
20. You are sick. You should go to the doctor.
21. Where can I leave my things?
22. What do you want to do today?
23. Would you like to see our house?
24. I want to lose weight. I need to lose 5 kilos by summer.
25. I can't work because I'm sick.
26. They can't come because they are very busy.
27. Can you tell me about my responsibilities?

Check your answers:

1. Est-ce que tu peux me dire, quand est-ce que nous partons en vacances?
2. Pourquoi tu ne veux pas m'aider?
3. Tu peux répéter ça lentement encore une fois?
4. Tu dois me dire ça.
5. Comment je peux savoir?
6. D"abord, tu prends tout droit, ensuite tu dois tourner à gauche.
7. Tu peux me demander, si tu veux.
8. Ils doivent venir demain.
9. Qu'st-ce que je dois faire?
10. Pourquoi je ne peux pas déjeuner tranquillement?
11. Elle veut vivre dans une grande maison.
12. Qu'est-ce que tu penses, est-ce qu'elle veut travailler ici?
13. Maman, est-ce que je peux aller chez mon ami?
14. Voudriez-vous prendre un café? - Oui, volontiers.
15. Désolés, on n’a pas de café, on peut vous offrir seulement du thé.
16. Dans quinze jours nous partons en vacances. Tu dois acheter les tickets.
17. Voudriez-vous boire quelque chose?
18. Tu dois envoyer cette lettre avant demain.
19. Nous voulons partir très tôt, parce que nous sommes toujours en retard.
20. Tu es malade. Tu dois aller chez le médecin.
21. Où est-ce je peux laisser mes affaires?
22. Qu'st-ce que vous voulez faire aujourd"hui?
23. Voudriez-vous voir notre maison?
24. Je veux maigrir. Je dois perdre 5 kilos avant l'été.
25. Je ne peux pas travailler parce que je suis malade.
26. Ils ne peuvent pas venir parce qu’ils sont très prices.
27. Pourriez-vous me raconter sur mes devoirs?

Past tense.

The past tense is formed in several ways in French.

Auxiliary verb avoir + past tense verb

Verbs of the 1st group

Verbsfirst groupforming the past form is very simple:
ending-erbe replaced by-é

Pronoun + verbavoir	parler – speak	trouver – find	habiter – live	aimer – be in love
J"ai	parlé	trouvé	habité	aimé
Tuas	parlé	trouvé	habité	aimé
Il/elle/ona	parlé	trouvé	habité	aimé
Nousavons	parlé	trouvé	habité	aimé
Vousavez	parlé	trouvé	habité	aimé
Ils (elles)ont	parlé	trouvé	habité	aimé

I speak. - Je parle.
I spoke to him yesterday. – J"ai parlé avec lui hier.
He believes that Paris is the city of lovers. – Il trouve que Paris est une ville pour les amoureux.
He always believed that Paris was the city of lovers. – Il a trouvé que Paris est une ville pour les amoureux.
They have been living in Paris for 10 years. – Ils habitent à Paris depuis dix ans.
Before that they lived in Moscow. – Avant ils ont habité à Moscow.
She loves You! - Elle t'aime!
She always loved you. – Elle a toujours t’aimé .
We help our parents. – Nous aidons/on aid à nos parents.
We have helped our parents all our lives. – Nous avons aidé /on a aidé à nos parents toute la vie.

Practice putting the following verbs in the past tense:

Travailler – Work
Regarder – Watch
Demander - Ask, ask
Acheter – Buy
Déjeuner – Dine
Gagner – Earn money, win

Je gagne beaucoup d'argent. - I earn a lot of money (I earn good money).
J'ai gagné beaucoup d'argent. - I made good money.
L'équipe de la France a gagné aujourd"hui. - The French team won today.

Verbs of the 2nd group

Past tense for verbs2nd groupis formed even more simply:

just remove the ending-r

For example, verbfinir– finish:

I finish work at 20.00. – Je finis travailler à huit heures du soir.

I finished it later today. – J"ai fini plus tard aujourd"hui.

In French there are often some exceptions, so it is best if you just learn the past tense form for the most common spoken verbs:

• Take -prendre-pris- took

We were traveling by train. – Nous avons pris le train.

• Talk, say -dire-dit- said

He always says that he is right. – Il toujours dit qu’il a raison.

And yesterday he told me that he was wrong. – Hier il m"a dit qu'il n"a pas raison.

• Put –mettre-mis- put

• Promise – promettre -promis- promised, promised

I promise I will do everything. - Je promets que je fais tout.

But you promised! – Mais tu as promis!

• Write -écrire – écrit– wrote. Describe –décrire – décrit– described

What are you writing? - Qu" est-ce que tu écris?

Have you already written an email? – Est-ce qu"elle a déjà écrit un courriel?

Verbs of the 3rd group

Past tense for verbs3rd groupeasier to learn once and for all

vouloir – voulu

I wanted to sleep. – J"ai voulu dormir.

pouvoir – pu

Could you find a hotel closer to the center and not near the station? – Est-ce que tu as pu trouver un hôtel pas près de la gare, mais près du centre?

devoir – dû

They are late. – Ils sont en retard.
What time was the train supposed to arrive? – À quelle heure est-ce le train a du arriver?
What time were they supposed to be here? – À quelle heure ils ont du être là?

savoir-su

I did not know. - Je n'ai pas su.

connaitre – connu

I knew Monsieur Delon very well. – J'ai connu Monsieur Delon très bien.
I didn't know Monsieur Delon. - Je n'ai pas connu Monsieur Delon.

For mandatory memorization:

Être– to be: I was – j"aieté
Avoir– to have: I had –j'ai eu
Faire- do: I did -j"ai fait

Auxiliary verb être + past tense verb

Verbêtre(to be) in the past tense is used for all verbs of motion.

aller – go – allé (e)
I'm going to the university. – Je vais à l’université.
I went to university. – Je suis allé à l’université.

All verbs that require an auxiliary verb in the past tenseêtre(to be) must be agreed in gender and number: he left, she leftA, they leftAND.

Il est allé au cinema. - He went to the cinema.
Ils sont allesà Venise. – They went to Venice.

If you are talking about one man - the ending of the verb-é .
If about several (m, m+f) – the ending of the verb-es.

Elle est alleeau cinema. – She went to the cinema.
Florence et Barbara sont alleesau cinema. – Florenz and Barbara went to the cinema.

If talking about a woman, the ending is on the verb-ee.
If about women, then the ending of the verb is-es.

Venir – être venu (e)

If you are talking about one man – venu, if about several (m, m+f) – venus.
If about a woman - the ending of the verb-e:venue.
If about women - the ending of the verb-es:venues.

• Partir – être parti (e)
  I left... – Je suis parti...
• Arriver – être arrivé (e) – to arrive, to arrive
  I have arrived... – Je suis arrivé...
• Entrer - to enter
  I entered... – Je suis entré...
• Sortir – to go out
  I went out... – Je suis sorti...
• Monter – to rise
  I got up... - Je suis monté...
• Passer - to pass
  I passed (past something) ... - J "ai passé ...
• Rester - stay
  I stayed... – Je suis resté...

Naître – né (e) – to be born

When were you born? I was born on November 5th. – Quans est-ce que vous êtes né? Je suis née le 5 novembre.

Mourir – mort (e) – to die

Steve Jobs died in 2011. – Steve Jobs est mort en deux milles onze.

Turnover "just" (came, bought...)

If you want to say that you just did something (I just finished, I just undressed), then in this case you need to use the following construction:

pronoun + verb venir + de + verb infinitive

I just finished reading the book (I finished reading the book). – Je viens de lire ce livre.
I read this book. – J"ai lu ce livre.

Exercise 1. Translate from Russian into French. Verb avoir + verbs of the first group.

1. What did you say to him?
2. Why didn't you work yesterday?
3. I had a good breakfast.
4. We visited Spain.
5. I've been looking for my keys all day.
6. They bought a house.
7. She worked every weekend.
8. We are going to a restaurant today. I have reserved a table.
9. Why didn't you do anything yesterday?
10. What did you eat this morning?
11. What have you decided?
12. We visited the Louvre yesterday.
13. I spent the whole evening with the children yesterday.
14. They were watching TV.
15. I worked all day. I'm tired and want to rest.

Check your answers:

1. Qu'est-ce que tu lui as dit?
2. Pourqoui tu n’as pas travaillé hier?
3. J'ai bien eu le petit déjeuner.
4. Nous avons visité l’Espagne.
5. J'ai cherché mes clés pendant toute la journée.
6. Ils ont acheté une maison.
7. Elle a travaillé tous les week-ends.
8. On va au restaurant aujourd'hui. J'ai réserve la table.
9. Pourqoui tu n’as fait rien hier?
10. Qu'est-ce que tu as mangé ce matin?
11. Qu'est-ce tu as décidé?
12. On a visité le Louvre hier.
13. Je suis resté avec les enfants hier soir.
14. Ils ont regardé la tele.
15. J'ai travaillé toute la journée. Je suis fatigué et je veux me réposer.

The verb être is one of the most irregular verbs of all the verbs in French. If verbs had a gender, it would be feminine - there is no logic in its conjugation;), and it inherited this property from its Latin roots. But he also has a burdened heredity: the conjugation être is based on not one (!!), but three Latin verbs. Three, Karl! Well, okay, maybe not three - two and a half. But not alone!

This explains why être has such different bases at different times. Well, really - who will say that these are conjugation variants of the same verb: je suis, je serai, je fus, j"ai été?! That's right - no one.

But I’ll explain everything to you now! :) And everything will become clear.

Since there is no need to talk about the logic of conjugation here, we have no choice but to dive into the etymology of être - only it will give us the key to understanding and remembering its conjugation.

In classical Latin there was an equally irregular verb “to be”, which in the infinitive sounded like this: esse. After the fall of Rome and the rise of vernacular Latin, it became the verb essere. Already something familiar, right? (In Italian it has been preserved in this form to this day). After some centuries, this verb acquired almost its final form. This is how it was written in the second edition of the dictionary of the French Academy, released in 1664:

For about a thousand years from essere he turned into estre. But by this time, the letter “s” in this position had long ceased to be read, so the spelling reform consolidated this fact in the spelling of the letter: in the next, 3rd edition of the dictionary of the French Academy in 1740, this word had already acquired its modern spelling. The circumflex reminds us that a dropped letter “s” once stood nearby.

We've sorted out the infinitive. Let's take a look at the conjugations. This is the present tense of the indicative mood.

It immediately becomes clear where the legs grow from. There are even forms that have not changed at all. The same Latin verb gave in modern French the subjunctive (je sois), the future tense (je serai) and the conditionnel (je serais).

The perfect form of the verb esse - fui - gave the basis for the conjugation of être in the passé simple. Let's compare the ancient form of the verb with the modern one:

Well, it’s clear where the dog rummaged.

And finally, another Latin verb - stare - left its traces in the conjugation être. Its meaning is to stand, not only in the sense of being in an upright position, but to be in general - quite close in meaning to esse. This verb gave rise to three conjugation forms in Old French:

• in imparfait: j"estois (in modern French j"étais),
• in the present participle: estant (today it is étant),
• and in the past participle: esté (modern été)

This verb - stare (stand) - by the way, is very tenacious. It came to all our languages ​​from Proto-Indo-European and, as a result, is present in the same meaning in many languages ​​from this family: in English it is stand, in German stehen, in Italian without change - stare, and even in Russian it is “stand” - do you catch the resemblance? Even the word “stop” has the same roots!

In French, the verb être (to be) is used to describe a phenomenon, the state of an animate or inanimate object, to determine the type of activity, occupation, profession. The verb être is also used as an auxiliary when conjugating other verbs in complex tenses in French.
The verb être belongs to the third group of verbs and has special conjugation forms in almost all tenses. In this case, either the original verb root or a morpheme different from the verb root is used as a basis. As a rule, the conjugation of the verb être is learned by heart. Below is the conjugation of the verb être in the present (Présent), past complete (Passé composé), past incomplete (Imparfait), as well as the simple future tense (Futur simple).

Usually in sentences the verb être is not translated into Russian. For example, the expression “il est directeur” in Russian will sound like “he is a director,” and not “he is a director,” since the verb “to be” is combined with names of professions, descriptions of conditions, etc. in Russian, as a rule, it is omitted. Unlike the Russian language, in French there is a subject indicating the type of occupation, description, etc. always presupposes the presence of the verb être:
Nous sommes enfants - We are children.
Pierre, tu es très intelligent - Pierre, you are very smart.
La maison est grande - The house is big.

In some constructions in French, the verb être may either not be translated into Russian at all, or be translated by other verbs that are suitable in meaning in this particular situation. For example:
ton stylo est sur la table - your pen is on the table OR your pen is on the table;
mon complet est dans l"armoire - my suit is hanging in the closet OR my suit is in the closet;
nous sommes en huitième - we are in eighth grade.

The verb être is used as an auxiliary when conjugating all reflexive verbs(se séparer, s"arrêter, etc.) and 15 verbs in complex tenses. These include the so-called “intransitive” verbs, denoting state or movement:
aller (to go), arriver (to arrive), descendre (to go down), devenir (to become),

entrer (to enter), monter (to rise), mourir (to die), naître (to be born), partir (to leave),

rentrer (to return), rester (to stay), revenir (to return), sortir (to leave),

tomber (to fall), venir (to come).

For example: je me suis arrêté - I stopped; je suis venu - I have come; elle est sortie - she came out.

A participle formed from a conjugated verb will agree in number and gender with the subject to which it refers. For example: il est venu, nous sommes venus, elles sont venues.

Due to the fact that some of the listed 15 verbs can have different meanings, such verbs can be conjugated with the auxiliary verb avoir:
Compare: il est monté - he rose; il a monté sa valise dans l’armoire - he lifted (put) his suitcase into the closet.
The auxiliary verb être is replaced by avoir also in the case of an object in the genitive case, i.e. when the conjugated verb becomes transitive:
il a monté l’escalier - he climbed the stairs.

The French verb “être” translated into Russian means “to be”. This verb is part of the third group of verbs, therefore it has special conjugation forms in all tenses. To do this, take the original root of the verb, or a verbal morpheme. To speak correctly, you need to remember these forms.

The verb “être” is used as a semantic verb when defining a profession, status, type of activity, as well as when describing a certain phenomenon or state of an object.

Usually, in sentences where the verb “être” carries a semantic load, it is not translated into Russian. For example:
. Je suis proffesseur. - I'am a teacher. (Not “I am a teacher”)
. Elle est très riche. - She is very rich.
. Le chat botté est mon héros aimé. - Puss in Boots is my favorite hero.

In French, there are a number of phrases in which the verb “être” can also be omitted during translation, or translated by another verb that is related in meaning to the main idea of ​​the sentence in which it is used. For example:
. L'auto est à côt é de la maison - A car near the house. The car is parked near the house.
. Les serviettes sont dans la commode. - Towels in the chest of drawers. Towels are in the chest of drawers.
. Il est jardinier. - He's a gardener. He works as a gardener.

In addition, the verb "être" is one of the auxiliary verbs in French. So, it will be an auxiliary verb when conjugating all reflexive (pronominal) verbs. The participle (participe passé), formed by conjugating a semantic verb, must be consistent in number and gender with the subject. So:
. Il s"est réveillé. - He woke up.
. Elle ne s’est pas lavée. - She didn’t wash her face.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that the first sentence uses a masculine participle, and the second – a feminine one. This is evidenced by the added “e” in the participle of the verb “se laver”.

Also, the verb “être” will be auxiliary when forming complex tenses with “intransitive” verbs denoting movement or state:
. naître - to be born
. mourir - to die
. tomber - to fall
. aller - to go, to go
. arriver - to come, to arrive
. partir - leave, leave
. venir - to come, to arrive
. survenir - appear, meet
. apparaître - to appear
. sortir - exit
. and others
For example:
. Pouchkine est né en 1799. - Pushkin was born in 1799.
. Le train est arrivé sur le quai. - The train arrived at the platform.

However, the verb être can be replaced by the verb avoir if in the sentence construction the verb is followed by a direct object (without a preposition). Then the verb becomes “transitive”:
J'ai sorti mon porte-monnaie. - I took out my wallet.

The verb être can also be used in stable phrases. In the third person singular, in combination with the pronoun il, it forms the untranslatable impersonal phrase il est, which is used mainly to denote time. For example:
. Quelle heure est-il? - What time is it now?
. Il est quatre heures. - It's four o'clock now.

The use of the verb "être" is very common in French, both independently and as an auxiliary when forming tenses, so be careful when using it. If you choose the wrong form, you can unwittingly distort your own thought.

In almost all languages, verbs change according to persons and numbers. This is called conjugation. Sometimes this happens according to general rules, but often the most used of them have to be learned by heart, because the formation of certain forms does not lend itself to any logic. And among them, of course, is "etre".

Conjugating regular verbs in French

It is difficult for a modern person to do without knowledge of English at least at an elementary level. Any travel, meeting with foreigners, interesting highly specialized articles - for all this you need to learn a foreign language. Most often, English is taught in schools, although French is no less important - the information on a driver’s license is duplicated in it. It is also one of the working languages ​​of the UN and its secretariat, and finally, it is simply beautiful and romantic. But learning it is not an easy task, primarily because of the grammar.

It is not difficult to remember how the so-called “regular” verbs change. There are two main groups with different endings, which are conjugated according to different principles. The easiest way to illustrate this is with a table:

Present tense
Infinitive form	parl er(speak)	fin ir(end)

Obviously, remembering these rules is not that difficult. But unfortunately,

Not all verbs are so simple in their changes. And these, of course, include être.

Conjugation of basic irregular verbs

It might seem that there are no particular difficulties in French grammar. But this is not entirely true. The main verbs - etre (to be) and avoir (to have) belong to the category of irregular ones. That is, their forms can only be learned; it is impossible to construct them based on general conjugation rules. What aggravates the problem is that these verbs often act as “links,” that is, they participate in the formation of more complex grammatical structures. But you shouldn’t immediately delve into the question; first you need to find out how these two verbs change.

Present tense
	avoir (to have)
Je suis (I am, I exist)	J"ai (I have)
Tu es (You are, you exist)	Tu as (You have)
Il/Elle/On est (He/she is, he/she exists)	Il/Elle/On a (He/she has)
Nous sommes (We are, we exist)	Nous avons (We have)
Vous êtes (You are, you exist)	Vous avez (You have, you have)
Ils/Elles sont (They are, they exist)	Ils/Elles ont (They have)

completely different forms that also have to be learned.

Past and future tense

French has 8 tense forms, two of which are used only in writing. There are also 4 conditionals, subjunctive and imperative, as well as participles and constructions denoting the compassionate voice. That is, there are a total of 21 for each verb, including the infinitive. This number is a little scary. And all this must be mastered if you want to know French well. The conjugation of the verb etre, as already mentioned, does not follow general rules, which means that all its forms must be learned by heart

The complete table will look like this:

Indicative mood (Indicatif)
Time		Verb form in French	Possible translation
Past tense forms	(Simple past)		I was/existed
			you were/existed
			we were/existed
		ils/elles furent
	(Past completed)		I was/existed
			you were/existed
		il/elle/on a été	he/she was/was/was/existed
		nous avons eté
		ils/elles ont été
	(Unfinished Past)		I was/existed
			you were/existed
		il/elle/on etait	he/she was/was/was/existed
		ils/elles etaient	they were/existed
	Plus-que-parfait (Done long ago, preceding another action)		I was/existed
			you were/existed
		il/elle/on avait été	he/she was/was/was
		nous avions eté
		vous aviez eté
		ils/elles avaient été	they were/existed
	Passé anterieur (Anterior past)
		il/elle/on eut été	he/she was/was/was/existed
		nous eûmes eté
		vous eûtes eté
		ils/elles eurent été
Present forms			I am/exist
			you are/exist
			he/she is/exists
			we are/exist
			you are/exist
			they are/exist
Future forms	Futur simple (Simple form)
			you will
			he/she will
			You will
			they will
	Futur antérieur (The future with a sequence of actions)
			you will
		il/elle/on aura été	he/she will
		nous aurons été
		vous aurez été	You will
		ils/elles auront été	they will
Subjunctive mood (Subjonctif)
		que j'aie eté	conveyed by the subordinate clause "... that I was/existed"
		que tu aies eté	conveyed by the subordinate clause "... that you were/existed"
		qu'il/elle/on ait été	conveyed by the subordinate clause "... that he/she was/was/was/existed"
		que nous ayons été	conveyed by the subordinate clause "... that we were/existed"
		que vous ayez eté	conveyed by the subordinate clause "... that you were/existed"
		qu'ils/elles aient été	conveyed by the subordinate clause "... that they were/existed"
Plus-que-parfait (hardly used)		que j'eusse eté	that I was/existed
		que tu eusses été	that you were/existed
		qu'il/elle/on eût été
		que nous eussions eté	that we were/existed
		que vous eussiez été	that you were/existed
		qu'ils/qu"elles eussent été	that they were/existed
Imparfait (hardly used)			that I was/existed
			that you were/existed
		qu'il/elle/on fût	that he/she was/was/was/existed
		que nous fussions	that we were/existed
		que vous fussiez	that you were/existed
		qu'ils/elles fussent	that they were/existed
			that I am/exist
			that you are/exist
		qu'il/elle/on soit	that he/she is/exists
			that we are/exist
			that you are/exist
		qu'ils/elles soient	that they are/exist
Conditionnel
Passé 1re form		j'aurais été	I would be/exist
			would you be/exist
		il/elle/on aurait été	he/she was/was/was/existed
		nous aurions été	we would be/exist
		vous auriez eté	would you be
		ils/elles auraient été	they would be
Passé 2e forme (almost not used, book form, plus-que-parfait)			I would be/exist (when denoting an unrealized action in the past)
			would you be/exist
		il/elle/on eût été
		nous eussions eté	we would be/exist
		vous eussiez été	you would be/exist
		ils/elles eussent été	they would be
			I would be (action in the present)
			would you be/exist
		il/elle/on serait	he/she would be/were/was/existed
			we would be/exist
			would you be
		ils/elles seraient	they would be/exist
Imperative mood
Passé (used to indicate an incentive to action that must be completed before a certain point)
			let's be/let's be
			we will/let's be
Initial form (Infinitif)
Participle form
			which was
			being

Yes, the variety of forms of French verbs is amazing. And all this will have to be memorized. The table shows only etre, the conjugation of which is an excellent example of how unpredictably irregular ones can behave
Verbs. But there are a huge number of them. In fact, fear of irregular verbs should not stop anyone who wants to master French. Not all of these forms are actively used even by native speakers, and everything that is necessary can be memorized by regular practice.

Use of etre

Conjugating this verb may seem complicated - and it is. But you will have to learn all its forms, since you will have to use it constantly.

Firstly, it is present in phrases denoting the occupation, nationality or other qualities of a person:
Je suis étudiante. I am a student.

Secondly, it is used to designate states:
Je suis malade. I am sick.

Finally, it is used to form forms of some verbs:
Je suis allé. I went.

So you definitely shouldn’t neglect studying such an important verb. And its forms can be remembered in the process of mastering certain tenses, moods and other grammatical structures. Then the conjugation of the verb etre will not be like this

frightening - the main thing is to do everything gradually.

Examples from other languages

French is no exception in terms of irregular verb forms. For European languages ​​this is rather a rule. English to be, German sein, even Russian “to be”! The latter is not used as often as its counterparts in other languages, but it is undeniably incorrect. You can easily verify this by trying to conjugate it. In the present tense, he completely changes the basis to “is”, in the past and future it returns, and the change seems to occur according to the rules. However, it would be more correct to classify it as “incorrect”. So, before you think about how much you have to suffer while learning foreign languages, you should understand that your native language - Russian - can hardly be called simple.

Remember that everything you learn must be spoken out loud, listening to the voiceover of both the lesson itself and the answers to the exercises. Don’t be afraid if you are not yet strong in the rules of reading - just repeat after the announcer and return to the French phonetics course.
The pronunciation will pick up on its own in the process of working with the French language.

  Listen to the audio lesson with additional explanations

In French, as in all other European languages, you cannot simply say:

I'm beautiful, he's weird, they're at home, you're at work.

Get used to what any foreigner will say:

I There is beautiful, she There is weird, they There is at home, you There is At work.

The so-called verb be– one of the most important verbs in any foreign language.

The English have “to be.” The Germans have sein.
The Italians have essere. For the French, être means to be.

Conjugation of the verb être (to be)

The French language has the following pronouns:

être
Je	suis	I am
Tu	es	You are
Il(elle)	est	He, she is
Nous	sommes	We are
Vous	etes	You are
Ils (elles)	sont	They are (male and female)

Negative form of the verb être (to be)

Before the verb - ne, after the verb - pas:

ne + verb+pas

Je	ne suis pas	I Not There is
Tu	n "es pas	You Not There is
Il(elle)	n "est pas	He she Not There is
Nous	ne sommes pas	We Not There is
Vous	n "êtes pas	You Not There is
Ils (elles)	ne son pas	They Not yes (m. and f. r.)

Interrogative form of the verb être (to be)

How the question is asked depends on the situation and who you are asking.

The best interrogative phrase is the one with est-ce que.

Suis-je?	Je suis?	Est-ce que je suis?
Es-tu?	Tu es?	Est-ce que tu es?
Est-il?	Il est?	Est-ce qu"il est?
Est-elle?	Elle est?	Est-ce qu"elle est?
Sommes-nous?	Nous sommes?	Est-ce que nous sommes?
Êtes-vous?	Vous etes?	Est-ce que vous etes?
Sont-ils?	Is it possible?	Est-ce qu"ils sont?
Sont-elles?	Elles sont?	Est-ce qu"elles sont?

Set expressions with the verb être (to be)

There are a lot of fixed expressions with the verb être in French that will greatly embellish and enrich your speech at the start of learning French:

être malade	be ill
être en bonne santé	to be healthy
être libre	to be free
être price(e)	be busy
être prêt(e)	be ready
être content(e)	to be content
être marie(e)	to be married
être en retard	be late
être à l"heure	be on time
être à la maison	be at home
être fatigué(e)	be tired
être désolé(e)	regret
être sûr(e)	sure
être heureux (heureuse)	be happy

Good, verb be You will always use with:

• nouns- "Who? what?”: je suis femme au foyer (I am a housewife), il est un chômeur (he is unemployed), c"est ma soeur (this is my sister), c"est mon mari (this is my husband), c"est notre maison (this is our house) ;
• adjectives- "Which? which? which one?”: elle est gaie (she is cheerful), il est riche (he is rich), la maison est vieille (the house is old);
• adverb- “how?”: c"est compliqué (it’s difficult), c"est intéressant (it’s interesting), c"est bien / bon (this is good), c"est mauvais / mal (this is bad);
• or when answer the question " where?”: il est dans le parc (he’s in the park), je suis à la maison (I’m at home), mon mari est au travail (my husband is at work), ils sont en vacances (they are on vacation).

Coordination

What to pay attention to. In Russian we say:

I'm healthy, I'm healthy A, they are healthy s,
I'm busy, I'm busy A, they're busy s.

In grammar language this is called agree adjective in gender and number. If it’s simpler, then you need to put the correct endings.

It turns out that:

a man will always talk without ending
(i.e. as written in fixed expressions),
woman - ending -e,
they, we - with the ending -s.

Je suis content(-). - I'm pleased.
Je suis contente. - I am pleased.
Ils sont contents. – They are satisfied (men, m + f).
Elles sont contentes. – They are happy (women).

To summarize what you need to learn in this lesson:

• verb conjugations be and cases when it should be in a sentence,
• negation: before the verb – ne, after the verb – pas,
• question: turnover est-ce que,
• approval:
  - the man says without ending,
  – woman – with ending -e,
  – men – with the ending -s,
  – women – with the ending -es.

That's all!

Additionally, learn words from the lesson and from the exercises, look at additional grammar topics on the website, listen to the phonetics course, and most importantly, start speaking and using the knowledge from this lesson now in your life.