Why this matters

You already know a few -ER verbs from A1. Now it's time to level up. The -ER family is the largest in French — over 90% of new verbs you encounter will follow this pattern. Mastering it means you can guess how to conjugate almost any new verb on the spot. On the DELF A2 exam, -ER verb conjugation shows up constantly in the compréhension écrite fill-in-the-blank tasks and in the production écrite letter/email task — examiners expect these endings to be automatic.

🦝 Remy says: "Think of -ER verbs as your French superpower. Learn the pattern once, unlock hundreds of verbs forever. Not bad for one lesson, right?"

Document Déclencheur

SMS entre amis

Léa : Tu travailles cet aprem ? 😅 Nadia : Non, je cherche un appart avec Sam. Et toi tu bosses ? Léa : Je commence à 14h... J'espère qu'on termine tôt, j'adore regarder des séries le soir ! Nadia : Haha ok, on s'appelle après ?

What do you notice?

Spot the -ER verbs: travailles, cherche, bosses, commence, termine, adore, regarder, appelle — how many endings can you identify without looking back? (six visible conjugations)
"Bosser" is slang for travailler — texting French often swaps formal verbs for casual ones.
Why does "termine" end in -e and not -es? (it's "on termine" — informal "we", which conjugates like il/elle)

The -ER Conjugation Pattern

Remove the -er ending from the infinitive, then add these endings:

Pronoun	Ending	Example: parler (to speak)
je	-e	je parle [zhuh parl]
tu	-es	tu parles [tü parl]
il/elle/on	-e	il parle [eel parl]
nous	-ons	nous parlons [noo par-lohn]
vous	-ez	vous parlez [voo par-lay]
ils/elles	-ent	ils parlent [eel parl]

Key insight: The je, tu, il/elle, and ils/elles forms are all pronounced the same for most -ER verbs. The -ent ending is always silent!

More examples with the same verb, different contexts:

Je parle un peu français. = I speak a little French.
Nous parlons anglais à la maison. = We speak English at home.
Elles parlent trop vite pour moi. = They speak too fast for me.

Expanding Your -ER Verb Vocabulary

Here are 16 essential -ER verbs you must know at A2:

Infinitive	Meaning	Example
travailler	to work	Je travaille beaucoup. = I work a lot.
habiter	to live (somewhere)	Tu habites où ? = Where do you live?
chercher	to look for	Elle cherche ses clés. = She's looking for her keys.
écouter	to listen	Nous écoutons de la musique. = We listen to music.
regarder	to watch	Vous regardez la télé ? = Do you watch TV?
penser	to think	Je pense que oui. = I think so.
détester	to hate	Elle déteste attendre. = She hates waiting.
oublier	to forget	J'oublie toujours ! = I always forget!
montrer	to show	Montre-moi ! = Show me!
expliquer	to explain	Tu peux expliquer ? = Can you explain?
essayer	to try	J'essaie de comprendre. = I'm trying to understand.
changer	to change	Ça change tout. = That changes everything.
aider	to help	Il aide ses parents. = He helps his parents.
trouver	to find	Vous trouvez ça facile ? = Do you find that easy?
commencer	to begin	Nous commençons à 9h. = We start at 9.
préparer	to prepare	Je prépare le dîner. = I'm preparing dinner.

🦝 Remy's memory trick: "To remember that -ent is silent, picture the letters sleeping at the end of the word. Ils parlent — they speak... but those last letters? Completely napping."

🔊 Phonétique: The four singular/3rd-person-plural forms of an -ER verb (je parle, tu parles, il parle, ils parlent) are all pronounced exactly the same — [parl]. The -e, -es, and -ent endings are silent letters, not sounds. Say j'habite, tu habites, ils habitent out loud back to back: your mouth should not change.

Spelling-Change -ER Verbs

A few -ER verbs need a small spelling tweak to keep their sound consistent:

Verb type	Rule	Example
-cer verbs	c → ç before -ons	commencer → nous commençons
-ger verbs	g → ge before -ons	manger → nous mangeons, changer → nous changeons
-yer verbs	y → i everywhere except nous/vous	essayer → j'essaie, but nous essayons

Mini-dialogue — at a café, using -ER verbs naturally:

Léa : Tu travailles ce soir ? (Are you working tonight?)
Marc : Non, je cherche un restaurant sympa. Tu viens ? (No, I'm looking for a nice restaurant. Are you coming?)
Léa : J'adore essayer de nouveaux endroits ! On commence par l'apéro ? (I love trying new places! Shall we start with drinks?)
Marc : Parfait, j'appelle une réservation. (Perfect, I'll call to book a reservation.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Je parles français. → ✅ Je parle français. — English speakers often add an -s to "je" out of habit from other patterns, but je never takes -s on -ER verbs.
❌ Nous mangons ensemble. → ✅ Nous mangeons ensemble. — forgetting the extra e in -ger verbs before -ons; without it, the "g" would sound hard instead of soft.
❌ Il aimes le café. → ✅ Il aime le café. — the il/elle form takes -e, not -es; the -es ending only belongs to tu.
❌ Nous commencons à midi. → ✅ Nous commençons à midi. — missing the cédille (ç) on -cer verbs before -ons, which keeps the soft "s" sound.

Civilisation

In France, verb conjugation isn't just grammar — it's a social signal. Using tu conjugations (tu parles) with someone you should address as vous (vous parlez) can come across as overly familiar or even rude, especially with strangers, older people, or in professional settings. The French are gradually loosening this rule with younger generations and in startups, but shopkeepers, doctors, and teachers still expect vous by default. When in doubt, listen for how the other person conjugates when speaking to you, and mirror it back.

Recap

The -ER pattern (-e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent) is the most common conjugation in French.
Je, tu, il/elle, and ils/elles forms of regular -ER verbs sound identical when spoken — the ending is nearly silent.
-cer, -ger, and -yer verbs need small spelling adjustments to preserve pronunciation.
Mixing up je/tu/il endings is the most frequent beginner error — double-check which pronoun you're using before adding the ending.

🎯 Today's challenge

Pick three -ER verbs from the tables above that you don't use yet. Write one sentence with each — about your own life. Say them aloud three times each. Hearing yourself speak French is the fastest way to make it stick!

Agissons !

Find three -ER verbs on a French website, app, or product packaging you own (food label, app menu, YouTube video description). Write down the infinitive and conjugate it in je and nous form. If you have a French-speaking contact, text them one sentence using an -ER verb today and see if they reply in French — real conversation is the fastest way to make the pattern permanent.

⭐ Key takeaways

The -ER verb pattern is the most common in French — learn it deeply and you unlock hundreds of verbs.
The endings -e, -es, -e, -ent are all silent — only -ons and -ez are clearly pronounced.
Spelling-change verbs (-cer, -ger, -yer) need small tweaks to protect their sound — don't skip the ç, e, or i.
Practice with verbs that are personally relevant to you — it makes them stick much faster.

Regular -ER Verbs Review & Expansion