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fluentbyear

FRENCH VERB

être

to be

  • #1 most used
  • Irregular -re verb
  • Past participle: été
  • Present participle: étant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I am
  2. tu you are
  3. il, elle, on he/she is
  4. nous we are
  5. vous you are
  6. ils, elles they are

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I was
  2. tu you were
  3. il, elle, on he/she was
  4. nous we were
  5. vous you were
  6. ils, elles they were

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to be
  2. tu you used to be
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to be
  4. nous we used to be
  5. vous you used to be
  6. ils, elles they used to be

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will be
  2. tu you will be
  3. il, elle, on he/she will be
  4. nous we will be
  5. vous you will be
  6. ils, elles they will be

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would be
  2. tu you would be
  3. il, elle, on he/she would be
  4. nous we would be
  5. vous you would be
  6. ils, elles they would be

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I be
  2. tu (that) you be
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she be
  4. nous (that) we be
  5. vous (that) you be
  6. ils, elles (that) they be

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu be!
  2. nous be! (let’s)
  3. vous be! (plural, or formal)

How to use être

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Je suis fatiguée, on rentre ?

    I'm tired, shall we go home?

  2. Past

    On a été très contents de vous voir.

    We were very glad to see you.

  3. Imperfect

    Quand j'étais petite, on habitait à Lyon.

    When I was little, we lived in Lyon.

  4. Future

    Tu seras là ce soir vers huit heures ?

    Will you be there tonight around eight?

  5. Conditional

    Ce serait bien d'aller à la mer dimanche.

    It would be nice to go to the sea on Sunday.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que tu sois à l'heure demain.

    You have to be on time tomorrow.

  7. Imperative

    Sois gentil, passe-moi le sel.

    Be nice, pass me the salt.

Good to know

  • Être says what someone or something is; for how you feel, French often uses avoir : j'ai faim, j'ai froid.
  • C'est is the all-purpose it is, this is, that is.

Where you hear être

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

French · Beginner Level 1

  • Je suis de Paris. I'm from Paris.
  • Hier, c'était une très bonne journée. Yesterday was a very good day.
  • Demain, je vais être à l'hôtel. Tomorrow I'm going to be at the hotel.

French · Beginner Level 2

  • Je suis de Paris. I'm from Paris.
  • Hier, c'était une très bonne journée. Yesterday was a very good day.
  • Demain, je vais être à l'hôtel. Tomorrow I'm going to be at the hotel.
1
Welcome to Paris

Beginner Level 1 · vous êtes · je suis · ne suis pas · je ne suis pas

Free 2
Where Are You From?

Beginner Level 1 · Je suis de

Free 3
Here Is Your Room

Beginner Level 1 · est · n'est pas · ce n'est pas · vous n'êtes pas

Needs a subscription 4
Do You Want a Coffee?

Beginner Level 1 · tu es

Needs a subscription 10
How Was Your Day?

Beginner Level 1 · c'était

Needs a subscription 11
To the Station

Beginner Level 1 · On y est !

Needs a subscription 14
On the Train

Beginner Level 1 · on est

Needs a subscription 16
At the Market

Beginner Level 1 · elles sont · ils sont

Needs a subscription 25
The Boat Trip

Beginner Level 1 · être

Needs a subscription 28
When Are You Leaving?

Beginner Level 1 · j'étais

Needs a subscription 29
The Last Evening

Beginner Level 1 · nous sommes

Needs a subscription 17
When I Was Little

Beginner Level 2 · j'étais · tu étais · on était

Needs a subscription

And 5 more lessons.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -re verb.