Welcome to Learn French with LearnningTree series, your go-to resource for diving into the fundamentals of the French language! Today, we are kicking things off with verbs and conjugation!
Why do verbs to be and to have have to be so rebellious in European languages? It's like they're the rockstars of grammar, breaking all the rules! If you want to tame these wild verbs, get ready to explore and learn with this blog!!
Contents
What is an auxiliary verb?
An auxiliary verb, also called a helping verb, is used together with a main verb to form different verb tenses, moods, or aspects. The auxiliary doesn't carry the main meaning of the action on its own, but helps modify or add nuance to the meaning of the main verb.
être(to be)
In French, the verbs 🇫🇷 être(to be) and 🇫🇷 avoir(to have) can often be referred to as auxiliary verbs (or auxiliaries).
Here's an explanation of the conjugation of the French verb être ("to be") in the present tense. This verb is irregular, so its conjugation does not follow the typical patterns for regular verbs in French.
je | suis |
tu | es |
il/elle/on | est |
nous | sommes |
vous | êtes |
ils/elles | sont |
Summary of conjugation:
Je suis = I am
Tu es = You are (informal, singular)
Il/elle/on est = He/She/One is
Nous sommes = We are
Vous êtes = You are (formal singular OR plural)
Ils/elles sont = They are (masculine/feminine)
Key Points:
Être is an irregular verb, so you must memorize its conjugation.
The conjugation changes based on the subject pronoun (je, tu, il/elle/on, etc.).
The verb is used for expressing states of being, such as identity, location, and characteristics (e.g., Je suis heureux = I am happy).
Pronunciation tip
Pronouncing French words can be challenging. The most important tip here is to remember not to pronounce the final letters!
je suis ⇒ juh swee
tu es ⇒ t'ewe eh
il/elle est ⇒ eel/el eh
nous sommes ⇒ noo somm
vous êtes ⇒ voo zet
ils/elles sont ⇒ eel/el song
avoir (to have)
Just like the verb être (to be), avoir (to have) is an irregular verb. Here's the conjugation of the verb avoir ("to have") in the present tense:
j' | ai |
tu | as |
il/elle/on | a |
nous | avons |
vous | avez |
ils/elles | ont |
Summary:
J'ai = I have
Tu as = You have (informal, singular)
Il/elle/on a = He/She/One has
Nous avons = We have
Vous avez = You have (formal singular OR plural)
Ils/elles ont = They have (masculine/feminine)
In French, "on" is a very common pronoun that is used to refer to people in general, or to address a group without specifying any particular individuals.
It can be translated to "one" in English, as in the phrase "One always has time to drink tea!" In French, this construction is natural and widely used, although in English, it might sound a bit formal or old-fashioned.
For example, when you say "On a toujours le temps de boire du thé!" ("One always has time to drink tea!"), it doesn't sound unusual in French.
Despite this, "on" is actually much more informal and flexible in French and is frequently used in everyday speech, making it a useful and versatile pronoun.
Here's a quick review of both verbs:
| AVOIR | ÊTRE |
je, j' | ai | suis |
tu | as | es |
il, elle, on | a | est |
nous | avons | sommes |
vous | avez | êtes |
ils, elles | ont | sont |
The verb avoir is also used to form many common expressions:
avoir froid | to be cold ⇒ to have cold |
avoir chaud | to be hot ⇒ to have hot |
avoir soif | to be thirsty ⇒ to have thirst |
avoir faim | to be hungry ⇒ to have hunger |
You definitely don’t need to know everything all at once! The main thing is to focus on the essentials first, like getting the conjugation of avoir (to have) and être (to be) correct, as they are foundational in French and used in many different contexts. Once you’re comfortable with these verbs, you'll naturally start to pick up other expressions and pronouns like on as you continue to practice and expand your knowledge.
Learning avoir and être is a great starting point because they are used in forming a lot of other tenses (like the passé composé), and they are also key in everyday conversation. As you progress, you'll get more comfortable with other constructions and learn how to use them in the right contexts, like using on for general statements or when speaking in a less formal way.
So for now, focusing on avoir and être will give you a strong foundation, and as you keep going, new expressions and rules will start to feel more natural. It’s all about building up little by little!
How to use "venir de"
When traveling to a foreign country, one of the initial questions you can expect to be asked is, "Where are you from?"
Well, to understand this question in French, and be able to reply, you'll need to know 🇫🇷 venir de.
It means to come from.
So venir = to come.
Example:
Tu viens d'où ? / Vous venez d'où ?
Where are you from?
Countries have gender as they are nouns. The feminine, masculine, plural, and forms for countries starting with a vowel are as follows:
Je viens du Sénégal.
Je viens de Tunisie.
Je viens d'Afghanistan.
Je viens des Pays-Bas.
Learn more about French Articles here!
Togo/Sénégal (masculine, ends with any other letter than E)
France/Tunisie (feminine, ends with an E)
Iran/Afghanistan (starts with a vowel)
États-Unis/Pays-Bas (plural, ends with an S)
There are only 6 exceptions to this rule! Six countries ending with an E are actually masculine:
le Mexique
le Zimbabwe
le Cambodge
le Mozambique
le Suriname
le Belize
In French, cities are considered gender-neutral when it comes to grammar, meaning they do not have a masculine or feminine form. As a result, when talking about coming from a city, you always use the preposition "de" (meaning "from") instead of "du," "de la," or "des" (which are used for countries).
For example, to say "I come from Berlin," you would say "Je viens de Berlin" rather than "Je viens du Berlin." Similarly, for other cities like Paris, it would be "Je viens de Paris."
So, the general rule is: for cities, always use "de" regardless of whether the city name starts with a vowel or a consonant, as cities are treated as neutral nouns without gender.
For contrast, countries do follow gender rules, and depending on whether a country is masculine, feminine, or plural, the preposition changes accordingly (e.g., du Sénégal for a masculine country, de Tunisie for a feminine country, and des Pays-Bas for a plural country).
Let's recap:
For masculine countries like le Sénégal, le Japon, le Canada...→ you use the preposition du
For feminine countries like la Belgique, la France...→ you use the preposition de
For countries that begin with a vowel like l'Iran, l'Italie...→ you use the preposition d'
For plural countries like les États-Unis, les Philippines...→ you use the preposition des
For cities like Berlin, Paris, New York...→ you use the preposition de
It can definitely feel overwhelming at first, but don’t worry about it too much right now. Learning a new language is a gradual process, and you don’t need to memorize everything all at once. Take it step by step.
Stay tuned! we’ll be back to break it all down step by step as you go along. One thing at a time, and you'll see how everything fits together. Keep practicing, and before you know it, these concepts will start to feel much more manageable!
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