é-consonant-er Verbs Conjugation in The Present Tense [+6 Examples & Quiz]

In this French grammar lesson, you will learn about é-consonant-er verbs conjugation in the present tense.

In this lesson you will learn about:

• how é-consonant-er verbs are conjugated in French
• the common é-consonant-er verbs in French
• how é–consonant-er verbs are pronounced in French
• how é-consonant-er verbs conjugation is used in sentences in French
• how you can quiz yourself on é-consonant-er verbs conjugation
• how to practice with flashcards on é-consonant-er verbs conjugation
• how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French

Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.

By the end of the lesson, you will know all about é-consonant-er verbs conjugation in the present tense!

é-consonant-er Verbs Conjugation Table

é-consonant-er Verbs Conjugation Method

There is a four-step method that will make é-consonant-er verbs conjugation very easy for you.

In order to conjugate verbs that end with é-consonant-er in the present tense one must:

1. Find the infinitive (full verb)
2. Cut off the -er ending
3. Add the new ending (e, es, e, ons, ez, ent)
4. Use the “è” instead of the “é“, EXCEPT if you use the nous or vous form

In the conjugation table above you can see the verb gérer which means “to manage” in English.

We will take this verb and conjugate it in the “je” form using the four step method.

1. gérer

The full verb of “to manage” is gérer in French.

2. ger

Once you cut of the er ending all that is left is gér.

3. gére

When we add the new ending e its becomes gére.

4. gère

However, because it is a é-consonant-er verb we have to switch to an accent grave on the é making it è.

So if you wish to say “I manage” you’d say:

Je gère

In French some verbs end with é-consonant-er such as gérer.

If you look at the verb gérer you can see that there is an accent on the first “e” which makes it an é.

When we conjugate gérer we have to change this “é” to an “è” for all forms EXCEPT the nous and vous form.

Common é-consonant-er Verbs

French has three regular verb groups

• regular -er verbs
• regular -ir verbs
• regular -re verbs

é-consonant-er verbs are a variation on regular -er verbs. That is why the endings are so similar.

Here is a list of common verbs that you are sure to encounter in day-to-day life:

Pronunciation of é-consonant-er Verbs Conjugation

In this section on é-consonant-er verbs conjugation we will focus on pronunciation.

There are 4 important rules to take into account when you want to pronounce verbs that end with é-consonant-er in French.

1. The je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles verb forms all have the same pronunciation. The -e, –es, and -ent endings are not pronounced. In this case, it is just the “gèr” part that gets pronounced. The “è” has a short sound.

Je gère

Tu gères

Il gère

Ils gèrent

These verbs are all pronounced in the same exact way.

You don’t pronounce the letters in red.

2. In the nous and vous form the “é” has a longer drawn out sound

Nous gérons

Vous gérez

Please note the longer “e” sound.

3. In the je form, there’s a special rule. If the first letter of the verb is a vowel or a silent “h“, then you must remove the “e” of “je” and replace this with an apostrophe.

espérer

J‘espère

Because the “e” of “je” disappeared, you then don’t have to pronounce that “e” anymore.

Please note how it is NOT “je espére“. This would be wrong.

4. If the first letter of the verb is a vowel or a silent “h“, then we must perform a liaison. This happens in the nous, vous, and ils/elles form. This means that the final “s” of nous, vous, and ils/elles will have a “z” sound.

espérer

Nous espérons

Vous espérez

Ils espèrent

Please note how the final “s” in all of the subject pronouns sounds like a “z”

Example Sentences with é-consonant-er Verbs Conjugation

The final section of this lesson on é-consonant-er verbs conjugation is about seeing the verbs in action.

This is valuable because you can improve your understanding of é-consonant-er verbs conjugation through examples.

céder

A la minute où je cède, elle prend tout le contrôle.

The minute I give in, she takes control.

considérer

C’est ce que je considère comme le plus important.

That’s what I consider to be the most important thing.

exagérer

Tu penses qu’il exagère ?

Do you think he’s exagerating?

posséder

Nous possédons une voiture.

We own a car.

lécher

Vous léchez votre glace

You are licking your ice cream

espérer

Tous les agriculteurs espèrent faire des profits raisonnables.

All farmers hope to make a reasonable profit.

Quiz Yourself on é-consonant-er Verbs Conjugation

At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.

You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.

You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.

Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.

You can redo the quiz as many times as you want.

Time's up

How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson

Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!

It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.

Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.

There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.

1. Anki
2. The Flashcards in our Courses

Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.

After you have downloaded Anki for free, you can get our French A1 Anki Deck.

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