e-consonant-er Verbs Conjugation in The Present Tense (Le Présent)

In this French grammar lesson we will learn about e-consonant-er verbs conjugation in the present tense. In this lesson you will learn about:

• how e-consonant-er verbs are conjugated in French,
• how e-consonant-er verbs are used in French,
• how e-consonant-er verbs are pronounced in French,
• how e-consonant-er verbs are used in sentences in French,
• how e-consonant-er verbs conjugation Anki files can be downloaded.

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

e-consonant-er Verbs Conjugation Table

	new ending	peser (to weigh)
je	e	pèse
tu	es	pèses
il/elle/on	e	pèse
nous	ons	pesons
vous	ez	pesez
ils/elles	ent	pèsent

e-consonant-er Verbs Conjugation Method

This section will show you how e-consonant-er verbs are conjugated. There is a four step method that will make everything very easy for you.

In French, some verbs end with e-consonant-er such as peser. An accent grave is added to the “e” making it “è“. This is done to all forms EXCEPT the nous and vous form.

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

1. Find the infintive (full verb)
2. Cut of the -er ending
3. Add the new ending
4. Add the accent grave “è” on all forms EXCEPT the nous and vous form

In the conjugation table above you can see the verb peser which means “to weigh” in English. We will take this verb and conjugate it in the “je” form using the four step method.

1. peser

The full verb of “to weigh” is peser in French

2. pes

Once you cut of the er ending all that is left is pes

3. pese

When we add the new ending e its becomes pese

4. pèse

However because it is a e-consonant-er verb we have to add an accent grave to the e making it è

So if we wish to say “I weigh” we must say:

Je pèse

Usage of e-consonant-er Verbs

French has three regular verb groups

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

e-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:

acheter	to buy
emmener	to take along
enlever	to remove
lever	to raise
mener	to lead
peser	to weigh
semer	to sow

Pronunciation of e-consonant-er Verbs

In this section on e-consonant-er verbs conjugation we will focus on pronounciation. There are 4 important rules to take into account when we want to pronounce verbs that end with e-consonant-er in French.

1. In the je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles form the “è” has a shorter sound. We also do not pronounce the e, es, and ent endings. They are all silent

Je pèse

Tu pèses

Il pèse

Ils pèsent

These VERBS are all pronounced in the same exact way.

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

Nous pesons

Vous pesez

Please note the longer “e” sound.

3. If the first letter of the verb is a vowel or an “h” then we must remove the first “e” in the “je” form and replace this with an apostrophe.

acheter

J‘achète

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

We don’t pronounce the “e” in “je” but immediately move onto the “a” sound of “achète“

4. If the first letter of the verb is a vowel or “h” then we must perform a liason. 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.

acheter

Nous achetons

Vous achetez

Ils achètent

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

Example Sentences with e-consonant-er Verbs

The final section of this lesson on e-consonant-er verbs conjugation is about seeing it in action, so you can improve your understanding on how e-consonant-er verbs are used in practice. Here are some example sentences that show how e-consonant-er verbs are used French.

acheter

J’achète tous mes vêtements ici.

I buy all my clothes here.

emmener

Tu emmènes les enfants chez ta mère?

You are taking the children to your mother’s house?

enlever

Il enlève les photos de la famille

He’s taking down the family photos

mener

Nous menons une vie très ordinaire.

We lead a very ordinary life.

pesez

Pesez-vous plus que Jean ?

Do you weigh more than Jean?

semer

Les fermiers sèment des graines au printemps.

Farmers sow grain seeds in spring

Anki File for e-consonant-er Verbs Conjugation

It is important to do the Anki excercises for this lesson, so that you can better remember what you just studied.

By downloading the Anki File for French A1, you can practice every French A1 lesson that is on Language Atlas.

You can also choose to just get the Anki File for French A1 Verbs. This only has the verbs for French A1.

If you don’t know why you should use Anki, or if you don’t know what Anki is, then please click here.

Anki can be downloaded from here.