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

In this French grammar lesson we 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,
• how é-consonant-er verbs are used in French,
• how é-consonant-er verbs are pronounced in French,
• how é-consonant-er verbs are used in sentences in French,
• how é-consonant-er verbs conjugation Anki files can be downloaded.

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

	new ending	gérer (to manage)
je	e	gère
tu	es	gères
il/elle/on	e	gère
nous	ons	gérons
vous	ez	gérez
ils/elles	ent	gèrent

é-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 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.

In order to conjugate verbs that end with é-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. Change the “é” to an “è” on all forms EXCEPT the nous and 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 we wish to say “I manage” we must say:

Je gère

Usage of 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:

céder	to yield
célébrer	to celebrate
compléter	to complete
considérer	to consider
espérer	to hope
exagérer	to exaggerate
gérer	to manage
lécher	to lick
posséder	to own
préférer	to prefer

Pronunciation of é-consonant-er Verbs

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

Tu géres

Il gére

Ils gérent

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 gérons

Vous gérez

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.

espérer

J‘espère

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Anki File for é-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.