In this French grammar lesson you will learn about -eler verbs conjugation in the present tense.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- how -eler verbs are conjugated in French
- the common –eler verbs in French
- how -eler verbs are pronounced in French
- how -eler verbs are used in sentences in French
- how you can quiz yourself on -eler verbs conjugation
- how -eler verbs conjugation Anki files can be downloaded
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 -eler verbs conjugation in the present tense!
Table of Contents
-eler Verbs Conjugation Table
new ending | appeler (to call) | |
je | e | appelle |
tu | es | appelles |
il/elle/on | e | appelle |
nous | ons | appelons |
vous | ez | appelez |
ils/elles | ent | appellent |
-eler Verbs Conjugation Method
There is a four-step method that will make conjugating -eler verbs very easy for you.
In order to conjugate -eler verbs in the present tense one must:
- Find the infintive (full verb)
- Cut off the -er ending
- Add the new ending (e, es, e, ons, ez, ent)
- Add an extra “l” EXCEPT for the nous and vous form
In the conjugation table above you can see the verb appeler which means “to call” in English.
We will take this verb and conjugate it in the “je” form using the four-step method.
- appeler
The full verb of “to call” is appeler in French.
- appel
Once you cut off the er ending all that is left is appel.
- appele
When we add the new e ending, it becomes appele.
- appelle
However, because it is an eler verb you have to add an extra l.
So if you wish to say “I call” you’d say:
J’appelle
In French, some verbs end with -eler such as appeler.
When we conjugate appeler we have to double the letter “l” for all forms EXCEPT the nous and vous form.
In those cases there will just be one “l”.
Common -eler Verbs
French has three regular verb groups
- regular -er verbs
- regular -ir verbs
- regular -re verbs
-eler 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:
appeler | to call |
épeler | to spell |
rappeler | to remind/to call back |
renouveler | to renew |
Pronunciation of -eler Verbs
In this section on -eler verbs conjugation, we will focus on pronunciation.
There are 4 important rules to take into account when you want to pronounce -eler verbs in French.
- 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 “rappell” part that gets pronounced. The “e” has a short sound.
rappeler
Je rappelle
Tu rappelles
Il rappelle
Ils rappellent
These verbs are all pronounced in the same exact way.
You don’t pronounce the letters in red.
- In the nous and vous form the “e” has a longer drawn out sound.
rappeler
Nous rappelons
Vous rappelez
Please note the longer “e” sound.
- 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 it with an apostrophe.
épeler
J‘épelle
Because the “e” of “je” disappeared, you then don’t have to pronounce that “e” anymore.
Please note how it is NOT “je épelle“. This would be wrong.
- If the first letter of the verb is a vowel or a silent “h“, then you 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.
épeler
Nous épelons
Vous épelez
Ils épellent
Please note how the final “s” in all of the subject pronouns sounds like a “z”
Example Sentences with -eler Verbs
The final section of this lesson on –eler verbs conjugation is about seeing the verbs in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding of -eler verbs conjugation through examples.
appeler
J’appelle pour accepter ton invitation.
I’m calling to accept your invitation
épeler
Comment épelles-tu ce mot ?
How do you spell that word?
rappeler
Mais, il rappelle aussi des souvenirs tristes
But, it also reminds me of some sad memories
renouveler
Dans cet espoir, nous renouvelons notre engagement.
In this hope, we renew our commitment.
épeler
Comment vous épelez votre nom Marine?
How do I spell your name, Marine?
apeller
Les clients ont souvent des attentes irréalistes quand ils appellent.
Often customers have unrealistic expectations when they call.
Quiz Yourself on -eler Verbs Conjugation
It’s not enough to just read this lesson.
You should test your knowledge to see if you really understood everything, and to be able to repeat the material.
It is also for this reason that it is recommended to download the Anki Decks and practice them.
At the end of every lesson you can do a small test.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter. It is up to you to give the correct answer.
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 is Up!
Anki File for -eler Verbs Conjugation
It is important to do the Anki exercises 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.
Anki can be downloaded from here.