In this French grammar lesson, you will learn about when to use Le Présent (the present tense).
In this lesson you will learn about:
- when to use Le Présent
- how Le Présent is used in sentences in French
- how you can quiz yourself on when to use Le Présent
- how to practice with flashcards on when to use Le Présent
- 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 when to use Le Présent!
Table of Contents
When to use Le Présent: 5 cases
In French there are 5 cases when to use Le Présent.
These 5 cases will be put forward, explained, and examples will be given.
- Current actions or states of being
Il pleut.
It’s raining.
In French you can use Le Présent to talk about actions that are ongoing.
In English the present continuous would be used, but this seperate tense does not exist in French.
The fact that it is raining is an action that is currently happening, thus Le Présent is used.
J’ai faim.
I am hungry.
Le Présent is also used when speaking about states of being.
Being hungry is a state of being.
Therefore Le Présent is used.
- Actions in the near future
Mon avion part dans une heure.
My plane leaves in an hour.
Je vous vois demain.
I will see you tomorrow.
In French you can use Le Présent to describe something that will happen in the future.
An action can happen in a few seconds, an hour, or even the next day.
In English you need a future tense to do this. In French this is not necessarily the case.
The future tense exist in French as well, but Le Présent can also be used.
- Facts
Les vaccins empêchent les gens de contracter des maladies.
Vaccines prevent people from getting diseases.
La terre est ronde.
The earth is round.
As you can see here are two facts.
Le Présent is used to describe these facts.
- Habitual Actions
Je fais toujours les courses le samedi.
I always do the shopping on Saturday.
Je joue au football trois fois par semaine.
I play football three times per week.
Always going shopping on a certain date, or playing football a certain amount of times per week are habits.
When speaking about the habits of people Le Présent is used.
- Conditions (si clause)
Si vous voulez, vous pouvez me rejoindre demain.
If you want, (then) you can join me tomorrow.
Si elle réussit, elle peut obtenir une augmentation.
If she succeeds, (then) she can get a raise.
In French, one can make a conditional sentence by using a si clause.
A si clause is an “if…then…” clause.
In English the “then” is optional and this has no equivalent in French.
The order of the si clause does not matter.
Vous pouvez me rejoindre demain, si vous voulez.
You can join me tomorrow, if you want.
Even when the order of the sentence is switched the meaning remains the same.
These are the 5 cases when to use Le Présent in French.
Example Sentences with Le Présent
The final section of this lesson on when to use Le Présent contains example sentences so you can see how this is used in practice.
Here are some example sentences that show when to use Le Présent in French.
Je vous vois demain.
I will see you tomorrow.
J’ai faim.
I am hungry.
Je fais toujours les courses le samedi.
I always do the shopping on Saturday.
Je joue au football trois fois par semaine.
I play football three times per week.
Si tu marques le penalty, nous gagnons.
If you score the penalty, (then) we win.
Mon avion part dans une heure.
My plane leaves in an hour.
La terre est ronde.
The earth is round.
Si elle réussit, elle peut obtenir une augmentation.
If she succeeds, (then) she can get a raise.
Si vous voulez, vous pouvez me rejoindre demain.
If you want, (then) you can join me tomorrow.
Quiz Yourself on When to use Le Présent
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.
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.
- Anki
- 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.
This Anki Deck contains 3,764 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A1.
All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!
However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?
The Courses of Language Atlas
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