Er verbs

1. Er verbs How to conjugate and what conjugation means…

2. Er verbs are “regular verbs” • Regular verbs use a stem based on the infinitive for conjugation. • Regular -er verbs have the same endings for every verb. • 95% of all French verbs are regular –er verbs (like –ar verbs in Spanish, like most verbs in English are similar)

3. How do I conjugate them? • Let’s use Parler as an example: • Drop the er…parler • Add the following endings: • Je parle • Tuparles • Il/Elle parle • Nous parlons • Vousparlez • Ils/Ellesparlent

4. This works for all of them • Let’s now use arriver as an example • Drop the –er…Arriver • J’arrive • Tu arrives • Il/Elle arrive • Nous arrivons • Vousarrivez • Ils/ellesarrivent

5. What am I saying? • Right now, we are only working in present tense. • In English, we have three forms of the present tense. • In French, we have one. • In English, I speak, I am speaking, and I do speak are all forms of the present tense. • In French, Je parle means any and all of those three.

6. WAIT! HOW DO THEY KNOW WHICH ONE I’M SAYING? • ..context… • So don’t worry about it. You’re saying it correctly. Don’t try to make it more difficult than it is.

7. Exceptions to the rule • Unfortunately, every rule has exceptions. • Fortunately, it’s not that hard to remember the exceptions. • If a verb ends in –ger, then you leave the e on before ons. • Ex. Nous mangeons, Nous nageons NOT nous mangons, or nous nagons • If a word ends in –cer, then make the c a ç. • Ex. Nous commençons, NOT nous commencons

8. Practice • Let’s use regarder as an example: • Conjugate it. • Je • Tu • Il • Nous • Vous • Ils

9. You should’ve gotten • Je regarde • Turegardes • Il regarde • Nous regardons • Vousregardez • Ilsregardent

10. Practice • Let’s use manger • Conjugate it. • Je • Tu • Il • Nous • Vous • Ils

11. You should’ve gotten • Je mange • Tumanges • Il mange • Nous mangeons • Vousmangez • Ilsmangent

12. Let’s use adorer • Conjugate it. • Je • Tu • Il • Nous • Vous • Ils

13. You should’ve gotten • J’adore • Tu adores • Il adore • Nous adorons • Vousadorez • Ilsadorent

14. Negation • You already know how to do this, but I’m just going to show you again. • If I want to say, I am not dancing with you! I would say, Je ne danse pas avec toi! • If I want to say, I don’t eat snails! Then I would say, Je ne mange pas les escargots. • Just remember to put ne and pas around the verb (this requires that you know what the verb is).

15. Putting it all together • Now you should be able to write compound sentences in French. See if you can figure out what these mean: • Un jour, je veuxdanser avec Michael Jackson, mais je ne danse pas bien. Je dansecomme un pingouin. • Je suisespagnol. Je jouesouvent au foot. Je jouebienparceque je suisespagnol. • Je parlechinoismais je ne parle pas français. C’est bizarre parceque je parlefrançaismaintenant. • Je lave mon scooter parcequetoutes les fillespensentque je suis cool parcequej’ai un scooter.

16. What they said • One day I want to dance with Michael Jackson, but I don’t dance well. I dance like a penguin. • I’m spanish. I play soccer often. I play well because I’m spanish. • I speak Chinese but I don’t speak French. That’s weird because I’m speaking French right now. • I am washing my scooter because all the girls think I’m cool because I have a scooter.

17. Random ape