Learning French verbs can feel overwhelming at first, but here’s some good news: a small handful of verbs shows up again and again in everyday conversation. Master these 20, and you’ll be able to understand and use a huge chunk of spoken French.
In this guide, you’ll find each verb conjugated in the present tense, along with example sentences to show how it’s actually used — plus a practice exercise at the end so you can test yourself. This is aimed at beginners, so don’t worry if some of these feel new.
Avoir – To Have
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J’ai | I have |
| Tu as | You have |
| Il/Elle a | He/She has |
| Nous avons | We have |
| Vous avez | You have (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles ont | They have |
Examples
J’ai un livre intéressant à lire. — I have an interesting book to read.
Tu as 30 ans. — You are 30 years old.
Être – To Be
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis | I am |
| Tu es | You are |
| Il/Elle est | He/She is |
| Nous sommes | We are |
| Vous êtes | You are (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles sont | They are |
Examples
Je suis actuellement étudiant. — I am currently a student.
Nous sommes en France pendant 2 semaines. — We’re in France for 2 weeks.
Faire – To Do / To Make
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je fais | I do/make |
| Tu fais | You do/make |
| Il/Elle fait | He/She does/makes |
| Nous faisons | We do/make |
| Vous faites | You do/make (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles font | They do/make |
Examples
Il fait du sport tous les jours. — He does sports every day.
Que fais-tu ? — What are you doing?
Aller – To Go
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je vais | I go |
| Tu vas | You go |
| Il/Elle va | He/She goes |
| Nous allons | We go |
| Vous allez | You go (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles vont | They go |
Examples
Je vais au cinéma ce soir. — I’m going to the movies tonight.
Ils vont venir chez moi aujourd’hui. — They’re coming to my place today.
Voir – To See
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je vois | I see |
| Tu vois | You see |
| Il/Elle voit | He/She sees |
| Nous voyons | We see |
| Vous voyez | You see (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles voient | They see |
Examples
Je vois un chien là-bas. — I see a dog over there.
Elles voient bien de loin. — They see well from a distance.
Pouvoir – To Be Able To / Can
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je peux | I can |
| Tu peux | You can |
| Il/Elle peut | He/She can |
| Nous pouvons | We can |
| Vous pouvez | You can (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles peuvent | They can |
Examples
Tu peux parler français et anglais. — You can speak French and English.
Nous pouvons manger des légumes. — We can eat vegetables.
Devoir – Must / To Have To
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je dois | I must |
| Tu dois | You must |
| Il/Elle doit | He/She must |
| Nous devons | We must |
| Vous devez | You must (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles doivent | They must |
Examples
Tu dois faire tes devoirs. — You have to do your homework.
Je dois aller à l’école demain. — I have to go to school tomorrow.
Mettre – To Put / To Put On
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je mets | I put |
| Tu mets | You put |
| Il/Elle met | He/She puts |
| Nous mettons | We put |
| Vous mettez | You put (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles mettent | They put |
Examples
Je mets mes chaussures avant de sortir. — I put my shoes on before going out.
Tu mets ton pull rouge. — You’re putting on your red sweater.
Dire – To Say / To Tell
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je dis | I say |
| Tu dis | You say |
| Il/Elle dit | He/She says |
| Nous disons | We say |
| Vous dites | You say (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles disent | They say |
Examples
Tu dis que tu vas venir, mais je n’y crois pas. — You say you’re coming, but I don’t believe it.
Il dit tout le temps qu’il est fatigué. — He’s always saying he’s tired.
Venir – To Come
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je viens | I come |
| Tu viens | You come |
| Il/Elle/On vient | He/She comes |
| Nous venons | We come |
| Vous venez | You come (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles viennent | They come |
Examples
Nous venons de loin pour assister à cet événement. — We’ve come a long way to attend this event.
Vous venez souvent ici avec vos amis. — You often come here with your friends.
Vouloir – To Want
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je veux | I want |
| Tu veux | You want |
| Il/Elle/On veut | He/She wants |
| Nous voulons | We want |
| Vous voulez | You want (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles veulent | They want |
Examples
Je veux aller en vacances à la plage. — I want to go on vacation to the beach.
Ils veulent que tu ailles acheter de l’eau. — They want you to go buy some water.
Trouver – To Find
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je trouve | I find |
| Tu trouves | You find |
| Il/Elle/On trouve | He/She finds |
| Nous trouvons | We find |
| Vous trouvez | You find (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles trouvent | They find |
Examples
Tu trouves toujours une solution à chaque problème. — You always find a solution to every problem.
Il trouve de nouvelles blagues chaque jour. — He finds new jokes every day.
Donner – To Give
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je donne | I give |
| Tu donnes | You give |
| Il/Elle donne | He/She gives |
| Nous donnons | We give |
| Vous donnez | You give (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles donnent | They give |
Examples
Je donne un cadeau à mon ami pour son anniversaire. — I’m giving my friend a gift for his birthday.
Ils te donnent toujours des bonbons. — They always give you candy.
Savoir – To Know (a fact)
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je sais | I know |
| Tu sais | You know |
| Il/Elle sait | He/She knows |
| Nous savons | We know |
| Vous savez | You know (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles savent | They know |
Examples
Je sais que tu parles bien français. — I know you speak French well.
Elle sait nager comme une championne. — She swims like a champion.
Parler – To Speak
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je parle | I speak |
| Tu parles | You speak |
| Il/Elle parle | He/She speaks |
| Nous parlons | We speak |
| Vous parlez | You speak (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles parlent | They speak |
Examples
Il parle anglais tous les jours. — He speaks English every day.
Vous parlez trop rapidement pour moi. — You speak too fast for me.
Prendre – To Take
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je prends | I take |
| Tu prends | You take |
| Il/Elle/On prend | He/She takes |
| Nous prenons | We take |
| Vous prenez | You take (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles prennent | They take |
Examples
Je prends mon petit-déjeuner à 7 heures tous les matins. — I have breakfast at 7am every morning.
Il prend des médicaments pour son mal de tête. — He takes medicine for his headache.
Manger – To Eat
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je mange | I eat |
| Tu manges | You eat |
| Il/Elle/On mange | He/She eats |
| Nous mangeons | We eat |
| Vous mangez | You eat (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles mangent | They eat |
Examples
Elle mange une salade pour le déjeuner. — She’s having a salad for lunch.
Tu manges beaucoup le midi et peu le soir. — You eat a lot at lunch and little in the evening.
Arriver – To Arrive
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J’arrive | I arrive |
| Tu arrives | You arrive |
| Il/Elle arrive | He/She arrives |
| Nous arrivons | We arrive |
| Vous arrivez | You arrive (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles arrivent | They arrive |
Examples
Il arrive dans quelques minutes. — He’ll arrive in a few minutes.
Nous arrivons à 20 heures environ. — We arrive around 8pm.
Croire – To Believe
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je crois | I believe |
| Tu crois | You believe |
| Il/Elle croit | He/She believes |
| Nous croyons | We believe |
| Vous croyez | You believe (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles croient | They believe |
Examples
Je crois que je me suis trompé. — I think I made a mistake.
Tu crois tout le temps que tu as raison. — You always think you’re right.
Connaître – To Know (a person/place)
Present Tense
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je connais | I know |
| Tu connais | You know |
| Il/Elle connaît | He/She knows |
| Nous connaissons | We know |
| Vous connaissez | You know (plural/formal) |
| Ils/Elles connaissent | They know |
Examples
Je ne connais pas encore le Mexique. — I don’t know Mexico yet.
Tu connais beaucoup de musiques françaises. — You know a lot of French music.
Practice Exercise
Fill in the blanks with the correct present-tense conjugation of the verb in parentheses:
1. Je ___ un café tous les matins. (prendre)
2. Je ___ mes chaussures avant de sortir. (mettre)
3. Je ___ bonjour à mes amis tous les matins. (dire)
4. Je ___ d’arriver à la maison. (venir)
5. J’___ beaucoup la musique française. (aimer)
6. Je ___ aller en vacances à la plage. (vouloir)
7. Je ___ qu’il est gentil. (trouver)
8. Je ___ un cadeau à mon ami pour son anniversaire. (donner)
9. Je ___ que tu parles bien français. (savoir)
10. Je ___ anglais tous les jours. (parler)
Answers
1. Je prends un café tous les matins. (prendre) — I have a coffee every morning.
2. Je mets mes chaussures avant de sortir. (mettre) — I put my shoes on before going out.
3. Je dis bonjour à mes amis tous les matins. (dire) — I say hello to my friends every morning.
4. Je viens d’arriver à la maison. (venir) — I just got home.
5. J’aime beaucoup la musique française. (aimer) — I really like French music.
6. Je veux aller en vacances à la plage. (vouloir) — I want to go on vacation to the beach.
7. Je trouve qu’il est gentil. (trouver) — I find him kind.
8. Je donne un cadeau à mon ami pour son anniversaire. (donner) — I’m giving my friend a gift for his birthday.
9. Je sais que tu parles bien français. (savoir) — I know you speak French well.
10. Je parle anglais tous les jours. (parler) — I speak English every day.
Conclusion
Knowing these high-frequency French verbs is one of the fastest ways to boost your comprehension and start holding real conversations. Practice conjugating them regularly, and try using them in sentences with different contexts of your own. The more you use them, the more naturally they’ll come to you — so keep practicing, a little bit every day.