• Le verbe être

    Introduction

    The verb être means "to be". When the philosopher Descarte said "I think therefore I am", he actually said it in French: "Je pense, donc je suis". Along with the verb avoir which means "to have", être is one of the most commonly used verbs in verb, which is why it makes a lot of sense to learn early on. Quick note on conjugating être: it's an irregular verb, meaning it does not follow the typical conjugation patterns most other verbs do.

     

    Let's get started with conjugating être in the present (with examples)

     

    Présent

    • Je suis fatigué
    • Tu es gentil
    • Il est américain
    • On est ici
    • Nous sommes partis
    • Vous êtes petits
    • Ils sont méchants
  • Video: être in the present

    être is a super powerful verb because it's often used with other verbs to change their meanings. These types of verbs are referred to as auxiliary verbs, or helper verbs.