Verbs ending in -É(-)ER such as célébrer, compléter, préférer, espérer..., as well as most verbs ending in -E(-)ER (except for -ETER and -ELER verbs) such as mener, lever, semer, élever... are semi-regular -ER verbs in Le Présent (Indicatif), which means that, even though they take the regular -ER endings of Le Présent (Indicatif), their spelling and subsequently their pronunciation vary.
The rule for these verbs is as follows:
The é in -É(-)ER(or first e in -E(-)ER)becomes è with je/tu/il/elle/on/ils/elles.
ATTENTION:
This rule does NOT apply to verbs in -Ê(-)ER such as fêter, rêver, arrêter...: they follow the regular -ER pattern (See Conjugate regular -er verbs in the present tense in French (Le Présent)).
Conjugation of COMPLÉTER (to complete) in Le Présent (Indicatif) in French
| je | complète |
| tu | complètes |
| il/elle/on | complète |
| nous | complétons |
| vous | complétez |
| ils/elles | complètent |
Note that ONLY the nous and vous forms don't change.
Of course, the pronunciation is affected: complèt- [com-plett], whereas complétons / complétez are [com-play-ton / com-play-tay]
Look at and listen to these other examples:
Mes amis ne célèbrent pas Noël, mais nous le célébrons.My friends don't celebrate Christmas, but we celebrate it.
Tu préfères la vanille, mais nous préférons le chocolat.You prefer vanilla, but we prefer chocolate.
Il complète le test, mais vous ne le complétez pas.He's completing the test, but you're not completing it.
Conjugation of MENER (to lead) in Le Présent (Indicatif) in French
| je | mène |
| tu | mènes |
| il/elle/on | mène |
| nous | menons |
| vous | menez |
| ils/elles | mènent |
Note that, once again, ONLY the nous and vous forms don't change.
Of course, the pronunciation is affected: mène/mènes/mènent are pronounced [men], whereas menons/menez are [meu-non / meu-ney]
Look at and listen to these other examples:
Le matin, je me lève à 6 heures, mais vous vous levez à 7 heures.In the morning, I get up at 6 but you get up at 7.
Je me promène dans le parc où vous vous promenez aussi.I'm taking a walk in the park where you're taking a walk too.
L'épicier pèse les légumes, puis nous les repesons.The grocer weighs the vegetables, then we weigh them again.
Verbs in -ETER and -ELER are a bit more complex to handle (of course!):
See Conjugate -eter and -eler verbs in the present tense in French (Le Présent) - main rule (ll / tt)
and Conjugate -eter and -eler verbs in the present tense in French (Le Présent) - with "è"
Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
