A2 · The present tense
Stem-changing verbs
Regular endings, but the stem moves.
At a glance
- Remember
- Silent ending, changed stem.
- When
- Before the past
- The past
- Past linked to the present
- The present
- The future
- Completed in the future
The present — What holds at the moment, what is under way, or what is always the case.
- Form
- j’achèteI buy
- Signal words
- plutôt
- toujours
- souvent
- Trap
- Wrong:Nous achètons du pain.Right:Nous achetons du pain.
Your turn
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The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in French. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) person ending
| I buy | j’achète |
| you buy | tu achètes |
| he, she buys | il, elle achète |
| we buy | nous achetons |
| you buy (plural, polite) | vous achetez |
| they buy | ils, elles achètent |
| I call | j’appelle |
| you call | tu appelles |
| he, she calls | il, elle appelle |
| we call | nous appelons |
| you call (plural, polite) | vous appelez |
| they call | ils, elles appellent |
| I throw | je jette |
| you throw | tu jettes |
| he, she throws | il, elle jette |
| we throw | nous jetons |
| you throw (plural, polite) | vous jetez |
| they throw | ils, elles jettent |
| I prefer | je préfère |
| you prefer | tu préfères |
| he, she prefers | il, elle préfère |
| we prefer | nous préférons |
| you prefer (plural, polite) | vous préférez |
| they prefer | ils, elles préfèrent |
| I pay | je paie |
| you pay | tu paies |
| he, she pays | il, elle paie |
| we pay | nous payons |
| you pay (plural, polite) | vous payez |
| they pay | ils, elles paient |
| I try | j’essaie |
| you try | tu essaies |
| he, she tries | il, elle essaie |
| we try | nous essayons |
| you try (plural, polite) | vous essayez |
| they try | ils, elles essaient |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
nous and vous keep the stem of the infinitive.
Nous achetons du pain.We are buying bread.
In acheter the e becomes è.
J’achète le journal.I buy the paper.
In appeler the l doubles.
Elle s’appelle Claire.Her name is Claire.
In préférer the é becomes è.
Je préfère le thé.I prefer tea.
Example sentences
Comment tu t’appelles ?What is your name?
Nous préférons partir tôt.We prefer to leave early.
Ils achètent une maison.They are buying a house.
Je paie par carte.I am paying by card.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The change belongs to the four forms whose ending is silent. Apply it to nous and vous as well and you write nous achètons — a mistake nobody hears and everybody sees. The test is the ear for once: where you can hear the ending, the stem stays put.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
A run of -er verbs changes the stem in four of the six forms — exactly the four whose ending is silent, and therefore exactly the four where the stress falls on the stem instead.
Four patterns cover almost all of it: e becomes è (acheter), the consonant doubles (appeler, jeter), é becomes è (préférer), and y becomes i (payer, essayer).
English has no equivalent inside a tense, but it has the same principle across words: «PHOtograph» and «phoTOgraphy» change their vowels because the stress moves. French is doing that within one verb. The nous and vous forms are the two whose ending you can hear — the stress is on the ending, so the stem is left alone.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: acheter · partir · s’appeler · préférer