The present indicative or
présent de l'indicatif in french, is a
simple tense. This tense is not formed with an auxiliary.
The stem of the present indicative is not always regular and not always invariant (especially in the third conjugation), and there are three main sets of endings:
- Verbs ending in -er (all verbs of the first group): -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent pronounced /ᵊ, ᵊ, ᵊ, ˈɔ̃, ˈe, ᵊ/.
- Verbs ending in -ir (all verbs of the second group and most of the third): -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent pronounced /ˈi, ˈi, ˈi, isˈɔ̃, isˈe, ˈis/. But there are numerous irregularities, especially in the third group.
- Verbs ending in -re (all verbs of the second group and most of the third): -s, -s, - , -ons, -ez, -ent pronounced /s, s, , ˈɔ̃, ˈe, /.
Verbs of second group take an -iss- in plural.
For verbs of third group:
- Verbs in -oir : the indicative present stems depend on the verbs. The endings are -s, -s, -t, -ons, -ez, -ent. However, verbs pouvoir, valoir, équivaloir, vouloir have -x, -x, -t in singular (je peux, tu peux, je (j'équi)vaux, tu (équi)vaux, je veux, tu veux).
- Verbs in -re : endings are the same, stems are equally irregular. There are verbs dire, faire, être which have -tes instead of -ez and other irregularities.
- Verbs with -ttre have -ts, -ts, -t in singular (je mets, tu bats).
- Verbs with -dre have endings -ds, -ds, -d in singular (je prends, tu mouds, il répand) except verbs in -indre and -soudre (Verbs in -soudre in plural: -solvons, -solvez, -solvent).
- Verbs vaincre and convaincre have -cs, -cs, -c in singular (je convaincs, tu convaincs, il convainc).
- Verbs in -ir : endings are the same than the second group in singular, and they have regular ending of third group in plural.
Present indicative endings
There are three main sets of endings in present indicative:
- Verbs ending in -er (all verbs of the first group): -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent pronounced /ᵊ, ᵊ, ᵊ, ˈɔ̃, ˈe, ᵊ/.
- Verbs ending in -ir (all verbs of the second group and most of the third): -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent pronounced /ˈi, ˈi, ˈi, isˈɔ̃, isˈe, ˈis/. But there are numerous irregularities, especially in the third group.
- Verbs ending in -re (all verbs of the second group and most of the third): -s, -s, - , -ons, -ez, -ent pronounced /s, s, , ˈɔ̃, ˈe, /.
