Conjugation table
French present endings: jouer, then finir and partir
Learn the six present forms of jouer, compare finir with partir and test endings in five questions. Includes silent written endings and infinitive patterns.
- A1
- 1 tenses
- Auxiliary: avoir
- Learn this in the A1 notebook →
In short
For regular -er verbs such as jouer, remove -er and add -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent. Learn the written subject with each form: tu joues, but ils jouent. Then compare other patterns separately: nous finissons and nous partons show two different -ir patterns.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
- Infinitive
- jouer
- Past participle
- joué
- Present participle
- jouant
- Auxiliary
- avoir
Présentcurrent activities and habits
| je | joue |
| tu | joues |
| il / elle / on | joue |
| nous | jouons |
| vous | jouez |
| ils / elles | jouent |
Nous jouons ensemble le samedi.
We play together on Saturdays.
Which French present endings are silent?
Je joue. Tu joues. Elle joue. Ils jouent.
I play. You play. She plays. They play.
The verb usually sounds the same in all four forms; the written endings differ.
Use the subject as your spelling cue. One person called Léa gives elle joue. Léa and Sami together give ils jouent. With nous and vous, the endings are easier to hear: jouons, jouez. Keep all six written forms available even when several share a pronunciation.
| Subject | finir: to finish | partir: to leave |
|---|---|---|
| je | finis | pars |
| tu | finis | pars |
| il / elle / on | finit | part |
| nous | finissons | partons |
| vous | finissez | partez |
| ils / elles | finissent | partent |
The infinitive ending -ir alone is too little information to build the whole verb. Compare the plural forms: finissons keeps finiss-, while partons uses part-. In the singular, partir has pars, pars, part. Use a checked model for the pattern you are practising.
J’aime jouer. Nous aimons jouer.
I like playing. We like playing.
Aimer changes with the subject; jouer remains an infinitive after it.
Only conjugate the verb that needs a subject ending. In Nous aimons jouer, aimons carries nous and jouer names the activity. In Nous jouons, jouons itself carries the subject. These are two complete ways to build a sentence about an interest.