The present tense endings
In the present tense, the similarities in the endings are immediately noticeable. We clearly have two opposing series, the one in e, es, e for the 1rt group in -er on the one hand and on the other hand the one for the other verbs in s, s, t.
The endings with "nous", "vous" and "ils" they are also quite similar in -ons, -ez and -ent. The difficulty comes mainly from spelling changes.
| 1rt group | 2nd group | 3rd group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| raconter | finir | dormir - voir - boire | |
| Je | raconte | finis | dors - vois - bois |
| Tu | racontes | finis | dors - vois - bois |
| Il | raconte | finit | dort - voit - boit |
| Nous | racontons | finissons | dormons - voyons - buvons |
| Vous | racontez | finissez | dormez - voyez - buvez |
| Ils | racontent | finissent | dorment - voient - boivent |
Don't confuse a verb like "envoyer" (to send) that does "j'envoie" (1st group) with a verb like "voir" (to see) "je vois" (3rd group).
- Verbs of the 1rt group in -er always end with e, es, e, ons, ez, ent.
- The verbs in the other groups all end in s, s, t, ons, ez, ent.