How you can Conjugate Être in French

958

The verb être is essentially the most generally used verb within the French language. In English, it interprets as “to be.” 

It’s additionally essentially the most well-known French verb! You’ve in all probability seen a photograph of René Magritte’s portray “The Treachery of Pictures” the place the phrase “ceci n’est pas une pipe” (this isn’t a pipe) is written beneath the picture of a smoking pipe. 

Or, possibly you’ve heard the quote “Je pense, donc je suis” (I believe, due to this fact I’m) by thinker René Descartes. So, let’s begin enthusiastic about all of the alternative ways you should use être! On this article, we’ll share the six most important methods être is used, and present you easy methods to  conjugate the verb in six completely different tenses. 

Are you prepared to be a French verb professional? Nicely, along with studying this submit, one of the best ways to enhance your French language abilities is thru the immersive studying atmosphere of Rosetta Stone!

Desk of contents:

The six completely different makes use of of être:

As the commonest verb within the French language, être is used to precise emotions, traits, your location, and extra! Figuring out easy methods to use être will assist you to discuss your self and the folks round you.

1. To precise a state of being:

A technique you should use être is to explain the way you’re feeling. Similar to in English, French audio system use “I’m” statements to explain how they really feel bodily or emotionally. 

• Je suis content material / contente. = I am pleased.
• Il est fatigué. = He is drained.
• Nous sommes malades. = We are sick.

2. To explain somebody:

One other widespread use of être is to explain the bodily traits of different folks and issues. In these instances the opposite particular person is the topic of the sentence.

• Il est grand. = He is tall.
• Elle est petite. = She is small.
• Ils sont beaux. = They are good-looking.

3. To precise possession:

Once you need to point out possession of one thing, like within the phrase “It’s my automotive,” être is the verb to make use of! In these sentences, the particular person, place, or factor you’re possessing is the topic of the sentence.

• C’est mon chat. = It is my cat.
• C’est le chien de ma mère. = It is my mom’s canine.
• Ce sont mes clés. = These are my keys.

Notice: Ce means “it” or “this.” The singular, first particular person contraction above—C’est—is a mix of “ce” + “est.” In French, it’s widespread observe to create a contraction between two phrases when one phrase ends with a vowel and the subsequent begins with a vowel. 

4. To present your location:

In the identical approach you’d say “I’m at work” in English, in French you’ll use être to point your location.

• Je suis à Paris. = I am in Paris.
• Il est au travail. = He is at work.
• Vous êtes dans le jardin. = You are within the backyard.

5. To inform somebody your job or nationality:

Être can also be used to inform somebody your nationality or what you do for work.

You must notice that in French, professions lose their particular article (le, las, les) or indefinite article (un, une, des) and develop into adjectives when following être.

• Je suis Français. = I am French.
• Il est professeur. = He is a instructor.
• Vous êtes dentiste. = You are a dentist.

6. To precise punctuality:

The final most typical utilization of être is to inform time! Every part from speaking concerning the present time to discussing how late or early somebody or one thing is makes use of the verb être.

• Quelle heure est-il ? = What time is it?
• Il est huit heures. = It is eight o’clock.

• Je suis en retard. = I am late.
• Il est en avance. = He is early.

Don’t use être to your age

Since sentences with être are similar to English sentences utilizing “am,” “is,” or “are,” many individuals assume that they will use être to state their age. However that is truly an enormous mistake! 

In French, it’s applicable to make use of the verb avoir if you find yourself speaking about your age. So whereas it might appear odd to say you “have your age,” that’s the way it’s accomplished in French!

• J’ai vingt ans. = I am 20 years outdated.
• Elle a soixante ans. = She is 60 years outdated.

How you can conjugate être:

Now that you simply’ve seen some examples of être in motion, it’s time to find out how être is conjugated within the current, previous, and future tenses!

Être within the current tense:

You must already be aware of être within the current tense, since we used it in all our earlier examples. However simply to make sure, listed here are a pair additional examples of être within the current tense:

• Les enfants sont dans la classe. = The kids are within the classroom.
• La voiture est rouge. = The automotive is purple.
• Le médecin est là. = The physician is right here.

Être within the passé composé:

In French the passé composé tense signifies actions which are each finite and full—they occurred up to now. It’s generally known as the “completed previous.” For the verb être we are able to consider this as sentences with “was” or “have been” in them. Similar to many different French verbs, to conjugate être in passé composé, you’ll use avoir as an auxiliary verb.

When utilizing être up to now tense it’s necessary to do not forget that “being” is a steady state, so être typically makes use of the imparfait conjugation. To assist illustrate the distinction between the passé composé and imparfait conjugations, let’s have a look at this sentence: “Final yr, I used to be sick.”

• Passé composé: L’année dernière, j’ai été vraiment malade.
• Imparfait: L’année dernière, j’étais vraiment malade.

Within the passé composé tense, the sentence implies that you simply have been sick for a short time frame. However, within the imparfait tense, you’re implying that you simply have been sick for an prolonged time frame.

Ultimately, both tense will get the purpose throughout, nevertheless it’s as much as your judgment as to which one is “extra” right. Usually, utilizing être within the imparfait tense is the precise method to go.

You also needs to keep in mind to have topic settlement when conjugating être within the passé composé. This implies you probably have an adjective, like content material within the instance under, it’s best to add an “-e” on the finish if the topic is female, and an “-s” on the finish for plural topics. 

• Masculine: J’ai été content material de te voir. = I used to be pleased to see you. 
• Female: J’ai été content materiale de te voir. = I used to be pleased to see you.
• Plural: Ils étaient content materials de vous voir. = They have been pleased to see you. 

Être within the imparfait:

As we defined above, conjugating être for the previous typically makes use of the imparfait tense. This tense describes states of being and actions that have been ongoing or repeated up to now.

You’ll most frequently use l’imparfait to explain issues that you simply used to do usually, emotions you had, or locations you have been in.

• Quand j’étais enfant, je jouais du piano. = After I was a toddler, I used to play the piano.
• Il était content material de te voir. = He was pleased to see you.
• Nous étions dans la forêt quand il a commencé à neiger. = We have been within the forest when it began to snow.

Être sooner or later tense:

Conjugating être sooner or later is much like different French verbs. You’ll merely drop the ending of the verb and add the suitable ending. Nevertheless, as être is a extremely irregular verb, the stem phrase for être sooner or later tense is ser.

For sentences the place you need to categorical what you “will do” or “will probably be,” you’ll use the long run tense of être.

• Je serai en retard pour la réunion de 14h. = I will probably be late for our 2 p.m. assembly.
• L’été prochain, ils seront en France pour deux semaines. = Subsequent summer time, they will probably be in France for 2 weeks.
• Elle sera absente la semaine prochaine. = She will probably be out subsequent week.

Être within the subjunctive current tense: 

In French, emotions like doubt and need require the subjunctive current tense, as do expressions of necessity, risk, and judgment. This tense can also be known as a “temper” because it expresses issues which are subjective or unsure.

Listed here are a pair examples of subjective concepts utilizing être within the subjunctive current tense:

• Il faut que tu sois gentil(le) avec tes amis. = You should be good to your folks.
• Je ne pense pas que ce soit une bonne idée. = I don’t suppose it is a good suggestion.
• Il est potential que nous soyons en retard. =  It’s potential that we might be late.

Être within the crucial:

The crucial kind is used to offer orders or recommendation to a number of folks. The crucial solely exists within the tu, nous, and vous kinds. To conjugate être within the crucial is similar as for the subjunctive current tense, however the topic pronouns are omitted.

• Sois gentil(le). = Be good.
• Soyons sufferers. = Let’s be affected person.
• Soyez heureux. = Be pleased.

Être as an auxiliary verb

In the event you’ve learn our information to French verb conjugation, chances are you’ll do not forget that verbs within the passé composé require an auxiliary verb to kind the tense. Most French verbs use avoir because the auxiliary verb, however there are 17 verbs that use être because the auxiliary verb.

Forming passé composé utilizing être follows the identical sample as verbs that use avoir. First être is conjugated within the current tense adopted by the previous participle of the verb displaying the motion. Listed here are the 17 verbs that use être within the passé composé:

Verbs whose serving to verb is être should present settlement of their previous participle in gender and quantity. This implies including an “-e” to the top for female topics, and including an “-s” for plural topics.

Masculine topics:

• Je suis allé au cinéma. = I went to the films. 
• Tu es parti vendredi dernier. = You left final Friday.
• Il est né le 2 avril 1910. = He was born on April 2nd, 1910.

Female topics:

• Je suis allée au cinéma. = I went to the films.
• Tu es partie vendredi dernier. = You left final Friday.
• Elle est née le 2 avril 1910. = She was born on April 2nd, 1910.

Plural masculine topics:

• Vous êtes venus nous rendre visite l’année dernière. = You got here to go to us final yr.
• Ils sont sortis ensemble. = They are going out collectively.
• Nous sommes arrivés en retard. = We arrived late.

Plural female topics:

• Vous êtes venues nous rendre visite l’année dernière. = You got here to go to us final yr.

• Elles sont sorties ensemble. = They went out collectively.
• Nous sommes arrivées en retard. = We arrived late.

Pronunciation of the verb être:

There’s a huge distinction between the pronunciation of “être” in  formal conversations or French studying strategies, and the way in which it’s pronounced in on a regular basis conversations. So, we’ve put collectively some examples that can assist you sound like a local French speaker.

If you would like the shortcut to bettering your pronunciation, attempt Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent expertise. This speech recognition software program helps enhance your pronunciation so you possibly can sound like an area!

Saying suis

Usually, “suis” is claimed with a silent “s” on the finish. However when suis is adopted by a phrase starting with a vowel, you’ll say a “Z” sound in liaison with the next phrase. 

So, when talking formally, the sentence “Je suis américain.” (I’m American.) is pronounced “Je suis Z-américain.”

In on a regular basis conversations, “Je suis” will probably be pronounced “shui” with no liaison after. So this similar sentence “Je suis américain.” is pronounced “Shui américain.” 

Saying êtes

Now let’s have a look at the sentence “Vous êtes à New York.” (You’re in New York.) 

For the formal pronunciation of this sentence there are two liaisons.

1. The primary is the silent “S” of “vous.” Similar to earlier than this “S” turns into a “Z” sound with “êtes” because it begins with a vowel. You’ll be able to consider it as “Vous Z–êtes.” 

2. The second is the silent “S” of “êtes” additionally changing into a “Z” sound because it goes into “à.” 

Altogether the sentence will probably be pronounced “Vous Z-êtes Z-à New York.” 

In on a regular basis dialog, the primary liaison on “Vous Z-êtes” is finished, however the second, “Z-à,” isn’t. So, for casual conversations the sentence is pronounced “Vous Z-êtes à Paris.”

Saying es

Lastly take the sentence “Tu es grand” (You’re tall). 

In a proper dialog, it’s pronounced because it’s written. Take into account that phonetically, es in French sounds just like the lengthy A sound in English, “ay.” The “s” is silent! 

However, in on a regular basis dialog, the “U” disappears from “tu” and the “T” blends with “es” forming “T’es grand.” The “s” stays silent. 

Be taught French sooner on Rosetta Stone

Now that you’re an professional on être, it’s time to take your language studying to the subsequent degree with Rosetta Stone! Begin by studying widespread phrases and phrases, reviewing the most typical verbs in French, or exploring the south of France by on a regular basis conversations. Rosetta Stone may also help you study a language sooner and extra confidently than you’d if you happen to studied by yourself.

With Rosetta Stone, you’ll study French naturally with a distinctive immersive strategy to studying. Chew-sized classes assist you to study at your individual tempo, and the Rosetta Stone app helps you to do all of it on the go.

Prepared to leap proper in? Begin your first lesson at this time at rosettastone.com.