French

Verb Être in French: Use, Conjugation, Examples, Exercises

Verb etre conjugation and example

Verb être

The verb être is one of the most fundamental and frequently used verbs in French, meaning “to be.” It’s essential for expressing characteristics, qualities, locations, and for building more complex sentences. If you master this verb, you’re well on your way to speaking French with confidence!

Present Tense Conjugation (Le Présent)

The verb “être” is irregular, so you’ll need to memorize its forms. Here is the complete conjugation for the present tense, the most common form you’ll use.

French Verb Être French conjugation and pronunciation
FrenchEnglish
Je suisI am
Tu esYou are (singular, informal)
Il/Elle/On estHe/She/One is
Nous sommesWe are
Vous êtesYou are (plural, or formal singular)
Ils/Elles sontThey are

Key Uses and Examples

The verb être has several important uses. Seeing examples in a table will help you understand how it works in a sentence.

1. Expressing Characteristics, States, or Locations

This is the most common use—describing what someone or something is like or where they are, for example:

  • Il est bien. – He is fine.
  • Elle était en France. – She was in France.
  • Le ciel est bleu. – The sky is blue.

2. As an Auxiliary Verb (Passé Composé)

The verb “être” acts as an auxiliary verb (similar to “haber” in Spanish) to form the past tense (passé composé) with a specific group of verbs.

  • Je suis venu. – I have come. (Here, suis is the auxiliary, venu is the main verb’s past participle).
  • Ils sont partis. – They have left / They are gone.
  • Tu es arrivé. – You have arrived.
  • Il est parti. – He has left / He is gone.

3. As an Auxiliary Verb for Reflexive Verbs

All reflexive verbs (those where the action falls on the subject itself) also use être as their auxiliary verb in the compound tenses.

  • Je me suis lavé les mains. – I washed my hands (literally: I myself have washed the hand).
  • Elle s’est coupé la main. – She cut her hand (literally: She herself has cut the hand).
  • Tu t’es habillé rapidement. – You got dressed quickly.
  • Il/Elle s’est levé(e). – He/she got up.

Être in imperfect tense (l’imparfait)

The imparfait tense of être is used to describe actions or states that were ongoing, habitual, or descriptive in the past. Think of it as “was being” or “used to be.”

FrenchEnglish
J’ étaisI was
Tu étaisYou were
Il / elle étaitHe/she was
Nous étionsWe were
Vous étiezYou were
Ils / elles étaientThey were
  • J’étais ici hier. – I was here yesterday.
  • Vous étiez chez moi. – You were at my house.
  • Il était heureux. – He was happy.
  • Tu étais triste. – You were sad.
  • Nous étions là. – We were there.
  • Les chats étaient grands. – The cats were big.

Exercises

Test your knowledge of the verb “être” with these exercises.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank

Complete the sentence with the correct conjugation of the verb “être.”

  1. Tu ____ patient. (You are patient.)

  2. Elle ____ à l’école. (She is at school.)

  3. Nous ____ amis. (We are friends.)

  4. Ils ____ dans le parc. (They are in the park.)

Exercise 2: Translate to French

Translate the following sentences into French.

  1. I am tired.

  2. He is tall.

  3. They are in Paris.

  4. We are intelligent.

Answers

Exercise 1

  1. es

  2. est

  3. sommes

  4. sont

Exercise 2

  1. Je suis fatigué.

  2. Il est grand.

  3. Elles sont à Paris.

  4. Nous sommes intelligents.

[qsm quiz=9]
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