One of the main grammatical points to study when you first start learning French is the present tense - you will use it to describe your hobbies, likes and dislikes, character and so much more.
A few terms to note first of all:
Infinitive - the infinitive is the original form of the verb, which has not been conjugated according to a tense or a person e.g. parler = to talk
Conjugation - a verb that is conjugated is one that has been changed to fit the person and the tense e.g. je parle = I talk (in the present tense)
Stem - the stem is the part of the verb you will need to form before adding on the appropriate endings
Verb type - in French, there are three different types of infinitive, which end in either -er, -ir or -re
To conjugate the present tense, you will need to form the stem of the verb, and then add on the appropriate endings, depending on the type of verb and the person.
Personal pronouns: je, tu, il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles
To form the stem: remove either the -er, -ir or -re from the infinitive, and you will be left with the stem of the verb e.g. aimer = aim-
-er verb endings: e, es, e, ons, ez, ent
-ir verb endings: is, is, it, issons, issez, issent
-ir verb endings: s, s, *there is no ending for the il/elle/on form*, ons, ez, ent
Let's put this all together, and conjugate some verbs!
Parler = to talk = je parle, tu parles, il/elle/on parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent
Finir = to finish = je finis, tu finis, il/elle/on finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils/elles finissent
Vendre = to sell = je vends, tu vends, il/elle/on vend, nous vendons, vous vendez, ils/elles vendent
Do you notice any similarities or differences between the endings?
Now your turn - conjugate these three regular verbs:
étudier = to study
choisir = to learn
rendre = to make/render
Important irregular verbs:
Unfortunately not all verbs in French follow this pattern, and you will have to learn some conjugations off by heart. Some examples include:
Aller = to go = je vais, tu vas, il/elle/on va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles ont
Avoir = to have = j'ai*, tu as, il/elle/on a, nous avons, vous allez, ils/elles vont
Étre = to be = je suis, tu es, il/elle/on est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont
Faire = to do/make = je fais, tu fais, il/elle/on fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils/elles font
Dire = to say = je dis, tu dis, il/elle/on dit, nous disons, vous dites, ils/elles disent
Pouvoir = to be able to = je peux, tu peux, il/elle/on peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils/elles peuvent
Vouloir = to want = je veux, tu veux, il/elle/on veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils/elles veulent
Devoir = to have to = je dois, tu dois, il/elle doit, nous devons, vous devez, ils/elles doivent
Savoir = to know (a fact or information) = je sais, tu sais, il/elle/on sait, nous savons, vous savez, ils/elles savent
*Note the use of the apostrophe in this verb - this is because there is a 'vowel clash'. This is what happens when there are two vowels together, like there would be in 'je ai'. Hence, we have to combine the two parts of the verb and place an apostrophe in between them, and we get 'j'ai'.
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