Grammar / A1 : Beginner / The verb être (to be) in the present
The verb être (to be) in the present
Full conjugation and basic uses.
Six words. A reasonable return.
None of the six present-tense forms of être look anything like the infinitive. That is the bad news. The good news is that suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont appear in almost every French sentence ever written or spoken. Learn these six forms and you can introduce yourself, describe anyone in the room, say where you are, and tell the time. That is a very reasonable return on six words.
être is also where a major trap lives: several things that English expresses with "to be" (hunger, age, cold, fear) are expressed in French with avoir. That section is near the end of this lesson and is worth reading carefully.
1. Conjugation
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation note | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je suis | /ʒə sɥi/ (roughly "zhuh swee") | Je suis étudiant. (I am a student.) |
| tu | tu es | /ty ɛ/ (roughly "tü ay") | Tu es français ? (Are you French?) |
| il / elle / on | il est | /il ɛ/ (the t is silent) | Elle est médecin. (She is a doctor.) |
| nous | nous sommes | /nu sɔm/ (roughly "noo som") | Nous sommes amis. (We are friends.) |
| vous | vous êtes | /vu zɛt/ (the t IS pronounced here) | Vous êtes d'où ? (Where are you from?) |
| ils / elles | ils sont | /il sɔ̃/ (the t is silent) | Ils sont en retard. (They are late.) |
⚠ il est sounds like /il ɛ/. Do not pronounce the t, and do not read it like the English word "est". This mistake is very audible in oral exams.
vous êtes is the exception: unlike il est and ils sont, the final consonant here is fully pronounced.
2. What être expresses
Identity and nationality
The most immediate use: saying who you are and where you come from. These are the sentences you will need within the first five minutes of any French conversation.
Je suis Marie Dupont. (I am Marie Dupont.)
Je suis japonais(e). (I am Japanese.)
Il est coréen. (He is Korean.)
Tu es d'où ? (Where are you from?) Je suis de Hong Kong. (I am from Hong Kong.)
💡 Nationalities are adjectives and agree in gender: il est chinois / elle est chinoise. Adjectives ending in -e or -ique do not change: il est belge / elle est belge.
Description
être + adjective describes people, objects and places. The adjective agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Il est grand et sympa. (He is tall and friendly.)
Elle est petite et très intelligente. (She is short and very intelligent.)
Le film est long mais intéressant. (The film is long but interesting.)
Les exercices sont difficiles. (The exercises are difficult.)
Profession
After être, job titles take no article. This is one of the clearest differences from English.
| ✓ être + profession (no article) | ✓ c'est + article + profession |
|---|---|
|
Je suis médecin. (I am a doctor.) Il est professeur. (He is a teacher.) Elle est ingénieure. (She is an engineer.) |
C'est un médecin. (He/She is a doctor.) C'est une très bonne professeure. (She is a very good teacher.) |
Location
Use être with a preposition to say where someone or something is.
Je suis à Paris. (I am in Paris.)
Elle est à la maison. (She is at home.)
Ils sont au bureau. (They are at the office.)
Le chat est sous la table. (The cat is under the table.)
💡 Common location prepositions with être: à (at/in), dans (inside), sur (on), sous (under), devant (in front of), derrière (behind).
Time and date
Telling the time in French always uses il est, never c'est. For the date and day, use nous sommes or the more informal on est.
Il est huit heures. (It is eight o'clock.) always il est, never c'est
Il est midi et demi. (It is half past noon.)
Il est dix-huit heures trente. (It is 18:30.)
Nous sommes lundi. (It is Monday. / Today is Monday.)
On est le 15 mars. (It is the 15th of March.)
⚠ For time, the structure is always: Il est + number + heure(s).
❌ C'est neuf heures. · ✓ Il est neuf heures.
3. Negation
Place ne before être and pas after it. Before est, ne shortens to n'.
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Je suis fatigué. (I am tired.) | Je ne suis pas fatigué. (I am not tired.) |
| Il est là. (He is here.) | Il n'est pas là. (He is not here.) elision before est |
| Nous sommes en retard. (We are late.) | Nous ne sommes pas en retard. (We are not late.) |
| Ils sont prêts. (They are ready.) | Ils ne sont pas prêts. (They are not ready.) |
4. The trap: être vs avoir
This is the section to read twice. Several physical and emotional states that English expresses with "to be" are expressed in French with avoir (to have). Using être in these cases produces sentences that are either wrong or mean something completely different.
| English says "to be" | French uses avoir | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|
| I am hungry. | J'ai faim. | I have hunger. |
| I am thirsty. | J'ai soif. | I have thirst. |
| I am cold. | J'ai froid. | I have coldness. (Je suis froid means "I am a cold person".) |
| I am hot. | J'ai chaud. | I have heat. |
| I am 25 years old. | J'ai 25 ans. | I have 25 years. |
| I am afraid. | J'ai peur. | I have fear. |
| I am right / wrong. | J'ai raison / tort. | I have reason / wrong. |
⚠ Age is one of the most tested points in A1 written tasks (forms, identity documents). Never write je suis 25 ans. Always: j'ai 25 ans.
5. Useful expressions with être
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| être d'accord | to agree | Je suis d'accord avec toi. (I agree with you.) |
| être en retard | to be late | Le train est en retard. (The train is late.) |
| être à l'heure | to be on time | Elle est toujours à l'heure. (She is always on time.) |
| être en forme | to feel well | Tu es en forme aujourd'hui ! (You look well today!) |
| être prêt(e) | to be ready | Vous êtes prêts ? On y va ! (Ready? Let's go!) |
| être de bonne humeur | to be in a good mood | Il est de bonne humeur ce matin. (He is in a good mood this morning.) |
6. Key points
✓ Fully irregular: memorise all six forms. suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont
✓ Pronunciation: est and sont have a silent final t. êtes has a pronounced t.
✓ Five uses: identity and nationality / description / profession / location / time and date
✓ Profession after être: no article. Je suis médecin. Add an adjective or use c'est and the article returns.
✓ Time: always il est + heure(s). Never c'est.
✓ Negation: ne + être + pas. Before est: n'est pas.
✓ Hunger, thirst, cold, heat, age, fear: all use avoir in French, not être.