Present Tense: être (to be)

In English, "to be" changes based on who is talking. You say "I am" but "he is." French does the exact same thing. This process is called conjugation. être is what we call an irregular verb. This means it has its own unique personality. It does not look like other verbs ending in -er. You cannot just guess the forms. You have to memorize them one by one. Think of it like a secret code. Once you know the code, you can unlock thousands of sentences. It describes states of being and permanent facts. It also describes temporary locations or feelings. It is the ultimate multi-tasker of the French language.

1. 1To master être, you need to learn these six forms. Follow these steps to build your sentences:
2. 2Start with your subject pronoun (like Je or Tu).
3. 3Add the matching form of être.
4. 4Finish with your description or location.
5. 5Here are the forms you need:
6. 6Je suis (I am): The "s" at the end is silent.
7. 7Tu es (You are): This is for friends and family. It sounds like the letter "A".
8. 8Il / Elle / On est (He / She / One is): This also sounds like "A".
9. 9Nous sommes (We are): This is a bit longer. The "es" is silent.
10. 10Vous êtes (You are): Use this for groups or being polite. It sounds like "voo-zett".
11. 11Ils / Elles sont (They are): Use this for groups of people.

Use être when you want to define the world around you. It is perfect for job interviews. You can say Je suis motivé to impress a boss. It is essential for making new friends. Tell them Je suis américain or Je suis étudiant. Use it to describe your physical location. If you are at a cafe, say Je suis au café. It works for your current mood too. If you are happy, say Je suis heureux. It is also the go-to verb for physical descriptions. You can say Elle est grande to describe a tall friend. Think of it like a camera lens. It captures the "what" and "where" of your life. It is your primary tool for introductions.

This is where many English speakers get tripped up. Do not use être for your age. In English, you say "I am twenty." In French, you must say "I have twenty years." Using être here sounds like you are the physical embodiment of the number. Also, do not use it for hunger or thirst. You "have" hunger in French, you are not hunger itself. The same goes for being hot or cold. If you say Je suis chaud, it means something very different! Stick to avoir for these physical sensations. Think of être as your identity, not your physical needs. It is a subtle shift in logic. Once you get it, you will sound much more native.

Mixing up es and est is very common. They sound exactly the same to the ear. Remember that es is always for tu. est is for the third person like il or elle. Another big trap is the plural "they are." Many people say Ils sont but forget the "t" sound is silent. Be careful not to confuse Ils sont with Ils ont. Ils ont means "they have." That one little letter change swaps the whole meaning! Also, remember the liaison for vous êtes. You must link the "s" to the "ê". It sounds like a buzzing "z" sound. If you miss it, the rhythm of the sentence feels broken. Even native speakers might slip up when writing quickly. Just take your time and visualize the pronoun first.

Compare être with its partner avoir. être is about who you are. avoir is about what you possess. Je suis professeur means that is your identity. J'ai un livre means you own a book. In English, we use "to be" for almost everything. French is more specific about feelings. If you are scared, you "have" fear. You do not "be" scared. Think of être as your soul and avoir as your backpack. Your soul is who you are. Your backpack holds what you feel or have. This distinction is the key to A1 French. It separates the beginners from the intermediate learners.