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The verb etre in French
15.02.2025
4 minutes to read
The verb être is the main chameleon of the French language. It changes its form depending on the person and number, and you can't build a coherent sentence without it. Do you want to say who you are, where you are, or what mood you're in? You can't do without être! Let's find out how it works.
Table of contents
The verb être in French is like the glue that holds words together into meaningful sentences. It translates as “to be,” “to be located,” or “to appear” and helps to say who you are, where you are, and what you are like.
In our language, we often just leave it out. For example, we say “I am a student” or “She is happy,” but it doesn't work that way in French. There you can't do without être: Je suis élève (I am a student) or Elle est heureuse (She is happy). If you forget this verb, the Frenchman simply won't understand you because the sentence will sound strange.
So if you want to speak French normally, you can't go without être. It occurs in a lot of phrases and tenses, so it's better to get used to it right away.
In our language, we often just leave it out. For example, we say “I am a student” or “She is happy,” but it doesn't work that way in French. There you can't do without être: Je suis élève (I am a student) or Elle est heureuse (She is happy). If you forget this verb, the Frenchman simply won't understand you because the sentence will sound strange.
So if you want to speak French normally, you can't go without être. It occurs in a lot of phrases and tenses, so it's better to get used to it right away.
Meaning and translation of the verb etre
Conjugation of the verb etre in French
The conjugation of the verb être is something you just have to learn, because it's irregular and changes as it pleases. But you can't get anywhere without it, so let's break it down.
Here's a handy table to make it easier to memorize the conjugation of the verb être in the present tense:
Here's a handy table to make it easier to memorize the conjugation of the verb être in the present tense:
Yes, it sounds strange because we don't say it that way, but in French you can't say it without it. For example, if you want to say “We are at school”, in French it is Nous sommes à l'école. If you just say Nous à l'école, you get something incomprehensible.
This verb is used in a bunch of tenses and constructions, so it's best to get used to its forms right away. The sooner you start using it, the sooner you'll stop getting confused.
This verb is used in a bunch of tenses and constructions, so it's best to get used to its forms right away. The sooner you start using it, the sooner you'll stop getting confused.
Negative form of the verb etre
In French, negation is constructed with the particles ne and pas, which hug the verb like a sandwich. With être it works like this:
✅ Je suis content. - I am content.
❌ Je ne suis pas content. - I am not satisfied.
The verb form remains the same, just with ne in front of it and pas immediately after it. Here are examples for all persons:
✅ Je suis content. - I am content.
❌ Je ne suis pas content. - I am not satisfied.
The verb form remains the same, just with ne in front of it and pas immediately after it. Here are examples for all persons:
If ne is followed by a vowel, it is shortened to n', as in n'est pas or n'es pas.
It's easy to remember: if you want to say “not”, put ne ... pas around être, and you're all set!
It's easy to remember: if you want to say “not”, put ne ... pas around être, and you're all set!
French has its own tricks for making a sentence an interrogative. With the verb être, it's pretty simple - you can use three ways:
Intonation: You simply change the intonation at the end of the sentence, just like in Russian. For example, Tu es là? - Are you here?
Inversion: This is when you swap the verb and the subject. For example, Es-tu là? - Are you here?
Using est-ce que: This is a special interrogative that can be added to the beginning. For example, Est-ce que tu es là? - Are you here?
Here's what it looks like for different persons:
Intonation: You simply change the intonation at the end of the sentence, just like in Russian. For example, Tu es là? - Are you here?
Inversion: This is when you swap the verb and the subject. For example, Es-tu là? - Are you here?
Using est-ce que: This is a special interrogative that can be added to the beginning. For example, Est-ce que tu es là? - Are you here?
Here's what it looks like for different persons:
The interrogative form
Each way changes the tone of the question slightly. The first is the simplest and most conversational, the second is more formal and bookish, and the third is suitable for formal speech or if you just want to vary the questions a bit.
Stable expressions
The verb être has a bunch of phrases and expressions that can't be translated verbatim because they are just phrases with a special meaning. These are like language chips that French people often use. Here are some of the most popular stable expressions:
Être en forme - to be fit, healthy or energetic.
Ex: Je suis en forme aujourd'hui ! - I'm in shape today!
Être d'accord - to agree with something.
Ex: Nous sommes d'accord sur tout. - We agree on everything.
Être à l'heure - to be on time.
Ex: Je suis toujours à l'heure ! - I'm always on time!
Être en train de - to do something at the moment, in progress.
Ex: Je suis en train de lire un livre. - I'm reading a book right now.
Être en vacances - to be on vacation.
Ex: Elle est en vacances cette semaine. - She is on vacation this week.
Être en colère - to be angry, to be angry.
Ex: Il est en colère contre moi. - He is angry with me.
Être bien dans sa peau - to feel comfortable, to be pleased with oneself.
Ex: Depuis qu'il a changé de travail, il est bien dans sa peau. - Since he changed his job, he feels good about himself.
These phrases are often found in colloquial speech, and they will help you sound more naturally like a real Frenchman! If you learn them, you'll be cool in everyday language.
Être en forme - to be fit, healthy or energetic.
Ex: Je suis en forme aujourd'hui ! - I'm in shape today!
Être d'accord - to agree with something.
Ex: Nous sommes d'accord sur tout. - We agree on everything.
Être à l'heure - to be on time.
Ex: Je suis toujours à l'heure ! - I'm always on time!
Être en train de - to do something at the moment, in progress.
Ex: Je suis en train de lire un livre. - I'm reading a book right now.
Être en vacances - to be on vacation.
Ex: Elle est en vacances cette semaine. - She is on vacation this week.
Être en colère - to be angry, to be angry.
Ex: Il est en colère contre moi. - He is angry with me.
Être bien dans sa peau - to feel comfortable, to be pleased with oneself.
Ex: Depuis qu'il a changé de travail, il est bien dans sa peau. - Since he changed his job, he feels good about himself.
These phrases are often found in colloquial speech, and they will help you sound more naturally like a real Frenchman! If you learn them, you'll be cool in everyday language.
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