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Spelling changes occur in the stems of several groups of -er verbs in the present tense.
These spelling changes reflect the pronunciation of the present tense forms.
You may have already noticed the spelling change in the verb s'appeler (Je m'appelle ..., My name is ...).
For verbs like appeler (to call), rappeler (to call back) and jeter (to throw),
the consonant -l or -t in the the stem doubles in all forms of the present tense,
except in the first and second person plural (nous and vous).
This follows the traditional boot pattern of -er verb conjugations in the present tense.
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| appeler 'to call' |
| j'appelle |
nous appelons |
| tu appelles |
vous appelez |
| il/elle/on appelle |
ils/elles appellent |
| past participle : appelé |
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This same "boot" pattern is repeated in spelling change verbs like préférer (to prefer).
In these verbs the é in the last syllable of the stem changes to an è,
except in the first and second person plural (nous and vous).
Listen carefully to the different pronunciations of é and è in the conjugations below.
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| préférer 'to prefer' |
| je préfère |
nous préférons |
| tu préfères |
vous préférez |
| il/elle/on préfère |
ils/elles préfèrent |
| past participle : préféré |
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Verbs conjugated like préférer include:
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| considérer, to consider |
| espérer, to hope |
| régler, to regulate, pay, settle, adjust |
| répéter,to repeat |
| sécher, to dry, skip (a class) |
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In verbs which are conjugated like acheter (to buy), the e in the last syllable of the stem also changes to an è,
again with the exception of the first and second person plural forms.
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| acheter 'to buy' |
| j'achète |
nous achetons |
| tu achètes |
vous achetez |
| il/elle/on achète |
ils/elles achètent |
| past participle : acheté |
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Verbs conjugated like acheter include:
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| amener, to bring somebody (along) |
| emmener, to take somebody (along) |
| lever, to lift, raise |
| mener, to take, lead |
| peser, to weigh |
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Another group of stem-changing verbs include those ending in -ayer,
including essayer (to try) and payer (to pay).
In these verbs the y changes to i in all persons except the first and second person plural (nous and vous).
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| essayer 'to try' |
| j'essaie |
nous essayons |
| tu essaies |
vous essayez |
| il/elle/on essaie |
ils/elles essaient |
| past participle : essayé |
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Finally, verbs ending in -gerlike voyager (to travel) add an e
after the g in the nous form of the present tense,
so that the g is pronounced as a soft sound before the -ons ending
(i.e. nous voyageons).
Similarly, in verbs ending in -cer, commencer (to start), for example,
the c in the nous form changes to ç to keep the soft c sound (nous
commençons).
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| voyager 'to travel |
| je voyage |
nous voyageons |
| tu voyages |
vous voyagez |
| il/elle/on voyage |
ils/elles voyagent |
| past participle: voyagé |
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Other verbs in this category include:
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| corriger, to correct |
| exiger, to demand, require |
| manger, to eat |
| nager, to swim |
| partager, to share |
| ranger, to tidy up, arrange |
| rédiger, to write, compose |
| songer, to dream, reflect |
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| Quelle activité est-ce que vous préférez en été? |
What activitiy do you prefer in the summer? |
| Rita: J'emmène mes enfants à la piscine. |
Rita: I take my children to the pool. |
| Ses enfants: Nous nageons et nous mangeons de la glace. |
Her children: We swim and we eat ice cream. |
| Tammy: Moi, je préfère faire du shopping. J'achète beaucoup et papa paie tout. |
Tammy: Me, I prefer shopping. I buy lots and daddy pays for everything. |
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