C. Reading / D. Writing · Reading and Writing in French: Real Texts for Real Readers

Les verbes en -er: Reading and Writing Action Sentences

D2 D1 C1About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can find the stem of a French verb that ends in -er.
I can add the right ending for je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils and elles.
I can read a short journal text and tell who does what.
I can write sentences about my week with -er verbs.
I can remember the silent endings when I write.

Words to know

un verbe
An action word: jouer (to play), chanter (to sing).

l'infinitif
The verb's name, before it is changed: jouer, parler. In a dictionary, verbs are listed this way.

le radical
The stem: the verb without -er. jou-, parl-.

la terminaison
The ending you add to the stem: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.

un pronom
A word that replaces a name: je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles.

conjuguer
To change a verb so it matches who is doing the action.

What does everyone do all week?

In Grade 4 you wrote about yourself with j'aime: J'aime le hockey. Now you will write about everyone: your friends, your family, your whole class! To do that, you need verbs that change to match the person.

Good news: most French verbs end in -er (jouer, parler, chanter, regarder) and they all follow the same pattern. Learn it once, and you can use hundreds of verbs.

A few people playing hockey on an outdoor rink in a snowy park. — Ils jouent au hockey! Jouer is an -er verb: je joue, nous jouons, ils jouent. What other -er verbs could describe this scene? AI-generated image

The recipe for an -er verb

Take the verb: parler (to speak).
Cut off -er. You get the stem: parl-.
Add the ending that matches the person.

Cut off -er, keep the stem, add an ending.

Person	Ending	parler (to speak)	jouer (to play)	Sound
je (I)	-e	je parle	je joue	ending is silent
tu (you, one friend)	-es	tu parles	tu joues	ending is silent
il / elle / on (he / she / we)	-e	il parle, elle parle, on parle	il joue, elle joue, on joue	ending is silent
nous (we)	-ons	nous parlons	nous jouons	say "ohn"
vous (you, polite or more than one)	-ez	vous parlez	vous jouez	say "ay"
ils / elles (they)	-ent	ils parlent, elles parlent	ils jouent, elles jouent	-ent is silent!

The present tense of -er verbs. Four of the six forms sound exactly the same.

Silent endings: write them anyway!

je joue, tu joues, il joue, ils jouent all sound the same. You can't hear the -s or the -ent, but you must write them. Ask yourself: Who is doing the action? Then pick the ending.

ils = they (boys, or a mixed group). elles = they (only girls or only feminine things).
on often means we in everyday French: On regarde un film = We're watching a movie. It uses the same ending as il and elle.
Before a vowel or a silent h, je becomes j': j'aime, j'arrive, j'habite, j'écoute.

Four forms of jouer sound exactly alike, so ask who is doing the action and write the right silent ending. Only nous and vous sound different.

Useful -er verbs

jouer (to play), parler (to speak), regarder (to watch), écouter (to listen to), aimer (to like, to love), habiter (to live), chanter (to sing), danser (to dance), dessiner (to draw), patiner (to skate), nager (to swim), manger (to eat), arriver (to arrive), préparer (to prepare), travailler (to work), téléphoner (to phone), magasiner (to go shopping; Canadian French, in France people say faire du shopping).

Two spelling traps with nous: manger and nager keep an e so the g stays soft: nous mangeons, nous nageons. Commencer (to start) gets a cedilla: nous commençons.

Sports: jouer au hockey, jouer au soccer, jouer au basketball. In Canada, le soccer is soccer. In France, soccer is called le football.

Worked example

Let's read Noah's journal

Read Noah's journal and find who does each action.

Ma semaine, par Noah

Le lundi, je joue au hockey avec mon équipe. Le mardi, ma sœur et moi, nous chantons dans une chorale. Le mercredi, mes parents préparent le souper ensemble et je dessine. Le jeudi, mon ami Karim arrive chez moi et on regarde un film. Le vendredi, ma grand-mère téléphone de Timmins. Elle parle avec nous pendant une heure ! Le samedi, nous patinons au parc.

Et vous, qu'est-ce que vous aimez faire ?

je joue au hockey → Noah plays hockey on Mondays. (Le lundi = on Mondays, every Monday.)
ma sœur et moi, nous chantons → Noah and his sister sing in a choir. Nous + -ons.
mes parents préparent le souper → his parents make supper (le souper = supper in Canadian French). Ils (they) form: -ent.
on regarde un film → Noah and Karim watch a movie. on = we, ending -e.
ma grand-mère téléphone... Elle parle avec nous → his grandmother phones from Timmins and talks with them for an hour.
nous patinons au parc → on Saturdays they skate at the park.

Noah's week: hockey (Mon.), choir (Tue.), parents cook while he draws (Wed.), movie with Karim (Thu.), call from Grandma (Fri.), skating (Sat.).

Worked example

Let's write sentences together

Write in French: (1) We dance. (2) My friends listen to music. (3) You (one friend) eat an apple.

(1) we = nous → stem dans- + -ons → Nous dansons.
(2) my friends = mes amis = ils → écout- + -ent → Mes amis écoutent de la musique. (écouter already means listen to, so we don't add a word for to.)
(3) you, one friend = tu → mang- + -es → Tu manges une pomme.

Nous dansons. Mes amis écoutent de la musique. Tu manges une pomme.

Just for fun

Why did the verb parler go to the barber?

It wanted its -er cut off so it could get a brand-new ending!

Hands-on activity

My family's week calendar

You need: paper, a ruler, pencil crayons.

Draw a table with 7 rows, one for each day: lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche (lowercase, as you learned in Grade 4).
For each day, write one sentence about someone in your home using an -er verb. Use a different person each time: je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils / elles. Examples: Le lundi, ma mère travaille. Le mardi, nous mangeons des pâtes.
Underline the ending of each verb in pencil crayon.
Read it to your family. Can they guess who does what?
Post it on the fridge for the week!

Your turn

What is the stem of danser?

Conjugate jouer with nous.

Conjugate regarder with elles.

Fill in: Tu ___ (chanter) bien !

Fill in: Vous ___ (habiter) à Ottawa ?

In Noah's journal, what do his parents do on Wednesdays?

Write in French: I listen to the radio. (la radio)

More practice: warm-up

Which ending goes with je: -e, -ons or -ez?

Which ending goes with nous?

Which ending goes with vous?

What does on usually mean in everyday French?

Is the -ent in ils jouent pronounced?

More practice: on your own

Fix the mistake: Mes amis joue au soccer.

Write We swim in the lake. with nous (le lac).

Rewrite with on instead of nous: Nous regardons un film.

Which is right, and why: Elles dessinent or Elles dessines?

Read: Le vendredi, ma grand-mère téléphone. Who phones, and when?

Challenge

Find and fix 3 mistakes: je aime le hockey. Nous mangons de la pizza. Mes sœurs danse.

Write 3 sentences about Noah's week using il, ils and nous. (Pretend you are Noah's sister for nous.)

Answer Noah's question Et vous, qu'est-ce que vous aimez faire ? with 3 sentences about you and your family, using 3 different -er verbs.

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is the correct form? Nous ___ (jouer).

Which sentence is correct?

Which forms sound exactly the same?

How do you write I live in Ontario?

In Canadian French, magasiner means...

Mes amies et moi, nous ___ (manger) une pizza.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The Writing strand asks Grade 5 students to write in French for different purposes (D1) and to use the writing process, including editing for conventions such as correct verb forms, to improve their work (D2). Reading a short journal for who-does-what supports reading comprehension (C1). This lesson moves from Grade 4's fixed phrases (j'aime, je suis, j'ai) to the full present tense of regular -er verbs.

Common difficulties:

Forgetting silent endings (ils joue). Have your child point to the subject and say the ending before writing.
Translating "I am playing" as "je suis jouer". French uses one word: je joue = I play / I am playing.
Adding a word for "to" after écouter or regarder. J'écoute la radio already means I listen to the radio.
nous mangeons / nous commençons spelling. These are small details; praise the correct ending first.

Canadian French used: le souper (supper), magasiner (to shop), le soccer.

At home: At supper, say what each person is doing in French: Papa mange. Nous parlons. Tu écoutes !