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French Verb To Be

The French verb to be, namely "être" in French, is obviously of great use in French. No doubt you will frequently use it when saying your first sentences in French.

First, we will study its conjugation, then how to pronunce it, when to use it, and finally give some expressions & proverbs using this French verb. Let's go !

Conjugation of French verb to be

The French verb to be is an auxiliaire, just like "avoir".
Since it is an auxiliaire, it has quite a few particularities, which makes it more difficult than other French verbs.
Anyway, you will come accross those exceptions so many times that they will very soon sound familiar enough!

Pronunciation of French verb to be

In this lesson, we will focus only on the pronunciation of the French verb to be.
Since it is an auxiliaire, it has quite a few particularities, which makes it more difficult than other French verbs. Anyway, with a little practice, you will get it!

• Je suis : su - i
• Tu es : é
• Il est : é or è, it depends on the region. People from the South would rather pronounce a "è" sound. In Paris, that would be a "é" sound.
• Nous sommes : so - me
• Vous êtes : zè - te (always make the liaison between the 2 !)
• Ils sont : son
• J'étais : jé - té or tè. It depends on the region. People from the South would rather pronounce a "è" sound. In Paris, that would be a "é" sound.
• Nous étions : é - ti - on
• Vous étiez : zé - ti é
• Je fus : fu
• Que je sois : sou - a
• Que nous soyons : sou - a - yon
• Que vous soyez : sou - a - yé
• Je serai : se - ré
• Je serais : se - rè . Pay close attention to the difference between the 2 forms "serai" and "serais". The simple future is pronunced "é" while the conditionnal tense sounds like a "è".

You see, it was not that much difficult ! By mastering around 10 different sounds, you will be able to survive in the French verbs pronunciation landscape.

Use of French verb to be

The French verb to be is used in many different ways.

To express a state :

• je suis malade=  I am ill
• J'étais fatigué = I was tired

Expressions / Proverbs using French verb to be

• Etre ou ne pas être, telle est la question.
• Je pense, donc je suis.
• Je ne suis jamais moins seul que dans la solitude.
• Je suis riche des biens dont je sais me passer.
• Et c'est être innocent que d'être malheureux.
• Être comme les deux doigts de la main.
• Il est honteux d'être sans honte.
• Nous gagnerions plus de nous laisser voir tels que nous sommes que d'essayer de paraître ce que nous ne sommes pas.

You can also try this lesson to learn more about French pronunciation.

But in any case don't forget that the correct pronunciation of French verbs or French sounds is not critical to communicate in French !

If you are really serious about learning French verbs pronunciation, you must try the Audio Verb Conjugator. With more than 200 French verbs conjugated and their audio recordings by 2 different French teachers, it already represents a reference in French learning online.