The French present tense, also known as the present indicative, is fairly similar to the English simple present, but there are some key differences. The French present tense can talk about any of the following:
1. Current actions or states of being
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je travaille. | I’m working. |
| Il est en retard. | He’s late. |
2. Habitual actions or states of being
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Oui, je travaille le dimanche. | Yes, I do work on Sundays. |
| Il est toujours en retard. | He’s always late. |
3. Actions which are about to occur
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je travaille demain. | I’m working tomorrow. |
| Il arrive sur-le-champ. | He’ll be right here. |
4. Absolute or general truths
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Le soleil se lève à l’est. | The sun rises in the east. |
| L’eau est essentielle à la vie. | Water is essential to life. |
5. Conditions in likely situations (si clauses)
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Si tu veux, tu peux dîner avec moi. | If you want, you can have dinner with me. |
| Je vais le renvoyer s’il est en retard demain. | I’m going to fire him if he’s late tomorrow. |
WORK IN PROGRESS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD
Conjugation
Exceptions
Resources Used
Information take from https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/present-tense/