The French present tense, also called the present indicative or le présent de l’indicatif is the most commonly used verb tense. While most of the usages are the same as in English, there are some differences.
French Present Tense
French present tense usages
1) Present actions and states of being
Je travaille. I am working.
Je suis fatigué. I am tired.
2) Habitual or repeated actions
Je vais au travail tous les jours. I go to work every day.
Je fais du sport tous les jours. I exercise ever day.
3) Near future events
J’arrive demain. I am arriving tomorrow (or I will arrive tomorrow).
Je travaille ce soir. I am working tonight (or I will work tonight).
4) General truths and believed facts
Le ciel est bleu. The sky is blue.
La Terre est ronde. The Earth is round.
5) Actions which are likely to occur
Si j’ai faim, je mangerai. If I am hungry, I will eat.
Si tu travailles, tu gagneras un salaire. If you work, you will earn a salary.
6) Describing historical events (historical present)
Napoleon arrive à Waterloo le 15 juin 1815. Napoleon arrived in Waterloo on June 15, 1815.
Marie antoinette est condamnée à la mort le 16 octobre 1793. Marie Antionette was sentenced to death on October 16, 1793.
7) Past actions which continue in the present (since)
French combines depuis (since) with the present tense to express actions or states of being which occurred in the past and continue until the present date. English combines the present perfect tense of to have the past participle of the verb.
Je suis ici depuis deux jours. I have been here for two days.
Il est enrhumé depuis une semaine. He has had a cold for one week.
Elle travaille ici depuis trois mois. She has been working here for three months.
Present progressive
French does not have a present progressive tense. An example in English is “I am working”. You cannot say “Je suis travaillant”, with travaillant being the present participle. In French you must use être en train de + infinitive. For example, je suis en train de travailler. I am currently (or in the middle of) working.
Translations for the present tense
The present tense in French has three possible translations in English:
Je travaille (I work) – simple present
Je travaille (I am working) – progressive present
Je travaille (I do work) – present emphatic
Future-future rule
Where English uses the present tense in a sentence such as “I will call you when I arrive”, both clauses of this sentence must be in the future tense in French: “Je t’appellerai quand j’arriverai”.
Verb tenses and moods
- Future tense
- Conditional tense
- Imperfect tense
- Pluperfect tense
- Passé composé – Compound past
- Imperative mood
- Subjunctive mood
Related lessons
- Verb tenses overview
- Verb conjugations overview
- Verb conjugation charts
- Explanation or regular verbs
- Irregular verbs overview
- 10 most common verbs
- 100 most common verbs
- 4 ways to say ing In French
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