Le verbe être

The verb être means "to be". When the philosopher Descarte said "I think therefore I am", he actually said it in French: "Je pense, donc je suis". Along with the verb avoir which means "to have", être is one of the most commonly used verbs in verb, which is why it makes a lot of sense to learn early on. Quick note on conjugating être: it's an irregular verb, meaning it does not follow the typical conjugation patterns most other verbs do.

Let's get started with conjugating être in the present (with examples)

Présent

• Je suis fatigué
• Tu es gentil
• Il est américain
• On est ici
• Nous sommes partis
• Vous êtes petits
• Ils sont méchants