Aimer in the Present Tense in French
Introduction
Aimer means “to love, to like”, and this page covers exactly one thing: aimer in the present tense. The present is the tense French speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for aimer, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about aimer in the present. For example: “J'aime le chocolat tous les jours.” — “I love chocolate every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of aimer exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Aimer in the Present Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aime |
| tu | aimes |
| il/elle | aime |
| nous | aimons |
| vous | aimez |
| ils/elles | aiment |
Gerund: aimant · Past participle: aimé
The gerund is aimant, which you use after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is aimé, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: the je form of the present perfect is ai aimé, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how aimer is used.
How the present of aimer is formed
The present of aimer follows the regular -er pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving je aime, tu aimes, il/elle aime, nous aimons, vous aimez, ils/elles aiment. The nous and vous forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect a change that is not there — learn the six forms as two groups, the singular forms and the plural forms, and the pattern becomes automatic. The stem never changes in the present for this verb, so the only work is the endings.
The present stem also feeds other tenses: the imperfect is built from the present nous form, and the present subjunctive is built from the present ils form, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. The gerund aimant and the participle aimé belong to the same family of forms — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise aimer in every tense.
When to use the present of aimer
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use aimer in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. Loving chocolate — the everyday use
Aimer is the verb for loving chocolate. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “J'aime le chocolat tous les jours.” — “I love chocolate every day.”
2. Loving my friends from Paris — a second everyday use
Aimer also covers loving my friends from Paris. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Tu aimes mes amis de Paris tous les jours.” — “You love my friends from Paris every day.”
3. Loving reading in the evening — a third everyday use
In a third everyday situation, you use aimer for loving reading in the evening. The same verb, the same present forms, a different situation — that is why the present is worth learning as a whole table rather than one form at a time. Example: “Il aime lire le soir tous les jours.” — “He loves reading in the evening every day.”
4. Habits and routines
The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and aimer is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “Nous aimons le chocolat tous les jours.” — “We love chocolate every day.”
5. What is happening right now
The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. French often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with aimer in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Vous aimez mes amis de Paris tous les jours.” — “You love my friends from Paris every day.”
Present Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past action, while the present describes habits and facts that are true now. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as tous les jours or hier, while the imperfect sentences use autrefois or quand. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
Present: “J'aime le chocolat tous les jours.” — “I love chocolate every day.”
Imperfect: “J'aimais le chocolat autrefois.” — “I used to love chocolate in the past.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.
Present: “Tu aimes mes amis de Paris tous les jours.” — “You love my friends from Paris every day.”
Imperfect: “Tu aimais mes amis de Paris autrefois.” — “You used to love my friends from Paris in the past.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.
Present: “Nous aimons lire le soir tous les jours.” — “We love reading in the evening every day.”
Imperfect: “Nous aimions lire le soir autrefois.” — “We used to love reading in the evening in the past.”
The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: aimer in the present
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other words — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“J'aime mes amis de Paris tous les jours.” — “I love my friends from Paris every day.”
“Tu aimes lire le soir tous les jours.” — “You love reading in the evening every day.”
“Il aime le chocolat tous les jours.” — “He loves chocolate every day.”
“Nous aimons mes amis de Paris tous les jours.” — “We love my friends from Paris every day.”
“Vous aimez lire le soir tous les jours.” — “You love reading in the evening every day.”
“Ils aiment le chocolat tous les jours.” — “They love chocolate every day.”
“J'aime mes amis de Paris tous les jours.” — “I love my friends from Paris every day.”
“Tu aimes lire le soir tous les jours.” — “You love reading in the evening every day.”
Common mistakes with aimer in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Je aiment le chocolat.” Right: “Je aime le chocolat.” Why: The je form is aime, not aiment. Aiment belongs with ils/elles. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.
Wrong: “Nous aiment le chocolat.” Right: “Nous aimons le chocolat.” Why: Nous keeps its own form: aimons, not aiment. Learn nous and vous as a separate pair from the singular forms.
Wrong: “Le chocolat” with the infinitive: “Je aimer le chocolat.” Right: “Je aime le chocolat.” Why: The infinitive aimer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form aime.
Wrong: “Il est important que je aime le chocolat.” Right: “Il est important que je aime le chocolat.” Why: After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use aime here, not the indicative aime.
Quiz: aimer in the present
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Je ______ mes amis de Paris.”
- (A) aime
- (B) aimes
- (C) aimons
- (D) aimez
2. Complete the sentence: “Tu ______ lire le soir.”
- (A) aimez
- (B) aimes
- (C) aime
- (D) aimons
3. Complete the sentence: “Il ______ le chocolat.”
- (A) aime
- (B) aimes
- (C) aimons
- (D) aimez
4. Complete the sentence: “Nous ______ mes amis de Paris.”
- (A) aimez
- (B) aimons
- (C) aime
- (D) aimes
5. Complete the sentence: “Vous ______ lire le soir.”
- (A) aimes
- (B) aimons
- (C) aimez
- (D) aime
6. Complete the sentence: “Ils ______ le chocolat.”
- (A) aimes
- (B) aimons
- (C) aiment
- (D) aime
7. What does aimer mean in English?
- (A) to live
- (B) to feel
- (C) to stay
- (D) to love, to like
8. What is the past participle of aimer?
- (A) aimé
- (B) vécu
- (C) senti
- (D) resté
Answer key
- A) aime — The je form is aime.
- B) aimes — The tu form is aimes.
- A) aime — The il/elle form is aime.
- B) aimons — The nous form is aimons.
- C) aimez — The vous form is aimez.
- C) aiment — The ils/elles form is aiment.
- D) to love, to like — aimer means “to love, to like”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
- A) aimé — The past participle of aimer is aimé; the present is formed with avoir + aimé.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present of aimer formed?
The present of aimer is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving je aime, tu aimes, il aime, nous aimons, vous aimez, ils aiment.
When do I use the present of aimer?
Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “J'aime le chocolat tous les jours.” — “I love chocolate every day.” For a finished past action, use the passé composé instead.
What is the difference between the present and the imperfect of aimer?
The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the imperfect describes what used to happen or was happening in the past. Compare “J'aime le chocolat tous les jours.” with “J'aimais le chocolat autrefois.” — the first is now, the second is the past as it used to be.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for aimer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of aimer — every tense of aimer in one place.
- Aimer in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Aimer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Vivre conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Sentir conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Rester conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise aimer with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise aimer with the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — practise aimer with the interactive tool.