Introduction

Casser means “to break”, and this page covers exactly one thing: casser 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 casser, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passé composé, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about casser in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il casse le verre tous les jours.” — “He breaks the glass every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of casser exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Casser in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je casse
tu casses
il/elle casse
nous cassons
vous cassez
ils/elles cassent
Gerund: en cassant · Past participle: cassé
The gerund is en cassant, which you use after en to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “En cassant, je commence la journée.” — “While breaking, I start the day.” The past participle is cassé, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: ai cassé is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present tense is only one part of how casser is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for casser, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present tense of casser is formed

The present tense of casser has six forms: je casse, tu casses, il casse, nous cassons, vous cassez, ils cassent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. casser is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb. Two things about the present of casser are worth noticing. First, the nous and vous forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the nous form, and the present subjunctive takes its nous and vous forms from the same stem, so learning cassons and cassez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so casse can mean both “I break” and “I am breaking” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because casser is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -er endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of casser

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use casser in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. 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 casser is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “Je casse le verre à la maison.” — “I break the glass at home.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about casser does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Il casse le verre ce matin.” — “He breaks the glass this morning.”

3. 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 casser in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nous cassons le verre avec Paul.” — “We break the glass with Paul.”

4. Scheduled future events

French uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu casses le verre.” — “You break the glass.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and casser in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Ils cassent le verre tous les jours.” — “They break the glass every day.”

Present Tense vs Passé Composé: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passé composé, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passé composé describes one finished action in the past. 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 toujours, while the passé composé sentences use hier or la semaine dernière. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Il casse le verre à la maison.” — “He breaks the glass at home.”
  • Passé Composé: “Il a cassé le verre la semaine dernière.” — “He has broken the glass last week.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.
  • Present Tense: “Je casse le verre ce matin.” — “I break the glass this morning.”
  • Passé Composé: “J'ai cassé le verre ce matin.” — “I have broken the glass this morning.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.
  • Present Tense: “Tu casses le verre avec Paul.” — “You break the glass with Paul.”
  • Passé Composé: “Tu as cassé le verre avant la fête.” — “You have broken the glass before the party.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.

Example sentences: casser in the present tense

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 and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Je casse le verre à la maison.” — “I break the glass at home.”
  2. “Tu casses le verre ce matin.” — “You break the glass this morning.”
  3. “Il casse le verre avec Paul.” — “He breaks the glass with Paul.”
  4. “Nous cassons le verre.” — “We break the glass.”
  5. “Vous cassez le verre tous les jours.” — “You break the glass every day.”
  6. “Ils cassent le verre à la maison.” — “They break the glass at home.”
  7. “Je casse le verre tous les jours.” — “I break the glass every day.”
  8. “Il casse le verre avec Paul.” — “He breaks the glass with Paul.”

Common mistakes

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 casses le verre.” Right: “Je casse le verre tous les jours.” Why: The je form is casse, not casses. casses is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nous casse le verre.” Right: “Nous cassons le verre tous les jours.” Why: Nous needs the nous form cassons. casse belongs with je only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Je casse le verre hier.” Right: “J'ai cassé le verre hier.” Why: Hier points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passé composé ai cassé for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Je casser le verre.” Right: “Je casse le verre tous les jours.” Why: The infinitive casser never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated form casse.

Quiz: test yourself

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. What is the je form of casser in the Present indicative?

    • A) cassent
    • B) casserais
    • C) casse
    • D) aurais cassé

  2. What is the tu form of casser in the Present indicative?

    • A) casses
    • B) auras cassé
    • C) casseras
    • D) casse

  3. What is the il/elle form of casser in the Present indicative?

    • A) cassât
    • B) aurait cassé
    • C) casse
    • D) a cassé

  4. What is the nous form of casser in the Present indicative?

    • A) cassez
    • B) cassons
    • C) avions cassé
    • D) casserons

  5. What is the vous form of casser in the Present indicative?

    • A) aurez cassé
    • B) casses
    • C) cassez
    • D) cassâtes

  6. What is the ils/elles form of casser in the Present indicative?

    • A) casse
    • B) cassent
    • C) cassassent
    • D) casseront

  7. What is the je form of casser in the Present indicative?

    • A) cassons
    • B) cassez
    • C) casserais
    • D) casse

  8. What is the tu form of casser in the Present indicative?

    • A) cassais
    • B) casseras
    • C) auras cassé
    • D) casses

Answer key

  1. C) casse — the je form of casser in the present indicative is casse. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. A) casses — the tu form of casser in the present indicative is casses. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. C) casse — the il/elle form of casser in the present indicative is casse. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. B) cassons — the nous form of casser in the present indicative is cassons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. C) cassez — the vous form of casser in the present indicative is cassez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. B) cassent — the ils/elles form of casser in the present indicative is cassent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. D) casse — the je form of casser in the present indicative is casse. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. D) casses — the tu form of casser in the present indicative is casses. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.

Frequently asked questions

What does casser mean in English?

casser means “to break”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb.

How is the present tense of casser formed?

The six present forms are: je casse, tu casses, il casse, nous cassons, vous cassez, ils cassent. casser is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict.

When do I use the present instead of the passé composé?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passé composé for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.

What are the gerund and past participle of casser?

The gerund is en cassant and the past participle is cassé.

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