Introduction

Charger means “to load, to charge”, and this page covers exactly one thing: charger 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 charger, 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 charger in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il charge le téléphone tous les jours.” — “He loads the phone every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of charger exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Charger in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je charge
tu charges
il/elle charge
nous chargeons
vous chargez
ils/elles chargent
Gerund: en chargeant · Past participle: chargé
The gerund is en chargeant, which you use after en to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “En chargeant, je commence la journée.” — “While loading, I start the day.” The past participle is chargé, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: ai chargé 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 charger is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for charger, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present tense of charger is formed

The present tense of charger has six forms: je charge, tu charges, il charge, nous chargeons, vous chargez, ils chargent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. charger is a -ger verb: an e is inserted after g before a and o, so the g stays soft — je charge, nous chargeons. Before e and i no e is inserted. The change is spelling only. 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 charger 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 chargeons and chargez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so charge can mean both “I load” and “I am loading” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because charger is irregular in the present, do not try to derive these forms from the infinitive: the table above is the authority, and every form on this page comes from VerbFlow’s verified tables. The irregular tenses of charger are: present, present-subjunctive, imperative-affirmative, imperative-negative. In the tenses not listed there, charger follows the regular -er pattern.

When to use the present of charger

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use charger 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 charger is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “Je charge le téléphone à la maison.” — “I load the phone at home.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about charger does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Il charge le téléphone ce matin.” — “He loads the phone 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 charger 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 chargeons le téléphone avec Paul.” — “We load the phone 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 charges le téléphone.” — “You load the phone.”

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 charger in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Ils chargent le téléphone tous les jours.” — “They load the phone 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 charge le téléphone à la maison.” — “He loads the phone at home.”
  • Passé Composé: “Il a chargé le téléphone la semaine dernière.” — “He has loaded the phone 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 charge le téléphone ce matin.” — “I load the phone this morning.”
  • Passé Composé: “J'ai chargé le téléphone ce matin.” — “I have loaded the phone 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 charges le téléphone avec Paul.” — “You load the phone with Paul.”
  • Passé Composé: “Tu as chargé le téléphone avant la fête.” — “You have loaded the phone 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: charger 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 charge le téléphone à la maison.” — “I load the phone at home.”
  2. “Tu charges le téléphone ce matin.” — “You load the phone this morning.”
  3. “Il charge le téléphone avec Paul.” — “He loads the phone with Paul.”
  4. “Nous chargeons le téléphone.” — “We load the phone.”
  5. “Vous chargez le téléphone tous les jours.” — “You load the phone every day.”
  6. “Ils chargent le téléphone à la maison.” — “They load the phone at home.”
  7. “Je charge le téléphone tous les jours.” — “I load the phone every day.”
  8. “Il charge le téléphone avec Paul.” — “He loads the phone 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 charges le téléphone.” Right: “Je charge le téléphone tous les jours.” Why: The je form is charge, not charges. charges is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nous charge le téléphone.” Right: “Nous chargeons le téléphone tous les jours.” Why: Nous needs the nous form chargeons. charge belongs with je only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Je charge le téléphone hier.” Right: “J'ai chargé le téléphone hier.” Why: Hier points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passé composé ai chargé for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Je charger le téléphone.” Right: “Je charge le téléphone tous les jours.” Why: The infinitive charger never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated form charge.

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 charger in the Present indicative?

    • A) charge
    • B) chargeai
    • C) chargerai
    • D) chargeons

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

    • A) chargez
    • B) charges
    • C) auras chargé
    • D) chargeras

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

    • A) chargeait
    • B) charge
    • C) a chargé
    • D) chargerait

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

    • A) charge
    • B) avons chargé
    • C) aurions chargé
    • D) chargeons

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

    • A) chargerez
    • B) charge
    • C) avez chargé
    • D) chargez

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

    • A) chargeassent
    • B) charges
    • C) auront chargé
    • D) chargent

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

    • A) chargeons
    • B) ai chargé
    • C) chargerai
    • D) charge

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

    • A) chargeons
    • B) charge
    • C) charges
    • D) chargez

Answer key

  1. A) charge — the je form of charger in the present indicative is charge. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. B) charges — the tu form of charger in the present indicative is charges. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. B) charge — the il/elle form of charger in the present indicative is charge. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. D) chargeons — the nous form of charger in the present indicative is chargeons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. D) chargez — the vous form of charger in the present indicative is chargez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. D) chargent — the ils/elles form of charger in the present indicative is chargent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. D) charge — the je form of charger in the present indicative is charge. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. C) charges — the tu form of charger in the present indicative is charges. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.

Frequently asked questions

What does charger mean in English?

charger means “to load, to charge”. It is a non-reflexive, irregular, -ger (e-insertion) spelling change verb.

How is the present tense of charger formed?

The six present forms are: je charge, tu charges, il charge, nous chargeons, vous chargez, ils chargent. charger is a -ger verb: an e is inserted after g before a and o, so the g stays soft — je charge, nous chargeons. Before e and i no e is inserted. The change is spelling only.

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 charger?

The gerund is en chargeant and the past participle is chargé.

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