Introduction

Commenter means “to comment”, and this page covers exactly one thing: commenter 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 commenter, 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 commenter in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il commente le livre tous les jours.” — “He comments the book every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of commenter exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Commenter in the Present Tense — full table

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

How the present tense of commenter is formed

The present tense of commenter has six forms: je commente, tu commentes, il commente, nous commentons, vous commentez, ils commentent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. commenter 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 commenter 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 commentons and commentez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so commente can mean both “I comment” and “I am commenting” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because commenter 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 commenter

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

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about commenter does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Il commente le livre ce matin.” — “He comments the book 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 commenter 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 commentons le livre avec Paul.” — “We comment the book 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 commentes le livre.” — “You comment the book.”

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

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 commenter in the Present indicative?

    • A) commente
    • B) commentes
    • C) aurais commenté
    • D) commentai

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

    • A) aurais commenté
    • B) commentes
    • C) commentais
    • D) commentas

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

    • A) aurait commenté
    • B) avait commenté
    • C) commentera
    • D) commente

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

    • A) commentions
    • B) commentons
    • C) avons commenté
    • D) commenterions

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

    • A) commentez
    • B) commentâtes
    • C) auriez commenté
    • D) commentes

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

    • A) commentes
    • B) commentent
    • C) auraient commenté
    • D) commente

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

    • A) commentez
    • B) commentes
    • C) commente
    • D) commentasse

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

    • A) as commenté
    • B) commentez
    • C) aurais commenté
    • D) commentes

Answer key

  1. A) commente — the je form of commenter in the present indicative is commente. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. B) commentes — the tu form of commenter in the present indicative is commentes. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. D) commente — the il/elle form of commenter in the present indicative is commente. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. B) commentons — the nous form of commenter in the present indicative is commentons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) commentez — the vous form of commenter in the present indicative is commentez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. B) commentent — the ils/elles form of commenter in the present indicative is commentent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. C) commente — the je form of commenter in the present indicative is commente. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. D) commentes — the tu form of commenter in the present indicative is commentes. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.

Frequently asked questions

What does commenter mean in English?

commenter means “to comment”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb.

How is the present tense of commenter formed?

The six present forms are: je commente, tu commentes, il commente, nous commentons, vous commentez, ils commentent. commenter 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 commenter?

The gerund is en commentant and the past participle is commenté.

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