étudier Present Tense Conjugation in French

The present of étudier — study — is the form you need for habits, facts and things happening now. étudier is the verb for talking about school and university: it comes up whenever you talk about describing revision or explaining your studies. This page gives you the complete present table for étudier, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “J'étudie le français.” — “I study French.”

Present conjugation of étudier

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for étudier. étudier is regular (regular in the present), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Present — étudier

Person Form
je étudie
tu étudies
il/elle étudie
nous étudions
vous étudiez
ils/elles étudient

The gerund of étudier is en étudiant and the past participle is étudié. The participle matters here because the present is often confused with the other past tenses — keep them apart.

How the present of étudier is formed

The present of étudier is formed from its stem with the present endings. The six forms are étudie, étudies, étudie, étudions, étudiez and étudient. Copy them from the table above exactly as written — do not guess a form from the infinitive.

A note on spelling: the forms in the table are the verified forms. If a form carries an accent, the accent is part of the spelling — for example étudie — so always write it exactly as shown.

The present is the tense to learn first for étudier: every other tense in the full table is built from patterns you meet here, and the present is the form you will use most often in conversation.

When to use the present of étudier

Habits and routines

Use the present for something you do regularly. For example: “J'étudie le français.” — “I study French.”

Facts and general truths

Use the present for facts that are true in general. For example: “Il étudie l'histoire.” — “He studies history.”

Things happening now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment. For example: “Nous étudions à la bibliothèque.” — “We study at the library.”

Near future plans

French often uses the present with a time word for a plan that is already fixed. For example: “J'étudie tous les jours.” — “I study every day.”

Present vs passé composé: étudier finished, étudier in progress

The present and the passé composé are the two tenses learners confuse most with étudier. The present is for habits, facts and things happening now; the passé composé is for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the passé composé form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present: “J'étudie le français.” — “I study French.”

  • Passé composé: “J'ai étudié le français cette semaine.” — “I have studied French this week.”

  • Present: “Il étudie l'histoire.” — “He studies history.”

  • Passé composé: “Il a étudié l'histoire cette semaine.” — “He has studied history this week.”

  • Present: “Nous étudions à la bibliothèque.” — “We study at the library.”

  • Passé composé: “Nous avons étudié à la bibliothèque cette semaine.” — “We have studied at the library this week.”

Example sentences: étudier in the present

Six sentences using only the present of étudier, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “J'étudie le français.” — “I study French.”
  • “Tu étudies l'histoire.” — “You study history.”
  • “Il étudie à la bibliothèque.” — “He studies at the library.”
  • “Nous étudions tous les jours.” — “We study every day.”
  • “Vous étudiez le français.” — “You study French.”
  • “Ils étudient l'histoire.” — “They study history.”

Common mistakes in the present of étudier

1. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je étudions le français.”

✓ Right: “Je étudie le français.”

étudions is the nous form. With je the present form is étudie.

2. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je étudier l'histoire.”

✓ Right: “Je étudie l'histoire.”

The infinitive étudier never takes a subject. After je you need étudie.

3. Using the passé composé for a habit

✗ Wrong: “Tous les jours, j'ai étudié à la bibliothèque.”

✓ Right: “Tous les jours, je étudie à la bibliothèque.”

A habit needs the present étudie, not the passé composé.

4. Using the present where the imperfect belongs

✗ Wrong: “Avant, je étudie tous les jours tous les jours.” (said of a repeated habit)

✓ Right: “Avant, je étudiais tous les jours tous les jours.”

For something you did regularly in the past, use the imperfect étudiais.

5. Mixing up tu and je

✗ Wrong: “Tu étudie le français.”

✓ Right: “Tu étudies le français.”

With tu the present form is étudies, not étudie. Copy the form for the right person from the table.

Quiz: test yourself on the present of étudier

Ten questions on étudier. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the je form of étudier in the Present indicative?

    • A) étudies
    • B) étudiez
    • C) étudions
    • D) étudie

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

    • A) étudient
    • B) étudions
    • C) étudies
    • D) étudie

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

    • A) étudient
    • B) étudies
    • C) étudie
    • D) étudions

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

    • A) étudions
    • B) étudiez
    • C) étudie
    • D) étudies

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

    • A) étudient
    • B) étudions
    • C) étudies
    • D) étudiez

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

    • A) étudiez
    • B) étudient
    • C) étudies
    • D) étudions

  7. What is the je form of étudier in the Present perfect?

    • A) a étudié
    • B) avez étudié
    • C) ai étudié
    • D) as étudié

  8. What is the gerund of étudier?

    • A) buvant
    • B) étudiant
    • C) dormant

  9. What is the past participle of étudier?

    • A) dormi
    • B) bu
    • C) étudié

  10. What does étudier mean in English?

  • A) open
  • B) drink
  • C) sleep
  • D) study

Answer key

  1. D) étudie — The je form of étudier in the present indicative is étudie.
  2. C) étudies — The tu form of étudier in the present indicative is étudies.
  3. C) étudie — The il/elle form of étudier in the present indicative is étudie.
  4. A) étudions — The nous form of étudier in the present indicative is étudions.
  5. D) étudiez — The vous form of étudier in the present indicative is étudiez.
  6. B) étudient — The ils/elles form of étudier in the present indicative is étudient.
  7. C) ai étudié — The je form of étudier in the present perfect is ai étudié.
  8. B) étudiant — The gerund of étudier is en étudiant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  9. C) étudié — The past participle of étudier is étudié; perfect tenses use avoir + étudié.
  10. D) study — étudier means “study” in English.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the present of étudier?

Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. For étudier that covers talking about school and university, describing revision and explaining your studies.

Is the present of étudier regular?

étudier is regular. In the present it is regular — copy the forms from the table on this page.

What is the past participle of étudier?

The past participle is étudié. You need it for the passé composé, which uses avoir + étudié.

How do I say “I study” in the present?

Say “J'étudie le français.” — “I study French.” The je form is étudie.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for étudier, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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