Parler in the Present Tense in French

Introduction

Parler means “to speak”, and this page covers exactly one thing: parler 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 parler, 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 parler in the present. For example: “Je parle français avec mes amis tous les jours.” — “I speak French with my friends every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of parler exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Parler in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je parle
tu parles
il/elle parle
nous parlons
vous parlez
ils/elles parlent

Gerund: parlant · Past participle: parlé

The gerund is parlant, which you use after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is parlé, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: the je form of the present perfect is ai parlé, 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 parler is used.

How the present of parler is formed

The present of parler follows the regular -er pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving je parle, tu parles, il/elle parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils/elles parlent. 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 parlant and the participle parlé belong to the same family of forms — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise parler in every tense.

When to use the present of parler

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

1. Speaking French with my friends — the everyday use

Parler is the verb for speaking French with my friends. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Je parle français avec mes amis tous les jours.” — “I speak French with my friends every day.”

2. Speaking about this book with Marie — a second everyday use

Parler also covers speaking about this book with Marie. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Tu parles de ce livre avec Marie tous les jours.” — “You speak about this book with Marie every day.”

3. Speaking every day at work — a third everyday use

In a third everyday situation, you use parler for speaking every day at work. 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 parle tous les jours au travail tous les jours.” — “He speaks every day at work 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 parler is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “Nous parlons français avec mes amis tous les jours.” — “We speak French with my friends 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 parler 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 parlez de ce livre avec Marie tous les jours.” — “You speak about this book with Marie 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: “Je parle français avec mes amis tous les jours.” — “I speak French with my friends every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Je parlais français avec mes amis autrefois.” — “I used to speak French with my friends 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 parles de ce livre avec Marie tous les jours.” — “You speak about this book with Marie every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Tu parlais de ce livre avec Marie autrefois.” — “You used to speak about this book with Marie 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 parlons tous les jours au travail tous les jours.” — “We speak every day at work every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Nous parlions tous les jours au travail autrefois.” — “We used to speak every day at work 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: parler 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.

  1. “Je parle de ce livre avec Marie tous les jours.” — “I speak about this book with Marie every day.”

  2. “Tu parles tous les jours au travail tous les jours.” — “You speak every day at work every day.”

  3. “Il parle français avec mes amis tous les jours.” — “He speaks French with my friends every day.”

  4. “Nous parlons de ce livre avec Marie tous les jours.” — “We speak about this book with Marie every day.”

  5. “Vous parlez tous les jours au travail tous les jours.” — “You speak every day at work every day.”

  6. “Ils parlent français avec mes amis tous les jours.” — “They speak French with my friends every day.”

  7. “Je parle de ce livre avec Marie tous les jours.” — “I speak about this book with Marie every day.”

  8. “Tu parles tous les jours au travail tous les jours.” — “You speak every day at work every day.”

Common mistakes with parler 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 parlent français avec mes amis.” Right: “Je parle français avec mes amis.” Why: The je form is parle, not parlent. Parlent belongs with ils/elles. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.

  • Wrong: “Nous parlent français avec mes amis.” Right: “Nous parlons français avec mes amis.” Why: Nous keeps its own form: parlons, not parlent. Learn nous and vous as a separate pair from the singular forms.

  • Wrong: “Français avec mes amis” with the infinitive: “Je parler français avec mes amis.” Right: “Je parle français avec mes amis.” Why: The infinitive parler never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form parle.

  • Wrong: “Il est important que je parle français avec mes amis.” Right: “Il est important que je parle français avec mes amis.” Why: After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use parle here, not the indicative parle.

Quiz: parler 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 ______ de ce livre avec Marie.”

  • (A) parle
  • (B) parles
  • (C) parlons
  • (D) parlez

2. Complete the sentence: “Tu ______ tous les jours au travail.”

  • (A) parlez
  • (B) parles
  • (C) parle
  • (D) parlons

3. Complete the sentence: “Il ______ français avec mes amis.”

  • (A) parle
  • (B) parles
  • (C) parlons
  • (D) parlez

4. Complete the sentence: “Nous ______ de ce livre avec Marie.”

  • (A) parlez
  • (B) parlons
  • (C) parle
  • (D) parles

5. Complete the sentence: “Vous ______ tous les jours au travail.”

  • (A) parles
  • (B) parlons
  • (C) parlez
  • (D) parle

6. Complete the sentence: “Ils ______ français avec mes amis.”

  • (A) parles
  • (B) parlons
  • (C) parlent
  • (D) parle

7. What does parler mean in English?

  • (A) to hold
  • (B) to speak
  • (C) to ask
  • (D) to pass, to spend

8. What is the past participle of parler?

  • (A) parlé
  • (B) demandé
  • (C) passé
  • (D) tenu

Answer key

  1. A) parle — The je form is parle.
  2. B) parles — The tu form is parles.
  3. A) parle — The il/elle form is parle.
  4. B) parlons — The nous form is parlons.
  5. C) parlez — The vous form is parlez.
  6. C) parlent — The ils/elles form is parlent.
  7. B) to speak — parler means “to speak”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
  8. A) parlé — The past participle of parler is parlé; the present is formed with avoir + parlé.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present of parler formed?

The present of parler is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent.

When do I use the present of parler?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Je parle français avec mes amis tous les jours.” — “I speak French with my friends every day.” For a finished past action, use the passé composé instead.

What is the difference between the present and the imperfect of parler?

The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the imperfect describes what used to happen or was happening in the past. Compare “Je parle français avec mes amis tous les jours.” with “Je parlais français avec mes amis 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 parler, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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