I Am (Être — to be)
Conjugate être in the present tense: je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont. Use être for identity, origin, and professions.
A lesson of French A1 — Beginner, in Être & Avoir, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will conjugate être in the present tense and use it correctly to talk about identity, origin, professions, and descriptions.
Être: The Most Important French Verb
Être (to be) is the backbone of French. It is irregular — no pattern to memorize, just forms — but you will use these so constantly that they become automatic within days.
Present Tense of être
| Pronoun | Form | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | suis | zhuh swee | I am |
| tu | es | tü ay | you are |
| il/elle/on | est | eel/ell eh | he/she/one is |
| nous | sommes | noo sum | we are |
| vous | êtes | voo zet | you are (formal/plural) |
| ils/elles | sont | eel/ell sohn | they are |
Memory trick: Sum, es, est — these look like the Latin forms because they come from the same root. If you've studied Latin, you already know these!
What Être Is Used For
1. Identity and Description
Être connects a subject to a noun or adjective that describes what something IS.
Je suis étudiant(e). — I am a student. Elle est professeure. — She is a teacher. Il est grand. — He is tall. Nous sommes fatigués. — We are tired.
Key rule: With être + profession or nationality, French omits the article. Say je suis médecin, not je suis un médecin.
2. Nationality and Origin
Il est français. — He is French. Elle est américaine. — She is American. Nous sommes canadiens. — We are Canadian.
Note: nationality adjectives are lowercase in French (français, pas Français).
3. Origin with de
Je suis de Paris. — I'm from Paris. — She's from Italy.