Verb «être»
PRONOMS SUJETS subject pronouns
The subject of a verb is the person or thing which performs the action of that verb:
▫︎ Tom travaille. ☞ Il travaille.
▫︎ Tom is working. He is working.
▫︎ Mes parents habitent en Espagne. ☞ Ils habitent en Espagne.
▫︎ My parents live in Spain. They live in Spain.
Practice
ÊTRE to be
Être (to be) is a very useful verb and it is used to
- identify someone ☞ Je suis Paul.
- give a profession ☞ Je suis professeur.
- give a nationality ☞ Je suis français.
- make a description ☞ Je suis optimiste.
Être is an irregular verb, which means that it doesn’t follow the same pattern as regular verbs in the present tense.
Be careful with the pronunciation of this verb. Être involves liaisons, such as:
- vous êtes ☞ /vous-z-êtes/
Practice