français · A1 · verb · 4 minutes
Être in the present
Build identity, description, location, and state with six essential forms.
Understand the choice
Être is the central French linking verb. Unlike Spanish, French uses the same verb for identity, location, and many temporary states, so person agreement—not a ser/estar choice—is the first task.
Core rule: The present of être is fully irregular: suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont.
Notice it in context
Je suis étudiant et nous sommes de Varsovie.
I am a student and we are from Warsaw.
Suis matches je; sommes matches nous. De introduces origin after être.
Tu es médecin ou infirmier ?
Are you a doctor or a nurse?
Es is the familiar singular form; professions normally have no article after être.
Mes voisins sont très gentils.
My neighbors are very kind.
Sont agrees with the plural subject; gentils is masculine plural.
What to remember
- Est and es are pronounced alike but belong to different subjects.
- The circumflex distinguishes vous êtes from et, the conjunction meaning and.
Common trap: Do not add an article before an unmodified profession: je suis étudiant, not je suis un étudiant, unless the noun is being characterized or identified specially.