1.05: Pronoms sujets Etre

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