Learn French Conjugation: Regular -ER Verbs: Plural Forms

Conjugation

The Three Plural Endings

The plural forms of a regular -er verb use three endings that replace the infinitive -er. The stem stays the same across all six forms of the verb, and only the ending changes.

-ons for nous
-ez for vous
-ent for ils and elles

Once the singular endings are secure, the plural forms complete the paradigm, and every regular -er verb in the language follows the same pattern.

Parler in the Plural

Pronoun	Ending	Form	English
nous	-ons	nous parlons	we speak
vous	-ez	vous parlez	you speak (formal or plural)
ils / elles	-ent	ils parlent	they speak

The -Ent Ending Is Silent

The third-person plural ending -ent is not pronounced. Verbs ending in -ent sound exactly like the corresponding singular form.

Il parle and ils parlent — both pronounced eel parl
Elle aime and elles aiment — both pronounced el em

Because the ending carries no sound, the subject pronoun is the only element that distinguishes singular from plural in speech. This is why French requires an explicit pronoun in every sentence, even when the verb's meaning would be clear from context.

Liaison with Plural Pronouns

The plural pronouns nous, vous, ils, and elles end in silent consonants that reappear as a z sound before a vowel. When the verb stem begins with a vowel, the liaison applies.

Nous aimons — pronounced noo-zem-on
Vous écoutez — pronounced voo-zay-koo-tay
Ils aiment — pronounced eel-zem
Elles habitent — pronounced el-za-beet

The liaison is obligatory in standard French. When the verb stem begins with a consonant, no liaison occurs, so nous parlons and ils travaillent have no linking sound.

Examples

Nous parlons français.

Nous takes the ending -ons. The stem parl- is unchanged from the singular forms.

Vous parlez anglais.

Vous takes the ending -ez, pronounced ay. The final consonant is silent, just as the -ent of the third-person plural is written but never pronounced.

Ils parlent espagnol.

The ending -ent is silent. The verb sounds identical to il parle in speech.

Elles aiment la musique.

The obligatory liaison links elles and aiment, producing the sound el-zem.

Nous habitons à Lyon.

The stem habit- comes from habiter. The ending -ons marks the first-person plural.

Vous travaillez ensemble.

Regular -ER Verbs: Plural Forms (Les verbes réguliers en -er : formes plurielles)

What you’ll learn

Conjugation

The Three Plural Endings

Parler in the Plural

The -Ent Ending Is Silent

Liaison with Plural Pronouns

Watch out for these

Examples

Exercises

The Plural Paradigm Complete

What you’ll learn

Conjugation

The Three Plural Endings

Parler in the Plural

The -Ent Ending Is Silent

Liaison with Plural Pronouns

Examples

Exercises

Related lessons

The Plural Paradigm Complete