“To Be” in the present simple of the indicative (Le verbe être au présent simple de l’indicatif)

We have added the adjective gentil (kind/nice/sweet) in the forms below so as to learn the verb in context.
In the feminine the adjective “gentil” doubles the “l” and is pronounced “gentille”.
The various forms of the verb as well as their English equivalents are highlighted.
a) Affirmative form (Forme affirmative)
Je suis gentil /gentille (I am kind)
Tu es gentil/ gentille (You are kind)
Il est gentil (He is kind)
Elle est gentille (She is kind)
Nous sommes gentils/ gentilles (We are kind)
Vous êtes gentils/ gentilles (You are kind)
Ils sont gentils (They are kind)
Elles sont gentilles (They are kind)

In French we have two pronouns for the English “they”: ils and elles. “Ils” is masculine and “elles” is feminine.

“Nous” (we), “Vous” (you), “Ils” and “Elles” are all plural pronouns and that’s why an “s” is added to the adjectives to agree with those pronouns.

When plural pronouns (nous, vous, elles, ils) refer to a group of both male and female people the adjective is in the masculine form.

 Example: Patricia et Eric sont gentils. (Patricia and Eric are kind.), as against 

Patricia et Léticia sont gentilles. (Patricia and Leticia are kind.)

“Vous” can also be used even when talking or referring to one single person to show respect or formality. In such a case you do not add “s” to the adjective.

Examples: Vous êtes gentil, Monsieur. (You are kind, Sir.)

                    Vous êtes gentille, Madame. (You are kind, Madam.)

1. b) Negative form (Forme négative)

Je ne suis pas gentil /gentille (I am not kind)

Tu n’es pas gentil / gentille (You are not kind)

Il n’est pas gentil (He is not kind)

Elle n’est pas gentille (She is not kind)

Nous ne sommes pas gentils / gentilles (We are not kind)

Vous n’êtes pas gentils/ gentilles (You are not kind)

Ils ne sont pas gentils (They are not kind)

Elles ne sont pas gentilles (They are not kind)

Remark: “ne” will lose its “e” any time there is a “vowel collision “with a verb.

Example: Je ne suis pas gentil/ Tu n’es pas gentil

1. c) Interrogative form (Forme interrogative)

In French there are three constructions for asking questions.

Example: (1) Tu es gentil ? (Are you kind?/ You are kind?)

                  (2) Est-ce que tu es gentil ? (Are you kind?)

                  (3) Es-tu gentil ? (Are you kind?)

Possible responses:   
– Oui, je suis gentil. (Yes, I am kind.)
 – Non, je ne suis pas gentil. (No, I am not kind.)

(1) and (2) are rather informal as compared to the last form (Es-tu gentil ?) where you have to invert the verb and the pronoun.

So, drawing from what we have done in the above example one can easily guess the different constructions in the interrogative form for each and every subject pronoun.

The first construction (1) is simply what we have in the affirmative form, with the only change being that when you are asking a question your intonation has to go up towards the end of the sentence. With the second construction (2) you have to start with “Est-ce que”, and then you add the affirmative form for the relevant pronoun. And with the last construction you have to invert the verb and the pronoun as in the above example.

Let’s try the interrogative form once again with the pronoun “elle” (she).

If I know for a fact that a certain female person is kind I can make the following statement about her to you, “Elle est gentille” (She is kind). Now if I want to know if a certain female person is kind I can use the same construction highlighted above to find out:

                   (1) Elle est gentille ? (Is she kind?/ She is kind?)

                   (2) Est-ce qu’elle est gentille ? (Is she kind?)

                   (3) Est-elle gentille ? (Is she kind?)

Reminder: The first construction (1) is considered a question only by virtue of the question mark or the intonation, which must go up in spoken French. Without a question mark and the intonation going up “Elle est gentille” is a statement made in the affirmative form as a-matter-of-factly.

The second construction is obtained simply by preceding the first construction (1) by “Est-ce que…”; and when the following pronoun begins with a vowel, the “que” will lose its “e” as shown above (2).

Finally, the third construction, which is the formal one, is obtained by simply inverting the verb and the pronoun, in which case you have to put a hyphen between the verb and the pronoun (<< Est-elle gentille ? >>)

Possible responses: – Oui, elle est gentille. (Yes, she is kind.)

                                 – Non, elle n’est pas gentille. (No, she is not kind.)

What we have done with “tu” and “elle” can be repeated with the other pronouns simply by following the patterns.

1. d) Interronegative form (Forme interro-négative)

As you will have noticed the interrogative form draws from the affirmative form, and likewise, the interronegative form too draws from the negative form.

If I know for a fact that a certain man is not kind I can make the following statement about him to you, “Il n’est pas gentil” (He is not kind). Now if I am of the view that a certain man is kind and somebody else seems to think otherwise, I can use the same construction highlighted above to seek confirmation from you:

                   (1) Il n’est pas gentil ? (Is he not kind?/ He is not kind?)

                   (2) Est-ce qu’il n’est pas gentil ? (Is he not kind?)

                   (3) N’est-il pas gentil ? (Is he not kind?)

Possible responses: – Si, il est gentil. (Yes, he is kind.)

                                 – Non, il n’est pas gentil. (No, he is not kind.)

Reminder: The first construction (1) is considered a question only by virtue of the question mark or the intonation, which must go up in spoken French. Without a question mark and the intonation going up “Il n’est pas gentil” is a statement made in the negative form as a-matter-of-factly.

The second construction is obtained simply by preceding the first construction (1) by “Est-ce que…”; and when the following pronoun begins with a vowel, the “que” will lose its “e” as shown above (2).

Finally, the third construction, which is the formal one, is obtained by simply inverting the verb and the pronoun, in which case you have to put a hyphen between the verb and the pronoun (<< N’est-il pas gentil ? >>)

Note: When a question is asked in the interronegative form “yes” becomes “si”.

Example: (1) Tu n’es pas gentil ? (Are you not kind?)

                  (2) Est-ce que tu n’es pas gentil ? (Are you not kind?)

                  (3) N’es-tu pas gentil ? (Are you not kind?)

Possible answers: 
– Si, Je suis gentil. (Yes, I am kind.)
–Non, je ne suis pas gentil. (No, I am not kind.)

What we have done with “tu” and “il” can be repeated with the other pronouns simply by following the patterns.

1. e) Imperative mood (Impératif) 

The “impératif” is what we usually call “prodding” or “urging” in English. The “impératif” is used to give commands or advice. There are two forms for the “impératif”: “impératif affirmatif” and “impératif négatif”. 

“Impératif affirmatif” is when we give positive commands or advice, as in:

Sois gentil (Be kind)

Soyons gentils (Let us be kind)

Soyez gentil(s) (Be kind)

The first form (Sois gentil) goes with the 2nd person singular (Tu). You use it when addressing someone you are familiar with: friend, relative, child, colleague etc.

The last form is either plural or formal. In other words, you use “Soyez gentils”

when talking to two or more people, or to someone you are not familiar with, in which case the adjective will lose its “s” (Soyez gentil).

“Impératif négatif” is when we give negative commands or advice, as in:

Ne sois pas gentil (Do not be kind)

Ne soyons pas gentils (Let us not be kind)

Ne soyez pas gentils (Do not be kind

No Attachment Found