Teaching French grammar isn’t an easy task, but in this post, I share how I teach French ER verbs in the present tense. We’ve all seen our students staring at us with confusion when explaining that this conjugation thing takes place according to the stem of a verb’s infinitive and that the ending changes depending on the subject. Jaws drop. I always like to reassure them by stating that 90% of French verbs end in ER. Sigh of relief. Over the years I developed a bunch of different strategies and tools to make this learning process as fun and engaging as I can. I’m happy to share these with you.
Let’s make it fun to learn French ER Verbs in the Present Tense!
A fun escape game for teaching french er verbs in the present tense
Here is a fun and engaging French ER Verbs Present Tense activity for your French Beginner Class. Organize this escape game in minutes. By solving each of the 7 different tasks, have your students crack the code to find out who stole the Mona Lisa. Great for team building!
Use this Domino Game for Teaching French ER Verbs in the Present Tense
I created a domino game that my students love! I was surprised to find out that most of them had never played dominoes before. It is easy enough that they understand the rules in a minute. Find my set of ER Verbs-Present Tense dominoes here!
TEACH French ER Verbs in the Present Tense WITH THE SANDWICH GAME
The sandwich game is also very popular in my class. Students get pieces of a sandwich (bread, mayo, ham, onion, etc) every time they conjugate a verb correctly. The goal being to have all of the items to create your sandwich. You can have a small group playing or the entire class if you make teams. Ready to play? Download the game here!
TEACH French ER Verbs in the Present Tense The old fashion way
I’m all in favor of games and fun, but sometimes you need your students to sit down and conjugate verbs. There is unfortunately no way around it. If you’re tired of going on the internet to find worksheets here and there, I’ve got you covered! Check my 10 Worksheets French ER Verbs - Present Tense.
Are you tired of hearing “Madame/Monsieur how do I conjugate this verb?” while doing writing exercises? Guess what? Me too! The goal here is to have our kiddos be autonomous and to know where to find the information. Find here these FREE Present Tense Cheat Sheets that will save your sanity.
Task cards are also a great way to practice conjugation. I use them a lot with my early finishers. You print and laminate them and store them in a small box et voila! They are ready for when you are. Here is the link to purchase a set.
Context is the best for teaching French er verbs
Once your students are familiar with the way to conjugate ER Verbs in the Present Tense and you feel like they’ve got it, have them practice in context: reading, writing, talking. I love having them read short stories that are full of ER Verbs and having them answer comprehension questions. I have a fun and divers Bundle for you here if needed!
What is a language for? Of course the best way to use these ER Verbs in the Present Tense is to make sentences and have conversations! With level-appropriate, engaging questions your students will feel confident and come up with their own answers. Here is a set of 56 speaking prompts -ER Verbs Present Tense especially designed toward this goal!
Teaching French grammar can be challenging, but I hope all of these ideas support your French language learners and make your job just a little bit easier.