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naître at A1 — the present tense

« naître » — jump to your level:A1A2B1B2C1C2Native

Master the present-tense forms and start using « naître » straight away.

The present tense

At A1, « naître » in the present tense is your foundation — you’ll reach for it in almost every sentence you ever say. Here’s how a teacher would have you learn it: don’t memorise a table, build a reflex. Work through the forms below, then the step-by-step method, then say the pronunciation drills out loud — twice. By the end of this page, « je » and « nous » forms should come out of your mouth without thinking.

Concretely, this tense covers three jobs in English: I see, I am seeing and I do see are all the same single French form. One form, three meanings — that’s a gift, take it.

🔑 Key forms at this level

Présent

jenais
tunais
il/ellenaît
nousnaissons
vousnaissez
ils/ellesnaissent

💡 Focus at this level: Basics — being born (être verb!)

👨‍🏫 How the present tense works — step by step

1

Say the singular forms out loud until they’re automatic: je nais, tu nais, il/elle naît. In writing the endings differ, but that’s the pattern your mouth needs first.

2

The nous and vous forms are your anchors — they almost never surprise you: nous naissons (-ons) and vous naissez (-ez).

⚠️ Classic mistake: the final -ent of « ils naissent » is completely silent. Reading it aloud is the #1 beginner giveaway.

🧠 Memory hook: record yourself saying all six forms once a day for a week — the present tense of « naître » must cost you zero effort before you move to A2.

🗣️ Pronunciation — listen & repeat (Présent)

Tap 🔊 to hear each form in a native voice, then say it aloud — most French verb endings are silent, so « naître » forms often sound alike.

je nais“I …”
tu nais“you …”
il/elle naît“he/she …”
nous naissons“we …”
vous naissez“you (pl/formal) …”
ils/elles naissent“they …”

🔊 Example sentences

Je suis né en France.I was born in France.
Elle est née en mai.She was born in May.

✍️ Practice

je ___ (présent)

Show answer

nais

tu ___ (présent)

Show answer

nais

nous ___ (présent)

Show answer

naissons

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🧩 Sentence builder put the words in the right order

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