Manger — to eat | French Verb Chart
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📚 This is the overview. « manger » is taught level by level — pick your CEFR level below for a full lesson (explanation, pronunciation, exercises & games).
Présent (Indicatif)
- je mangeI eat
- tu mangesyou eat
- il / elle mangehe / she eats
- nous mangeonswe eat
- vous mangezyou eat
- ils / elles mangentthey eat
Passé composé (Indicatif)
- j’ai mangéI ate
- tu as mangéyou ate
- il / elle a mangéhe / she ate
- nous avons mangéwe ate
- vous avez mangéyou ate
- ils / elles ont mangéthey ate
Imparfait (Indicatif)
- je mangeaisI was eating
- tu mangeaisyou were eating
- il / elle mangeaithe / she was eating
- nous mangionswe were eating
- vous mangiezyou were eating
- ils / elles mangeaientthey were eating
Futur simple (Indicatif)
- je mangeraiI will eat
- tu mangerasyou will eat
- il / elle mangerahe / she will eat
- nous mangeronswe will eat
- vous mangerezyou will eat
- ils / elles mangerontthey will eat
Conditionnel présent
- je mangeraisI would eat
- tu mangeraisyou would eat
- il / elle mangeraithe / she would eat
- nous mangerionswe would eat
- vous mangeriezyou would eat
- ils / elles mangeraientthey would eat
Subjonctif présent
- que je mangethat I eat
- que tu mangesthat you eat
- qu’il / elle mangethat he / she eat
- que nous mangionsthat we eat
- que vous mangiezthat you eat
- qu’ils / elles mangentthat they eat
Impératif, Participe & Infinitif
- mangerinfinitive
- mangeantpresent participle
- en mangeantgerund (gérondif)
- mangépast participle
- mange · mangeons · mangezimperative
- avoirauxiliary in compound tenses
📈 « manger » from A1 to native
The same verb grows with your level — from your first words to real native slang.
🎬 The 20-second version
Five phrases with « manger » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 How to use Manger
- Regular -er verb with one spelling twist: nous mangeons keeps the e (to keep the soft g sound) — same in the imparfait: je mangeais.
- Eating + partitive articles: je mange du pain, de la salade, des pâtes — see the partitive chart.
- All -ger verbs do this: voyager (nous voyageons), nager, changer, ranger.
🔑 Key forms
🔊 Common expressions
🇬🇧 Manger in plain English: regular, with one protective e
Manger — to eat — is a regular -er verb with a single spelling reflex: the g must always sound soft (zh), so before a and o French inserts a protective e. Hence nous mangeons (not *mangons*) and the imparfait je mangeais, tu mangeais — the e doing nothing but guarding the sound. Everything else is textbook first-group: je mange, tu manges, ils mangent (all sounding identical), futur je mangerai, subjonctif que je mange, passé composé j’ai mangé. The same -ger rule runs voyager, changer, nager, ranger, partager — nous voyageons, je nageais — one reflex, a dozen verbs; and its twin rule (c→ç) does the same for commencer: nous commençons.
In a food-first culture the eating verb collects idioms the way tables collect crumbs: manger un morceau (grab a bite), on mange bien ici (the highest compliment a region can receive), « qu’est-ce qu’on mange ? » (the national 6pm question), and the affectionate threat « je vais te manger ! » aimed at babies everywhere. Grammar-wise manger is the perfect partitive trainer: on mange du pain, de la salade, des frites — some of, never the bare noun — the du/de la/des reflex that separates French-sounding sentences from translated ones. Drill it at every meal: name what you eat with its partitive, once in the present and once with j’ai mangé, and this most regular of charts becomes the most practised.
FAQ
Why is it « nous mangeons » with an e?
To keep the g soft before o — the e is silent armour. Same rule in the imparfait (je mangeais) and across all -ger verbs: nous voyageons, nous nageons.
What is the past participle of manger?
« Mangé » — j’ai mangé. With the partitive: j’ai mangé du fromage — never *le fromage* unless you ate ALL the cheese, a claim France takes seriously.
Which verbs share manger’s spelling rule?
All -ger verbs: voyager, changer, nager, ranger, partager, déranger — plus the -cer twins (commencer → nous commençons) with their cedilla.
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
nous ___ (voyager) chaque été (spelling twist)
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voyageons
Spelling : nous ___ (manger) (keep the e)
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mangeons
Il ___ (manger) du pain le matin. (present)
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mange
🎮 Practise this with games
🎯 More practice — conjugation drill — all six tenses
je ___ (Manger — present)
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mange
tu ___ (Manger — passé composé)
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as mangé
il ___ (Manger — imperfect)
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mangeait
nous ___ (Manger — future)
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mangerons
vous ___ (Manger — conditional)
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mangeriez
Go further: this chart is one small piece — get the full picture in our guide Master the present tense — the full beginner guide.
Manger conjugation FAQ
What is the present tense of manger?
je mange, tu manges, il / elle mange, nous mangeons, vous mangez, ils / elles mangent. Full charts for every tense are above, each form with audio.
What is the past participle of manger?
mangé — the passé composé is « j’ai mangé ». Manger uses avoir as its auxiliary verb.
How do you say manger in the future tense?
« je mangerai » — the future stem never changes across persons, only the endings do.
What does manger mean in English?
to eat. It is one of the essential French verbs — drill the present first, then the passé composé; those two tenses carry most conversations.
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🎬 All seven CEFR levels, end to end
« manger » at every CEFR level — the tense, its forms and the mechanic that makes it stick. Practise it with the free games →