gérer → je gère: when é turns into è
One rule behind je gère / nous gérons, j'achète and j'appelle: when the ending is silent, the vowel before it opens up. With the “boot” table, the verbs that follow the same pattern, the two spellings (è or a doubled consonant), the future tense, and -cer / -ger verbs.
🎯 In one line: silent ending (-e / -es / -ent) → é turns into è; pronounced ending (-ons / -ez) → é stays.
The rule
| Ending | Pronounced? | Accent | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -e / -es / -ent | no | è | je gère · ils gèrent |
| -ons / -ez | yes | é | nous gérons · vous gérez |
- Why: when the ending is silent, “gé” becomes the last spoken syllable, the vowel opens to [ɛ], and the spelling follows.
- With -ons / -ez, the ending itself is the last spoken syllable, so é stays as it is.
The “boot” table
gérer in the present; the four forms in bold change:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| je gère | nous gérons |
| tu gères | vous gérez |
| il / elle gère | ils / elles gèrent |
👢 The je / tu / il column plus the ils box form the shape of a boot; nous and vous sit outside it and keep é.
- Same in the subjunctive: que je gère, que nous gérions.
- In the imperfect every form keeps é: je gérais, nous gérions (the endings are pronounced).
Verbs in the same family
How to spot them: é in the second-to-last syllable, then a consonant + er.
| Verb | Meaning | je | nous | ils |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| préférer | to prefer | préfère | préférons | préfèrent |
| espérer | to hope | espère | espérons | espèrent |
| répéter | to repeat | répète | répétons | répètent |
| compléter | to fill in, complete | complète | complétons | complètent |
| céder | to give way | cède | cédons | cèdent |
| posséder | to own | possède | possédons | possèdent |
- Only the last é changes: préférer → je préfère; the first é is left alone.
No é, same rule
Same idea: before a silent ending, the vowel opens up. There are just two ways to write it.
| Spelling | Verb | je | nous |
|---|---|---|---|
| accent: e → è | lever (to raise, get up) | je lève | nous levons |
| accent: e → è | acheter (to buy) | j'achète | nous achetons |
| accent: e → è | se promener (to go for a walk) | je me promène | nous nous promenons |
| doubled consonant | appeler (to call) | j'appelle | nous appelons |
| doubled consonant | s'appeler (to be called) | je m'appelle | nous nous appelons |
| doubled consonant | jeter (to throw) | je jette | nous jetons |
| ❌ | ✅ | Why |
|---|---|---|
| j'achète | acheter takes the accent, no doubled consonant | |
| j'appelle | appeler doubles the l, no accent | |
| nous gérons | nous is outside the boot |
The future tense
| Type | Future | Note |
|---|---|---|
| lever / acheter | je lèverai · j'achèterai | è throughout |
| appeler / jeter | j'appellerai · je jetterai | doubled throughout |
| gérer / préférer | je gérerai · je préférerai | traditional spelling keeps é |
- For gérer and its family, the 1990 spelling reform also allows je gèrerai. Both are accepted; the traditional form is still the most common.
Another mark: -cer / -ger
This one has nothing to do with silent endings: it is about keeping the soft sound. Before a and o, c and g would turn hard, so French adds a mark.
| Verb | Before a / o | Before e / i (nothing to add) |
|---|---|---|
| commencer (to begin) | nous commençons · je commençais | nous commencions |
| placer (to place) | nous plaçons | vous placez |
| manger (to eat) | nous mangeons · je mangeais | nous mangions |
| voyager (to travel) | nous voyageons | vous voyagez |
- It is the opposite of the boot: the change hits nous (and any ending starting with a / o).
- The “Present tense” entry has a short summary; the other tenses of manger are in the “manger” entry.
Shortcut
Silent ending → the vowel before it opens: é / e becomes è, or the consonant doubles; nous and vous stay outside the boot. c and g before a / o → ç or ge.