This exam tips covers Exam Tips & Common Errors within Present tense: regular -er verbs for GCSE French. Revise Present tense: regular -er verbs in The 25 Core Verbs and the Present Tense for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 4 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Exam Tips & Common Errors
- In a writing task, use at least two different subject pronouns with -er verbs to show range — don't repeat je…je…je.
- Remember that écouter is transitive — you say j'écoute de la musique, NOT j'écoute à de la musique (no preposition needed in French, unlike in English "I listen to").
- For AO2 (communication), using aimer + infinitif to give opinions (j'aime regarder des films) is a quick, reliable structure.
- Examiners in the writing mark scheme reward variety — include a nous or ils form alongside your je forms.
❌ Common error: nous mange / nous regard / nous écoute
✓ Correct: nous mangeons / nous regardons / nous écoutons
Why it costs marks: The nous form always ends in -ons for regular -er verbs — no exceptions among this group (apart from the spelling change in -ger verbs). Forgetting the -ons ending is classified as a grammatical error in AO3 and loses accuracy marks. Examiners note this as one of the most frequent errors at Foundation tier.
Practice questions for Present tense: regular -er verbs
What is the correct present tense ending for 'nous' with a regular -er verb?
What does 'regarder' mean in English?