présent

Présent is a French term with several related senses. In grammar, le présent denotes the present tense of the verb, most commonly the present indicative. It expresses actions occurring now, habitual actions, or general truths. In literary usage, the présent historique is a stylistic device that narrates past events as if they were unfolding in the present.

In French, verbs conjugate in the present tense by adding endings to the verb stem. Regular -er verbs follow the pattern: je parle, tu parles, il parle, nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent. Regular -ir verbs such as finir use: je finis, tu finis, il finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent. Regular -re verbs like vendre show: je vends, tu vends, il vend, nous vendons, vous vendez, ils vendent. Irregular verbs include être: je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont; avoir: j’ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont; aller: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont; faire: je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font. Near-future meaning can be formed with aller + infinitive (Je vais parler).

The présent also serves broader needs: it can express a future action in timelines or plans, and in narratives it can create immediacy or vividness. Other uses of the word present include as an adjective meaning current or existing, and as a noun meaning a gift, or the concept of presence, such as “la présence.” The term thus anchors both a grammatical category and several semantic fields in French.