Être means "to be" and can be used in the present tense to describe someone or something.  It can also be used as a helping verb to form the past tense.  This important French verb does not follow a pattern, as you can see in the chart below.

 

                      je suis

                         I am 

                       tu es 

                      you are 

                    il/elle est  

                     he/she is 

                 nous sommes 

                      we are 

                   vous  êtes

                  you (pl) are

                ils/elles sont 

                    they are 

 Click the computer to practice ETRE in the present tense.