Learn How to Conjugate Parler (to Talk) in French

Learn How to Conjugate Parler (to Talk) in French The French verb  parler  literally means to talk or to speak. Youll find it used in a variety of idiomatic expressions and in order to use it properly, youll definitely want to know how to conjugate it. A quick lesson will introduce you to this very useful verb while learning many common phrases. Conjugating the French Verb  Parler We must learn how to conjugate verbs in order to place them in the correct tense for our sentences. By understanding how to do so, youll be able to use  parler  in the past tense, talked, the future tense will talk, and the present tense am talking. French students will be happy to know that parler is a  regular -er  verb. It follows the most common conjugation pattern in the French language, so learning how to conjugate it is relatively easy. If youve studied other regular -er  verbs, you can apply what you learned with those to this one. To begin, we must identify the verb stem, which is  parl. To this, we will add a variety of endings that match both the subject pronoun and the tense of the sentence. The most common forms of this are the indicative moods, which are found in this first chart. Using it, you will learn that I am talking is  je parle  and we will talk is  nous parlerons. Practice these in context to help speed up your memorization. Present Future Imperfect je parle parlerai parlais tu parles parleras parlais il parle parlera parlait nous parlons parlerons parlions vous parlez parlerez parliez ils parlent parleront parlaient The  present participle  of  parler  is  parlant. This is formed by adding -ant  to the verb stem. Another form of the past tense is the passà © composà ©. To form it for  parler, you will use the auxiliary verb  avoir  along with the past participle  parlà ©. For instance, we spoke is  nous avons parlà ©. Among the other basic conjugations you may need for parler are the subjunctive and the conditional. These two verb moods imply that the act of talking may or may not happen depending on circumstances and there are rules for using both. Also, the passà © simple and the imperfect subjunctive may be useful, particularly if you do a lot of formal reading or writing in French. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je parle parlerais parlai parlasse tu parles parlerais parlas parlasses il parle parlerait parla parlt nous parlions parlerions parlmes parlassions vous parliez parleriez parltes parlassiez ils parlent parleraient parlrent parlassent The imperative verb mood is used to say short commands such as, Talk! When using it, skip the subject pronoun and simply say, Parle ! Imperative (tu) parle (nous) parlons (vous) parlez Expressions With  Parler Learn how to babble, be a good speaker, make small talk, and more with these expressions that use  parler. When the expression defines a subject, the proper conjugation is included for you. Others will require you to use your new conjugations skills to form a sentence. Ways to Talk   There are many forms of talking and ways to describe this action. Each requires some form of  parler  and many of these will need to be conjugated. parler to talk to parler tort et travers to talk drivel, babble parler au coeur to speak to the heart parler du fond du coeur to speak from the heart parler avec les mains to speak with ones hands se parler to talk to oneself; to talk to one another le parler speech, dialect le parler de tous les jours everyday language le parler vrai straight talking le parler vulgaire vulgar/coarse way of speaking parler par nigmesparler par paraboles to speak in riddles parler par gestes to use sign language Describing How Someones Talking You can use adjectives to describe the manner in which someone is talking. Here are a few common examples to give you a good foundation for saying such things in French. parler crment to speak bluntly parler distinctement to speak distinctly parler franc to speak frankly parler dor to speak words of wisdom parler pour ne rien dire to talk for the sake of talking You Speak Well (or  Not) There are also many common phrases that refer to how well someone speaks. These are useful, especially when youre new to the language. parler bien to speak well, be a good speaker parler mal to speak poorly, not be a good speaker parler comme un livre (derogatory) to talk like a book parler le franais comme une vache espagnole (informal) to speak French terribly, literally to speak French like a Spanish cow parler le franais couramment to speak French fluently Parlez-vous anglais ? Do you speak English? Parlez-vous franais ? Do you speak French? Voil qui est (bien) parl ! Here! Here! Well said! Things to Talk About In conversation, you will have many things to talk about. Using these phrases as a base, you can substitute words and explain that youre talking about almost anything. parler de to talk about parler affaires to talk about business parler boutique (informal) to talk shop parler de choses et dautres to talk about this and that, to make small talk parler de faire quelque chose to talk about doing something parler de la pluie et du beau temps to talk about this and that, to make small talk parler politique to talk politics To Complain Talking does come with complaining at times, so you might need these phrases on occasion. parler du nez to speak through ones nose parler en lair to talk without acting, to complain but not do anything parler mal de quelquun to speak ill of someone aimer scouter parler to like to hear oneself talk, to like the sound of ones own voice I Heard... Other common French expressions refer to hearing someone speak about something or someone else. Remember to conjugate  parler  as needed for these. dire quelquun sa faon de parler to tell someone what one thinks/feels entendre parler de... to hear (someone talking) about... faire parler to make talk, loosen ones tongue, draw out faire parler de soi to get oneself talked about ne jamais en parler to never talk about something Talk About Yourself When you want to tell someone about yourself, youll find these expressions helpful. Je parle franais. I speak French. Je parle un peu de franais. I speak a little French. Je ne parle pas franais. I dont speak French. Mais je parle, je parle... But enough about me... moi qui vous parle I myself/personally Talk About or To Someone Else In other instances, you might be speaking about someone else. There are also a few phrases in this list that can be used when talking directly to someone. parler pour quelquun to speak for someone, on someones behalf vous parler franc to be frank with you Vous navez qu parler. Just say the word. On parle beaucoup de lui comme... Hes being talked about as a possible/likely... Nous ne nous parlons pas. Were not speaking (at the moment). Ne men parlez pas ! (informal) Youre telling me! Tu parles ! (informal) Youre telling me!, You must be joking! Parlons-en ! (informal) Fat chance! You must be joking! Tu peux parler ! (informal) You can talk! Youre a fine one to talk! Tu parles si... ! (informal) You must be joking if...! A fat lot of... ! Tu parles dun... ! Talk about a...! Nen parlons plus ! Lets not talk about that any more. On ma beaucoup parl de vous. Ive heard a lot about you. Quand on parle du loup (on en voit la queue). Speak of the devil (and he appears). Just to Clarify When you need to clarify a point in French or ask someone else to do so, knowing these phrases will come in handy. Parle pour toi ! Speak for yourself! Parlez plus fort. Speak up. Parlons peu mais parlons bien. Lets get straight to the point. sans parler de... not to mention..., let alone... ...et je ne parle pas de... not to mention... Everyones Talking   Is everyone talking about something? If so, then youll want to know how to tell someone else. On ne parle que de a. Thats all people are talking about. Tout le monde en parle. Everyones talking about it. Toute la ville en parle. Its the talk of the town. Unusual Uses of  Parler While  parler  means to talk, there are instances in which it has other meanings. As you can see in the following expressions, the verb can be deceptive at times and its all about the context of the sentence. Tout me parle de toi. Everything reminds me of you. parler limagination to appeal to the imagination parler aux yeux to appeal to the eye trouver qui parler to meet ones match faire parler la poudre to start a gunfight/war Cest vous de parler. (card game) Its your bid. Figures of Speech Well finish up with a few common figures of speech that also use  parler. These are nice additions to your French vocabulary and can help you remain part of any conversation. Cest une faon de parler. Its (just) a figure of speech. Ce ... me parle. This... really speaks to me. Ce ... ne me parle pas. This... doesnt do anything for me. Cest parler un mur. Its like talking to a wall. Le devoir a parl. Duty called. Les faits parlent deux-mmes. The facts speak for themselves.