To practise French present-tense conjugation with an elementary-school child, choose a verb from their lesson, identify the subject and notice how the ending changes. Then use it in short sentences. This activity focuses on jouer and chanter, so you can work on one pattern before adding more verbs.
Notice the subject and ending
In “je joue” and “nous jouons,” the stem jou- stays the same while the ending changes. The subject pronoun helps determine the form. Alloprof’s guide to -er verbs for Grades 3 and 4 uses aimer as a model for several verbs in this family. The resource is in French.
Start with the model provided by your child’s teacher. Aller ends in -er but does not follow this pattern. Other verbs can require spelling adjustments, so avoid extending this example to every French verb.
A model: jouer in the present indicative
- Je joue — I play.
- Tu joues — you play.
- Il or elle joue — he or she plays.
- Nous jouons — we play.
- Vous jouez — you play.
- Ils or elles jouent — they play.
Write the pronouns and verb forms on separate pieces of paper. Ask your child to match them and explain one choice: “With nous, I write jouons.” Next, cover just one answer. The task is to find a form and connect it to its subject.
Six sentences to complete
Ask your child to underline the subject before filling each blank. They can use the model for the first sentences, then try without looking.
- Tu ___ dans la cour. (jouer)
- Nous ___ avec un ballon. (jouer)
- Les enfants ___ ensemble. (jouer)
- Je ___ une chanson. (chanter)
- Vous ___ doucement. (chanter)
- Ma sœur ___ dans la cuisine. (chanter)
For sentences 3 and 6, ask which pronoun could replace the subject. This connects an everyday sentence to the conjugation chart. Explain unfamiliar vocabulary first so it does not obscure the grammar task.
Answers with explanations
1. joues: the subject is tu. 2. jouons: the subject is nous. 3. jouent: les enfants can be replaced with ils. 4. chante: the subject is je. 5. chantez: the subject is vous. 6. chante: ma sœur can be replaced with elle.
If your child writes “les enfants joue,” return to the subject before supplying the answer. Replace “les enfants” with “ils,” then find “ils jouent” in the model. Finally, ask them to rewrite the complete sentence. This helps you see whether the difficulty is identifying the subject or choosing the ending.
Spoken practice and written practice
“Je joue,” “tu joues” and “ils jouent” normally sound the same, despite their different spellings. Ask your child to look at the final letters as well as say the forms. They can box the ending and circle the subject that explains it.
For another session, try “mes amis,” “mon frère et moi” and “toi et ta sœur.” With jouer, the expected forms are jouent, jouons and jouez. Keep the tense the same before introducing another challenge.
Use a specific error to plan the next step
Note the form your child found difficult and practise it in a new sentence another day. If identifying subjects is still confusing, ask their teacher which strategy to use. For spelling practice alongside French grammar, see our elementary vocabulary guide.
