Lire, Dire, Écrire

These verb are all variations on a theme.

lire is conjugated as follows:

In the singular, the 's' and 't' are not pronounced, so the singular forms are pronounced the same.

The 's', a single 's' between two vowels, is pronounced like a 'z'.

In the third-person plural, the 'ent' is not pronounced.

Click on a verb form to hear the pronunciation.

dire is conjugated as follows:

In the singular, the 's' and 't' are not pronounced, so the singular forms are pronounced the same.

The 's', a single 's' between two vowels, is pronounced like a 'z'.

The 'es' of the 'vous' form is not pronounced, but the 't' is (since it is followed by a vowel).

In the third-person plural, the 'ent' is not pronounced.

Click on a verb form to hear the pronunciation.

dire causes problems because of the irregular 'vous' form

écrire is conjugated as follows:

In the singular, the 's' and 't' are not pronounced, so the singular forms are pronounced the same.

In the third-person plural, the 'ent' is not pronounced.

Click on a verb form to hear the pronunciation.

écrire is similar to lire, except that it uses a 'v' instead of an 's' before the ending in the plural forms

Mes parents m'écrivent chaque semaine. Je reçois leurs lettres le lundi, et je les lis avant d'aller à mes cours.

Ma soeur lit un roman par semaine.

Aujourd'hui nous écrivons plus d'emails que de lettres.

Je ne comprends pas ce que vous dites.

Quel journal est-ce que vous lisez ?

Je pense que mes parents lisent mon journal intime de temps en temps.