Conjugate semi-regular -cer verbs in the present tense in French (Le Présent)

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE

Last updated: 2023-05-12

In French, to preserve the soft c in front of vowels a/o/u, we use ç.
This rule applies to verbs ending in -cer when they are conjugated.

In Le Présent (Indicatif), it only affects the nous form of the verb, because of the ending -ons.

Learn how to conjugate LANCER (to throw) in Le Présent (Indicatif) in French

je	lance
tu	lances
il / elle / on	lance
nous	lançons
vous	lancez
ils/elles	lancent

Other -cer verbs include :

relancer (to throw back)
placer (to place)
commencer (to begin)
prononcer (to pronounce)
menacer (to threaten)
pincer (to pinch)
etc

Have a listen to these examples:

Je te menace.I'm threatening you.

À quelle heure tu commences ?What time do you start?

Mon fils pince souvent sa sœur.My son often pinches his sister.

Nous lançons la balle.We're throwing the ball.

Comment placez-vous vos invités ?How are you seating your guests?

Ils sucent encore leur pouce.They're still sucking their thumbs.

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Examples and resources

Nous commençons à apprendre le français.We begin to learn French.