To conjugate verbs ending in "-ayer/-oyer/-uyer" in Le Présent tense, you follow the normal conjugation of "-ER" verbs, but the "y" becomes an "i" for "je/tu/il/elle/on/ils/elles".
Conjugation of ESSAYER (to try)in Le Présent Indicatif in French
| j'essaie | I try |
| tu essaies | You try(one person you know well) |
| il/elle/on essaie | He/She/We/one/people try |
| nous essayons | We try |
| vous essayez | You try (more than 1 person or formal) |
| ils/elles essaient | They try |
ATTENTION: For verbs in -AYER, in spoken French (including written dialogue in a play for example) an alternative version where the "y" is kept for all forms is frequently used (and also pronounced differently):
Note however that the nous and vous forms always take "y".
Common -AYER / -OYER / -UYER verbs
essayer (to try)
payer (to pay)
employer (to use/employ)
envoyer (to send)
nettoyer (to clean)
essuyer (to wipe)
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