Verbs ending in -ETER, -ELER such as jeter, rejeter, empaqueter, appeler, épeler, ficeler, chanceler etc. are semi-regular -ER verbs in Présent indicatif, which means that, even though they take the regular -ER endings of Présent indicatif, their spelling and subsequently their pronunciation vary.
The majority of -ETER and -ELER verbs follow this rule:
With je/tu/il/elle/on/ils/elles, you double the T (-eter) or the L (-eler).
ATTENTION:
Verbs in -ETTER, -ELLER and -E(xx)ER (errer, blesser, laisser etc.) are not included in this rule: they follow the regular pattern.
Here are the conjugations for APPELER (to call) :
| j'appelle |
| tu appelles |
| il/elle/on appelle |
| nous appelons |
| vous appelez |
| ils/elles appellent |
Of course, the pronunciation is affected: -ell- is pronounced [L], whereas -el- is [ull].
Here are the conjugations for JETER (to throw) :
| je jette |
| tu jettes |
| il/elle/on jette |
| nous jetons |
| vous jetez |
| ils/elles jettent |
Of course, the pronunciation is affected: -ett- is pronounced [ett], whereas -et- is [utt].
Listen to these extra examples:
Il jette sa ligne, puis nous jetons nos lignes.
He casts his line, then we cast our lines.
Je m'appelle Simon et vous vous appelez Gareth et Aurélie.
My name is Simon and your names are Gareth and Aurélie.
Je vous rappelle mais vous, vous ne me rappelez jamais.
I call you back but you never call me back.
Ils rejettent sa proposition, mais nous ne la rejetons pas.
They reject his proposal, but we don't reject it.
Il projette d'aller en France, alors que nous projetons d'aller en Suisse.
He plans to go to France, whereas we plan to go to Switzerland.
La maîtresse épelle le mot, puis nous l'épelons aussi.
The teacher spells the word, and then we spell it too.
L'ivrogne chancelle mais nous ne chancelons jamais.
The drunk staggers but we never stagger.
Anna renouvelle sa garde-robe tout le temps, mais vous renouvelez rarement la vôtre.
Anna renews her wardrobe all the time, but you rarely renew yours.
Le héros ruisselle de sueur.
The hero is dripping with sweat.
Mon bébé hoquette souvent, mais vous ne hoquetez jamais.
My baby hiccups often, but you never hiccup.
Though as we mentioned, most of the -ETER and -ELER verbs double their consonants, with every rule come exceptions!
The following -ETER and -ELER verbs behave differently: they always and ONLY take the accent è on the first -e (-eter/-eler):
-ELER: agneler - celer - receler - ciseler - démanteler - écarteler - s'encasteler - geler (and derivatives: dégeler, congeler, surgeler) - marteler - modeler - peler
-ETER: acheter (and derivatives:racheter) - bégueter - corseter - crocheter - fileter - fureter - haleter
To learn and practise them, see the related lesson: Conjugate -eter and -eler verbs in Le Présent - exceptions in 'è'
And to study other -E(-)ER and -É(-)ER verbs, see Conjugate -é(-)er, -e(-)er verbs in Le Présent (except -eter and -eler)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
L'ivrogne chancelle mais nous ne chancelons jamais.
The drunk staggers but we never stagger.
Il jette sa ligne, puis nous jetons nos lignes.
He casts his line, then we cast our lines.
La maîtresse épelle le mot, puis nous l'épelons aussi.
The teacher spells the word, and then we spell it too.
Je m'appelle Simon et vous vous appelez Gareth et Aurélie.
My name is Simon and your names are Gareth and Aurélie.
Mon bébé hoquette souvent, mais vous ne hoquetez jamais.
My baby hiccups often, but you never hiccup.
Il projette d'aller en France, alors que nous projetons d'aller en Suisse.
He plans to go to France, whereas we plan to go to Switzerland.
Le héros ruisselle de sueur.
The hero is dripping with sweat.
Ils rejettent sa proposition, mais nous ne la rejetons pas.
They reject his proposal, but we don't reject it.
Anna renouvelle sa garde-robe tout le temps, mais vous renouvelez rarement la vôtre.
Anna renews her wardrobe all the time, but you rarely renew yours.
Je vous rappelle mais vous, vous ne me rappelez jamais.
I call you back but you never call me back.
Q&A
Nignuoy
Kwiziq community member
27/10/18
Lisa
Kwiziq community member
19 June 2018
2 replies
In your example of the tu form of appeler, is that correct?
j'appelle
tu appelles Shouldn't this be (t'appelles)? If not, why?
il/elle/on appelle
nous appelons
vous appelez
ils/elles appellent
Chris
Kwiziq community member
20/06/18
Hi Lisa,
no, "tu appelles" is correct. There is no elision between the letters u and a. Almost all elisions happen between a preceding e and the following vowel. For a more encompassing list of possibilities look here:
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/pronunciation/elision/
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
21/06/18
Hi Lisa,
Are you confusing "Tu t'appelles" which is the verb 's'appeler' (to be called/named) with the verb 'appeler' in the lesson which simply means 'to call'.
e.g.
"Tu appelles ta mère ce soir sans faute, d'accord?" (You are calling your mother tonight without fail, okay?)
"Tu t'appelles Marie, n'est-ce -pas?" (Your name is Marie, isnt' it ? ")
Hope this helps!
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
4/06/18
Hi Sayali,
My students used to find 'Mille et un points' by Neil Creighton, useful .
It's a compendium of French grammatical rules. You could then practise them in Kwiziq.
Hope this helps!
Sayali
Kwiziq community member
4/06/18
Sayali
Kwiziq community member
4/06/18
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
5/06/18
Hi Sayali,
If you mean a bilingual anglo-French dictionary , I have always relied in book form on the Collins Robert French dictionary. People nowadays use online versions so you should be able to pick up a cheap second-hand one on various sites.
Hope this helps!
Chris
Kwiziq community member
30/01/18
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
30/01/18
Bonjour William and Chris !
Chris, you are indeed mistaken here: appeler takes a direct object in French:
Tu appelles quelqu'un.
As for your question William, your confusion comes from the difference between appeler [quelqu'un] (to call [someone]), and the reflexive s'appeler (to be called / literally:"to call oneself").
In the first case, you'll use tu appelles (you call)
-> the subject pronoun tu never contracts into t' in written form (though you might have heard it in speech).
In the second case, you will use tu t'appelles (your name is)
-> t' is the contraction of the reflexive pronoun te
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
Chris
Kwiziq community member
30/01/18
Jean
Kwiziq community member
14/01/18
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
15/01/18
This is indeed a very obscure verb, referring to a veterinary condition, as Jean said above.
You could find the definition of this verb in our related lesson:
https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/revision/grammar/conjugate-eter-and-eler-verbs-in-le-present-exceptions-in-e-only
J'espère que cela vous est utile !
À bientôt !
Ron
Kwiziq community member
9/12/17
For this type of question, it is best to use the following link:
https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/contact-us
Be sure to include the lesson where you think there is a mistake.
bonne chance
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
15/12/16
Joakim
Kwiziq community member
13 June 2016
1 reply
e(xx)er
" verbs in -ETTER, -ELLER and -E(xx)ER " Why do you specifically mention ETTER and ELLER when they are alreafy matched by the general E(xx)ER pattern?
Aurélie
Kwiziq language super star
13/06/16
Christopher
Kwiziq community member
4 April 2016
2 replies
Not really a question, just pointing out something.
The -ETER and -ELER labels are before the wrong verbs. -ETER: agneler - celer - receler - ciseler - démanteler - écarteler - encasteler - geler (and derivatives: dégeler, congeler, surgeler) - marteler - modeler - peler - ELER: acheter (and derivatives: racheter)- bégueter - corseter - crocheter - fileter - fureter - haleter
Laura
Kwiziq language super star
5/04/16
Christopher
Kwiziq community member
5/04/16
Joe
Kwiziq community member
27 November 2018
3 replies
How are you meant to distinguish an 'eler' verb like appeler from an 'eler' verb like 'geler' which follows a different pattern?
Chris
Kwiziq community member
28 November 2018
28/11/18
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
29 November 2018
29/11/18
Hi Joe,
If I may recommend a little inexpensive book of French verb conjugation called Bescherelle (Hatier).
I have an old version called 'La conjugaison 12000 verbes' which is a very useful companion when you have a little doubt. It also group together verbs which are conjugated in the same manner which is very useful.
Most French school students have one proving that it is not easy for them either...
Chris
Kwiziq community member
29 November 2018
29/11/18
Or, as a complement, you use this website to check the conjugation of verbs:
http://www.verbix.com/languages/french.html