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:
In je/tu/il/elle/on/ils/elles conjugations, 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 [ell], 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 additional examples:
Though most of the -ETER and -ELER verbs double their consonants, there are exceptions that have a different spelling change: see Conjugate -eter and -eler verbs in Le Présent with 'è'.
To learn about other -E(-)ER and -É(-)ER verbs, see Conjugate -é(-)er, -e(-)er verbs in Le Présent (except -eter and -eler)
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