j'écris
j'écris is the French way to say "I write".
j'écris is the first-person singular present tense form of the verb to write.
Which one should you use?
While j'écris is strictly present tense, other forms change the time of the action. Use j'écrivais to say "I was writing" or "I used to write" for habitual or continuous actions in the past, and use j'ai écrit to say "I wrote" or "I have written" for completed actions in the past.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form j'écris uses elision, which means the 'e' in the pronoun 'je' is dropped and replaced by an apostrophe because the verb begins with a vowel.
Did you know?
- While j'écris means 'I write', the word écrire is the root of the English word 'scribe' and the word 'script'.
- While you use j'écris to mean 'I write', if you want to say 'I am writing' right now, you use the exact same phrase.
- In French, the verb écrire is used to describe the act of writing a musical score, so j'écris une symphonie means 'I am composing a symphony'.
Examples in context
- J'écris, donc je suis.I write, therefore I am.This sentence shows how to use j'écris in a philosophical context.Tatoeba #13257426 by Rovo, translation #13249888 by mimosawang
- J'écris ce que je vois.I write what I see.This sentence demonstrates using j'écris to describe what you see.Tatoeba #11988202 by Rovo, translation #13727659 by Charmander
- J'écris toutes les paroles.I write all the lyrics.This sentence illustrates using j'écris in relation to lyrics.Tatoeba #8352398 by Aiji, translation #5747564 by CM
- J'écris des rapports pour une société de marketingI write reports for a marketing company
- Parfois, je scribouille des poèmes le soirSometimes, I scribble poems in the evening
- Je suis en train d'écrire une liste de coursesI am writing a shopping list
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking at a local cafe about their hobbies.
- GabrielQu'est-ce que tu fais pour te détendre ?What do you do to relax?
- LéaJ'écris des poèmes dans mon carnet.I write poems in my notebook.
- GabrielC'est magnifique, Léa.That's beautiful, Léa.
- LéaMerci, Gabriel.Thank you, Gabriel.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
