French conjugation explanation
Verbs in -eler/-eter (consonant doubling)
<p>For some very common verbs ending in <span style="font-style: italic;">-eler</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">-eter</span>, the consonant (<span style="font-style: italic;">l</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">t</span>) is doubled when followed by a silent "e".</p>
<p>This doubling changes the pronunciation of the preceding <span style="font-style: italic;">e</span> to an open <strong>/ε/</strong> sound (like in "g<strong>e</strong>t").</p>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Common Verbs</div>
<p>The most important verbs following this pattern are <strong>appeler</strong>, <strong>jeter</strong>, and their derivatives:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/appeler/" title="Click to see conjugations for appeler" target="_blank">appeler</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to call</span>)</li><li>
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/rappeler/" title="Click to see conjugations for rappeler" target="_blank">rappeler</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to call back / to remind</span>)</li><li>
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/jeter/" title="Click to see conjugations for jeter" target="_blank">jeter</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to throw</span>)</li><li>
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/rejeter/" title="Click to see conjugations for rejeter" target="_blank">rejeter</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to reject</span>)</li><li>
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/projeter/" title="Click to see conjugations for projeter" target="_blank">projeter</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to project / to plan</span>)</li></ul>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Il <span class="green_emphasis">jette</span> la balle au chien. (<span style="font-style: italic;">He throws the ball to the dog.</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Comment t'<span class="green_emphasis">appelles</span>-tu ? (<span style="font-style: italic;">What is your name?</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Affected Tenses</div>
<p>This change occurs in the
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/25/" target="_blank">Present Indicative</a>
(all singular forms and 3rd person plural), as well as the entire<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/28/" target="_blank">Future</a>
and Conditional.</p><p>In the following tables, notice how the consonant doubles (l → ll, t → tt) wherever the ending contains a silent e:</p>
<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">
<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/25/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Présent</a>
<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun"><span>j'</span></span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">lle</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
tu
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">lles</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
il
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">lle</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
nous
</span>appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">lons</span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
vous
</span>appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">lez</span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
ils
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">llent</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">
<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/25/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Présent</a>
<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
je
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">je<span style="text-decoration: underline;">tte</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
tu
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">je<span style="text-decoration: underline;">ttes</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
il
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">je<span style="text-decoration: underline;">tte</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
nous
</span>je<span style="text-decoration: underline;">tons</span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
vous
</span>je<span style="text-decoration: underline;">tez</span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
ils
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">je<span style="text-decoration: underline;">ttent</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>Note that in the Future tense, the "e" is always silent, so the consonant is doubled in <strong>all forms</strong>:</p>
<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">
<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label tense_box no_dark_mode " href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/28/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Futur simple</a>
<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun"><span>j'</span></span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">llerai</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
tu
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">lleras</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
il
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">llera</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
nous
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">llerons</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
vous
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">llerez</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
ils
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">appe<span style="text-decoration: underline;">lleront</span><span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p><strong>Comparison:</strong> Be careful not to confuse this with the other pattern for <span style="font-style: italic;">-eler/-eter</span> verbs (like
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/acheter/" title="Click to see conjugations for acheter" target="_blank">acheter</a>
or<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/geler/" title="Click to see conjugations for geler" target="_blank">geler</a>
), which take an <strong>accent grave</strong> (è) instead of doubling the consonant. To learn about those, see<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/french_stem_change_e_consonant_er/" target="_blank">spelling change: -e_er → -è-</a>
.</p>