French conjugation explanation
Êtes: circumflex
<p>In French, the <strong>circumflex accent (^)</strong> on a vowel usually indicates the historical presence of a letter that has disappeared over the centuries, most commonly an <span style="font-style: italic;">s</span>.</p>
<p>The verb
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/%C3%AAtre/" title="Click to see conjugations for être" target="_blank">être</a>
(<span style="font-style: italic;">to be</span>) derives from the Old French word <span style="font-style: italic;">estre</span>. Similarly, its second person plural form, <span style="font-style: italic;">vous <strong>êtes</strong></span>, comes from <span style="font-style: italic;">vos estes</span>. The circumflex serves as a marker for that lost <span style="font-style: italic;">s</span>.</p><div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Conjugation of Être</div>
<p>In the
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/25/" target="_blank">Present Indicative</a>
,<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/%C3%AAtre/" title="Click to see conjugations for être" target="_blank">être</a>
is one of only three verbs (along with<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/dire/" title="Click to see conjugations for dire" target="_blank">dire</a>
and<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/faire/" title="Click to see conjugations for faire" target="_blank">faire</a>
) that does not end in <span style="font-style: italic;">-ez</span> in the <span style="font-style: italic;">vous</span> form.</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">
<div class="conjugation_form">
<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">
je
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">suis<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">
tu
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">es<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">
il
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">est<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><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">sommes<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">êtes<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">
ils
</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">sont<span class="irregularity_circle">●</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Dépêchez-vous, <span class="green_emphasis">vous êtes</span> en retard ! (<span style="font-style: italic;">Hurry up, you are late!</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Est-ce que <span class="green_emphasis">vous êtes</span> prêts ? (<span style="font-style: italic;">Are you ready?</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Comparison with English</div>
<p>Since many English words share roots with French, comparison can be a helpful memory aid. If an English cognate contains an <span style="font-style: italic;">s</span> where the French word has a circumflex, it confirms proper spelling:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-style: italic;">for<strong>ê</strong>t</span> → fore<strong>s</strong>t</li>
<li><span style="font-style: italic;">h<strong>ô</strong>pital</span> → ho<strong>s</strong>pital</li>
<li><span style="font-style: italic;">f<strong>ê</strong>te</span> → fea<strong>s</strong>t / fe<strong>s</strong>tival</li>
<li><span style="font-style: italic;">honn<strong>ê</strong>te</span> → hone<strong>s</strong>t</li>
</ul>