Learn French: Tu exagères beaucoup !

Exagérer is a stem-changing verb. For these verbs, the é in the second-to-last syllable changes to an è in the present tense for all subjects except nous and vous. Since the subject here is tu, we use the è spelling.

Does changing the é to an è change how the verb is pronounced?

Yes! The é in the infinitive exagérer sounds like the "ay" in "day". The è in exagères sounds like the "e" in "let". The spelling changes to match this natural shift in pronunciation.

Are there other verbs that follow this exact same pattern?

Yes! Other common verbs with this é to è stem change include préférer (to prefer), espérer (to hope), and répéter (to repeat). Just like exagérer, they keep their é for nous and vous, but change to è for all other subjects.

Does Tu exagères ! mean exactly the same thing as "You exaggerate!" in English?