Regular
-ir verbs follow this pattern:
| finir (to finish) |
|---|
| je finis | I finish |
| tu finis | You finish (singular) |
| il/elle finit | He/she finishs |
| nous finissons | We finish |
| vous finissez | You finish (plural) |
| ils/elles finissent | They finish |
We say that the infinitive is finir, fin is the stem, and the endings are -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent (the hyphen isn't part of the ending, it just indicates that it follows the stem). Regular -ir verbs include:
agir (to act)
choisir (to choose)
grandir (to grow up)
ralentir (to slow down)
remplir (to fill)
réunir (to reunite)
Some irregular -ir verbs may have just have one or two differences, and sometimes have their own patterns within groups of similar irregular verbs. Below are common ones.
Other key irregular verbs
| avoir (to go) is very irregular in the je, tu, il(s) and elle(s) forms. |
|---|
| je ai | I have |
| tu as | You have (singular) |
| il/elle a | He/she has |
| nous avons | We have |
| vous avez | You have (plural) |
| ils/elles ont | They have |
venir (to come)
|
|---|
| je viens | I come |
| tu viens | You come (singular) |
| il/elle vient | He/she comes |
| nous venons | We come |
| vous venez | You come(plural) |
| ils/elles viennent | They come |
The above structure also applies to tenir – to hold, abstenir – to refrain, to abstain from, advenir – to happen, appartenir – to belong to, circonvenir – to circumvent, contenir – to contain, convenir – to suit, to be suitable, détenir – to detain, devenir – to become, entretenir – to look after, to support, intrevenir – to intervene, maintenir – to maintain, obtenir – to obtain, parvenir – to reach, to achieve, prévenir – to warn, retenir – to retain, soutenir – to support, souvenir – to remember, subvenir – to provide for, survenir – to occur, to take place.
avoir (to have) – very irregular
|
|---|
| je ai | I have |
| tu as | You have (singular) |
| il/elle a | He/she has |
| nous avons | We have |
| vous avez | You have (plural) |
| ils/elles ont | They have |
vouloir (to want to)
|
|---|
| je veux | I want |
| tu veux | You want (singular) |
| il/elle veut | He/she wants |
| nous voulons | We want |
| vous voulez | You want(plural) |
| ils/elles veulent | They want |
The above structure also applies to pouvoir - to be able to
devoir (to have to)
|
|---|
| je dois | I must |
| tu dois | You must (singular) |
| il/elle doit | He/she must |
| nous devons | We must |
| vous devez | You must (plural) |
| ils/elles doivent | They must |
savoir (to know)
|
|---|
| je sais | I know |
| tu sais | You know (singular) |
| il/elle sait | He/she knows |
| nous savons | We know |
| vous savez | You know (plural) |
| ils/elles savent | They know |
sortir (to go out)
|
|---|
| je sors | I go out |
| tu sors | You go out (singular) |
| il/elle sort | He/she goes out |
| nous sortons | We go out |
| vous sortez | You go out (plural) |
| ils/elles sortent | They go out |
ouvrir (to open)
|
|---|
| je ouvre | I open |
| tu ouvres | You open (singular) |
| il/elle ouvre | He/she opens |
| nous ouvrons | We open |
| vous ouvrez | You open (plural) |
| ils/elles ouvrent | They open |
voir (to see)
|
|---|
| je vois | I see |
| tu vois | You see (singular) |
| il/elle voit | He/she sees |
| nous voyons | We see |
| vous voyez | You see (plural) |
| ils/elles voient | They see |