French 2.2. Present Indicative Tense II: Irregular Verbs

Some verbs deviate from the general conjugation rules in the present indicative tense outlined in Level I, Lesson 6. Some of these deviations are simple and easy to apply, while others may require some practice.

Nevertheless, do not give up because conjugation in other tenses tends to be more straightforward with fewer irregularities.

Use your Anki cards to practice more examples until you master this lesson. In addition, you can use the summary in the French Irregular Verbs Cheat Sheet as a quick reference.

Let us examine the irregular verbs in the three verb groups “-er,” “-ir,” and “-re” in the present indicative tense.

#1: “-er” Verbs

The verb “aller” (to go) is essentially the only irregular “-er” verb that does not follow a particular pattern of conjugation. This is an important verb that should be practiced and memorized.

	je	tu	il/elle	nous	vous	ils/elles
aller to go	vais	vas	va	allons	allez	vont

Notice that we use the verb “aller” instead of the verb “être” (to be) in some contexts, e.g., “Comment allez-vous?” (How are you?), “Je vais bien” (I am well), etc.

Some “-er” verbs undergo minor spelling changes of the stem when conjugated in some forms. These are classified in the following five categories:

1. Verbs ending in “-cer”

Verbs ending in “-cer” add a cedilla to the “c” only when conjugated in the first-person plural form “nous.” This is required to maintain the soft “c” sound when the “-ons” suffix is added. Other conjugations are unchanged. Here are some examples:

nous commençons	we start	nous effaçons	we erase
nous finançons	we finance	nous influençons	we influence
nous menaçons	we threaten	nous plaçons	we place
nous remplaçons	we replace	nous renonçons	we renounce

2. Verbs ending in “-ger”

Verbs ending in “-ger” add an “e” after the “g” only when conjugated in the first-person plural form “nous.” This is required to maintain the soft “g” sound when the “-ons” suffix is added. Other conjugations are unchanged. Here are some examples:

nous bougeons	we move	nous changeons	we change
nous corrigeons	we correct	nous dégageons	we release
nous exigeons	we demand	nous mangeons	we eat
nous nageons	we swim	nous voyageons	we travel

3. Verbs ending in “-yer”

Verbs ending in “-yer” change the “y” to “i” in all forms except “nous” and “vous.” For instance, the verb “envoyer” (to send) in the first-person singular is conjugated as “j’envoie” /jã-vwa/. Notice that the letter “y” is replaced with “i” and the “y” sound at the end no longer exists in pronunciation. Let us look at some examples:

	“appuyer” (to lean on)	“dévoyer” (to mislead)	“ennuyer” (to bore or annoy)	“envoyer” (to send)
je/j’	appuie	dévoie	ennuie	envoie
tu	appuies	dévoies	ennuies	envoies
il/elle/on	appuie	dévoie	ennuie	envoie
nous	appuyons	dévoyons	ennuyons	envoyons
vous	appuyez	dévoyez	ennuyez	envoyez
ils/elles	appuient	dévoient	ennuient	envoient

One exception is the verb “payer” (to pay) which can be conjugated both ways. For instance, the verb “payer” in the first-person singular can be conjugated as “je paye” /j(ə) pey/ or “je paie” /j(ə) pe/.

4. Verbs ending in “-eler”

Some verbs ending in “-eler” double the “l” at the end of their stem in all forms except “nous” and “vous.” For instance, the verb “appeler” (to call) in the first-person singular is conjugated as “j’appelle” /ja-pel/. Here are some more examples:

	“épeler” (to spell)	“étinceler” (to sparkle)	“rappeler” (to remind)	“renouveler” (to renew)
je/j’	épelle	étincelle	rappelle	renouvelle
tu	épelles	étincelles	rappelles	renouvelles
il/elle/on	épelle	étincelle	rappelle	renouvelle
nous	épelons	étincelons	rappelons	renouvelons
vous	épelez	étincelez	rappelez	renouvelez
ils/elles	épellent	étincellent	rappellent	renouvellent

5. Verbs ending in “-e-” + consonant + “-er”

Some verbs ending in “-e-” followed by a consonant followed by “-er” add a grave accent to the “e” in the stem before the consonant in all forms except “nous” and “vous.” This changes the “e” sound to an open “e” sound instead of a schwa sound. For instance, the verb “lever” /lə-ve/ (to raise) in the first-person singular is conjugated as “je lève” /j(ə) lev/. Here are some more examples:

	“acheter” (to buy)	“enlever” (to remove)	“mener” (to lead)	“peser” (to weigh)
je/j’	achète	enlève	mène	pèse
tu	achètes	enlèves	mènes	pèses
il/elle/on	achète	enlève	mène	pèse
nous	achetons	enlevons	menons	pesons
vous	achetez	enlevez	menez	pesez
ils/elles	achètent	enlèvent	mènent	pèsent

If the “e” in the stem before the consonant already has an acute accent in the infinitive, the acute accent is replaced with a grave accent in all forms except “nous” and “vous.” Here are some examples:

	“célébrer” (to celebrate)	“espérer” (to hope)	“gérer” (to manage)	“préférer” (to prefer)
je/j’	célèbre	espère	gère	préfère
tu	célèbres	espères	gères	préfères
il/elle/on	célèbre	espère	gère	préfère
nous	célébrons	espérons	gérons	préférons
vous	célébrez	espérez	gérez	préférez
ils/elles	célèbrent	espèrent	gèrent	préfèrent

#2: “-ir” Verbs

We covered the conjugation of regular “-ir” verbs in Level I, Lesson 6. Here is an example of a regular “-ir” verb conjugated in the present indicative tense:

	je	tu	il/elle	nous	vous	ils/elles
finir to finish	finis	finis	finit	finissons	finissez	finissent

Unfortunately, not all “-ir” verbs are regular. There are many irregular verbs in this verb group. We will classify them into five main categories:

1. Verbs ending in “-tir,” “-mir,” and “-vir”

Many verbs in this category are conjugated with the same pattern. Notice the dropping of the last letter of the stem in the three singular forms.

	partir (to leave)	dormir (to sleep)	servir (to serve)
je	pars	dors	sers
tu	pars	dors	sers
il/elle/on	part	dort	sert
nous	partons	dormons	servons
vous	partez	dormez	servez
ils/elles	partent	dorment	servent

2. Verbs ending in “-vrir,” “-frir,” and “-llir”

Many verbs in this category are conjugated like regular “-er” verbs, for example:

	ouvrir (to open)	offrir (to offer)	cueillir (to pick)
je/j’	ouvre	offre	cueille
tu	ouvres	offres	cueilles
il/elle/on	ouvre	offre	cueille
nous	ouvrons	offrons	cueillons
vous	ouvrez	offrez	cueillez
ils/elles	ouvrent	offrent	cueillent

Other examples include: “couvrir” (to cover), “souffrir” (to suffer), “découvrir” (to discover), “assaillir” (to assault), and “accueillir” (to welcome).

3. The verbs “venir,” “tenir,” and their derivations

Verbs in this category are conjugated as follows:

	venir (to come)	tenir (to hold)	devenir (to become)	obtenir (to obtain)
je/j’	viens	tiens	deviens	obtiens
tu	viens	tiens	deviens	obtiens
il/elle/on	vient	tient	devient	obtient
nous	venons	tenons	devenons	obtenons
vous	venez	tenez	devenez	obtenez
ils/elles	viennent	tiennent	deviennent	obtiennent

Other examples include: “advenir” (to happen), “revenir” (to come back), “convenir” (to suit), “provenir” (to arise from), “prévenir” (to prevent), “survenir” (to occur), “intervenir” (to intervene), “détenir” (to hold or detain), “retenir” (to retain or hold), “abstenir” (to abstain), “contenir” (to contain), “soutenir” (to sustain or support), “maintenir” (to maintain), “appartenir” (to belong), and “entretenir” (to entertain).

4. Verbs ending with “-oir”

Verbs ending in “-oir” do not follow a single conjugation pattern. Thus, one must practice and memorize as many verbs as possible in this category. Here are some common examples:

	je	tu	il/elle	nous	vous	ils/elles
avoir to have	ai	as	a	avons	avez	ont
savoir to know	sais	sais	sait	savons	savez	savent
devoir must	dois	dois	doit	devons	devez	doivent
pouvoir can	peux	peux	peut	pouvons	pouvez	peuvent
vouloir to want	veux	veux	veut	voulons	voulez	veulent
voir to see	vois	vois	voit	voyons	voyez	voient
falloir to be necessary	–	–	faut	–	–	–
pleuvoir to rain	–	–	pleut	–	–	–
asseoir to sit	assieds	assieds	assied	asseyons	asseyez	asseyent
décevoir to disappoint	déçois	déçois	déçoit	décevons	décevez	déçoivent
prévoir to predict	prévois	prévois	prévoit	prévoyons	prévoyez	prévoient
recevoir to receive	reçois	reçois	reçoit	recevons	recevez	reçoivent
valoir to be worth	–	–	vaut	–	–	–

5. Other irregular “-ir” verbs

There remain a few irregular “-ir” verbs that do not fall under any of the four previous categories, such as:

	je	tu	il/elle	nous	vous	ils/elles
acquérir to acquire	acquiers	acquiers	acquiert	acquérons	acquérez	acquièrent
conquérir to conquer	conquiers	conquiers	conquiert	conquérons	conquérez	conquièrent
bouillir to boil	bous	bous	bout	bouillons	bouillez	bouillent
courir to run	cours	cours	court	courons	courez	courent
parcourir to run through	parcours	parcours	parcourt	parcourons	parcourez	parcourent
secourir to rescue	secours	secours	secourt	secourons	secourez	secourent
mourir to die	meurs	meurs	meurt	mourons	mourez	meurent

#3: “-re” Verbs

The irregular “-re” verbs group includes some important verbs in French such as: “être” (to be), “faire” (to do or make), and “boire” (to drink).

	être (to be)	faire (to do or make)	boire (to drink)
je	suis	fais	bois
tu	es	fais	bois
il/elle/on	est	fait	boit
nous	sommes	faisons	buvons
vous	êtes	faites	buvez
ils/elles	sont	font	boivent

Most verbs in this group fall under one of these eight categories that can help you recognize them:

1. The verb “prendre” and its derivations

The verb “prendre” and its derivations are conjugated with the same pattern. Notice the removal of the “d” in all three plural forms and the extra “n” in the third-person plural forms “ils” and “elles.”

	prendre (to take)	apprendre (to learn)	comprendre (to understand)
je/j’	prends	apprends	comprends
tu	prends	apprends	comprends
il/elle/on	prend	apprend	comprend
nous	prenons	apprenons	comprenons
vous	prenez	apprenez	comprenez
ils/elles	prennent	apprennent	comprennent

Other examples include: “entreprendre” (to undertake), “surprendre” (to surprise), “reprendre” (to retake), and “méprendre” (to mistake).

2. The verbs “mettre,” “battre,” and their derivations

The verbs “mettre,” “battre,” and their derivations are conjugated with the same pattern. Notice the dropping of the second “t” in all three singular forms.

	mettre (to put)	battre (to beat)	promettre (to promise)	débattre (to debate)
je	mets	bats	promets	débats
tu	mets	bats	promets	débats
il/elle/on	met	bat	promet	débat
nous	mettons	battons	promettons	débattons
vous	mettez	battez	promettez	débattez
ils/elles	mettent	battent	promettent	débattent

Other examples include: “admettre” (to admit), “commettre” (to commit), “compromettre” (to compromise), “permettre” (to permit), “soumettre” (to submit), “transmettre” (to transmit), “abattre” (to knock down), and “combattre” (to combat).

3. The verb “rompre” and its derivations

The verb “rompre” and its derivations are conjugated with the same pattern. Notice that we conjugate these verbs just like regular “-re” verbs, except in the third-person singular form which takes the suffix “t.”

	rompre (to break)	corrompre (to corrupt)	interrompre (to interrupt)
je/j’	romps	corromps	interromps
tu	romps	corromps	interromps
il/elle/on	rompt	corrompt	interrompt
nous	rompons	corrompons	interrompons
vous	rompez	corrompez	interrompez
ils/elles	rompent	corrompent	interrompent

4. Verbs ending in “-aindre,” “-eindre,” and “-oindre”

Verbs in this category drop the “d” in their root in all forms, and add a “g” before the “n” in the three plural forms.

	craindre (to fear)	peindre (to paint)	joindre (to join)
je	crains	peins	joins
tu	crains	peins	joins
il/elle/on	craint	peint	joint
nous	craignons	peignons	joignons
vous	craignez	peignez	joignez
ils/elles	craignent	peignent	joignent

Other examples include: “adjoindre” (to appoint), “astreindre” (to compel or force), “atteindre” (to attain or reach), “ceindre” (to put on), “contraindre” (to force), “dépeindre” (to depict), “disjoindre” (to disconnect), “empreindre” (to imprint), “éteindre” (to extinguish), “feindre” (to feign), “geindre” (to groan or whine), “plaindre” (to pity), “rejoindre” (to rejoin), “restreindre” (to restrict), and “teindre” (to dye).

5. Verbs ending in “-uire,” “-dire,” “-fire,” and “-lire”

Verbs in this category are conjugated with the same pattern. Notice that these verbs add an “s” to the end of the stem in the three plural forms. One exception is the second-person plural of the verb “dire” (and its derivations), which is conjugated as “vous dites.”

	cuire (to cook)	dire (to beat)	confire (to preserve)	lire (to debate)
je	cuis	dis	confis	lis
tu	cuis	dis	confis	lis
il/elle/on	cuit	dit	confit	lit
nous	cuisons	disons	confisons	lisons
vous	cuisez	dites	confisez	lisez
ils/elles	cuisent	disent	confisent	lisent

Other examples include: “conduire” (to drive), “construire” (to build), “contredire” (to contradict), “déduire” (to deduce or deduct), “détruire” (to destroy), “élire” (to elect), “induire” (to mislead), “instruire” (to instruct), “interdire” (to forbid), “induire” (to mislead), “introduire” (to insert or introduce), “luire” (to shine), “médire” (to malign), “nuire” (to harm), “prédire” (to predict), “produire” (to produce), “reconduire” (to renew), “reconstuire” (to rebuild), “réduire” (to reduce), “séduire” (to seduce), “suffire” (to suffer), and “traduire” (to translate).

6. Verbs ending in “-crire”

Verbs in this category are conjugated with the same pattern. Notice that these verbs add a “v” to the end of the stem in the three plural forms.

	écrire (to write)	décrire (to describe)	souscrire (to subscribe)
je/j’	écris	décris	souscris
tu	écris	décris	souscris
il/elle/on	écrit	décrit	souscrit
nous	écrivons	décrivons	souscrivons
vous	écrivez	décrivez	souscrivez
ils/elles	écrivent	décrivent	souscrivent

Other examples include: “inscrire” (to inscribe or write down), “prescrire” (to prescribe), “proscrire” (to prohibit or ban), “récrire” (to rewrite), “transcrire” (to transcribe), and “circonscrire” (to contain or confine).

7. Verbs ending in “-aître”

Verbs in this category, except “naître,” follow the same conjugation pattern. Notice the circumflex in the third-person singular form.

	apparaître (to appear)	connaître (to know)	paraître (to seem)
je/j’	apparais	connais	parais
tu	apparais	connais	parais
il/elle/on	apparaît	connaît	paraît
nous	apparaissons	connaissons	paraissons
vous	apparaissez	connaissez	paraissez
ils/elles	apparaissent	connaissent	paraissent

Other examples include: “comparaître” (to appear in court), “disparaître” (to disappear), “méconnaître” (to be unaware of), “reconnaître” (to recognize), “reapparaître” (to reappear), and “transparaître” (to show through).

8. Other irregular “-re” verbs

Finally, there remain a few verbs that do not belong to any of the previous categories like the verbs “être” (to be), “faire” (to do or make), and “boire” (to drink), which we discussed at the beginning of this section. Here are a few other examples:

	je/j’	tu	il/elle	nous	vous	ils/elles
clore to close	clos	clos	clôt	–	–	closent
conclure to conclude	conclus	conclus	conclut	concluons	concluez	concluent
coudre to sew	couds	couds	coud	cousons	cousez	cousent
croire to believe	crois	crois	croit	croyons	croyez	croient
dissoudre to dissolve	dissous	dissous	dissout	dissolvons	dissolvez	dissolvent
distraire to distract	distrais	distrais	distrait	distrayons	distrayez	distraient
exclure to exclude	exclus	exclus	exclut	excluons	excluez	excluent
inclure to include	inclus	inclus	inclut	incluons	incluez	incluent
moudre to grind	mouds	mouds	moud	moulons	moulez	moulent
plaire to please	plais	plais	plait	plaisons	plaisez	plaisent
résoudre to resolve	résous	résous	résout	résolvons	résolvez	résolvent
rire to laugh	ris	ris	rit	rions	riez	rient
sourire to smile	souris	souris	sourit	sourions	souriez	sourient
suivre to follow	suis	suis	suit	suivons	suivez	suivent
vivre to live	vis	vis	vit	vivons	vivez	vivent

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