Comparative Grammar 2.2. Irregular Verbs in Present Indicative Tense in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French

In this comparative grammar lesson of Romance languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and French, we study irregular verbs in the present indicative tense in each language.

Table of Contents

• Irregular Verbs in Spanish
  • #1: Irregular Verbs in “Yo” Form
  • #2: Irregular Verbs with Stem Change
  • #3: Irregular Verbs in “Yo” Form + Stem Change
  • #4: Completely Irregular Verbs
  • #5: Irregular Verbs with Orthographic Changes
• Irregular Verbs in Portuguese
  • #1: “-ar” Verbs
  • #2: “-er” Verbs
    • “-er” Verbs with Minor Spelling Changes
  • #3: “-ir” Verbs
    • “-ir” Verbs with Minor Spelling Changes
• Irregular Verbs in Italian
  • #1: Completely Irregular Verbs
  • #2: Add “g” to the stem in “io” and “loro” forms
  • #3: Other Minor Stem Changes
  • #4: Orthographic Changes
  • #5: Contracted Infinitive Verbs with “-rre” Endings
    • Examples of “-rre” Verbs
• Irregular Verbs in French
  • #1: “-er” Verbs
    • “-er” Verbs with Minor Spelling Changes
  • #2: “-ir” Verbs
  • #3: “-re” Verbs
• Level II – Beginner

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. Use your Anki cards to practice more examples until you master this lesson.

Irregular Verbs in Spanish

Let us start with the easier irregularities then examine other categories.

#1: Irregular Verbs in “Yo” Form

In the first group, the following four sets of irregular verbs are only irregular in the first-person singular form, that is, with the subject “yo.”

1. The verbs “estar” (to be) and “dar” (to give) are conjugated with “-oy” ending in the first-person “yo” form as “estoy” and “doy,” respectively. For example, “Yo estoy aquí” (I am here), “Yo le doy dinero a mi hermano” (I give money to my brother).
2. The verbs “hacer” (to do), “poner” (to put), “valer” (to be worth), “salir” (to go out or to exit), “traer” (to bring), and “caer” (to drop) are conjugated with “-go” ending in the first-person “yo” as “hago,” “pongo,” “valgo,” “salgo,” “traigo,” and “caigo,” respectively. For example, “Yo salgo con mis amigos” (I go out with my friends).
3. The verbs ending in a vowel followed by “-cer” or “-cir” are conjugated with “-zco” in the first-person “yo.” Examples are “conocer” (to know), “ofrecer” (to offer), “conducir” (to drive), and “traducir” (to translate).
4. The verbs “saber” (to know), “caber” (to fit), and “ver” (to see) do not follow any rules and are conjugated in first-person “yo” form as “sé,” “quepo,” and “veo,” respectively.

Remember that these three sets of irregular verbs are only irregular in their first-person “yo” form. In other forms, they are regular.

	estar	dar	hacer	salir	conocer	saber
yo	estoy	doy	hago	salgo	conozco	sé
tú	estás	das	haces	sales	conoces	sabes
él/ella/usted	está	da	hace	sale	conoce	sabe
nosotros/-as	estamos	damos	hacemos	salimos	conocemos	sabemos
vosotros/-as	estáis	dais	hacéis	salís	conocéis	sabéis
ellos/-as/ustedes	están	dan	hacen	salen	conocen	saben

Added to these four sets are three more sets of verbs that are regular in essence but change spelling when conjugated in first-person “yo” form. These are the verbs ending in “-guir,” “-ger,” “-gir,” and “-quir.”

1. Verbs ending in “-guir” in first-person “yo” form end in “-go,” e.g., “extinguir” (to extinguish) becomes “yo extingo.”
2. Verbs ending in “-ger” and “-gir” in first-person “yo” form end in “-jo.” For example, “escoger” (to choose) becomes “yo escojo,” and “exigir” (to demand) becomes “yo exijo.”
3. Verbs ending in “-quir” in first-person “yo” form end in “-co.” For example, “delinquir” (to commit an offense or a crime) becomes “yo delinco.”

	-guir ending extinguir	-ger ending proteger	-gir ending exigir
yo	extingo	protejo	exijo
tú	extingues	proteges	exiges
él/ella/usted	extingue	protege	exige
nosotros/-as	extinguimos	protegemos	exigimos
vosotros/-as	extinguís	protegéis	exigís
ellos/ellas/ustedes	extinguen	protegen	exigen

The justification for such a spelling change is to maintain the pronunciation rules. For instance, the letter “g” sounds like the “g” in “get,” except when followed by “e” or “i,” in which case it is pronounced like the “h” in “hero.” Similarly, the letter “c” sounds like “c” in “car,” except when followed by “e” or “i,” in which case it is pronounced like the “c” in “city.”

#2: Irregular Verbs with Stem Change

The second group of irregular verbs includes verbs with stem changes. In these verbs, the irregular conjugation applies to all forms except with the subject pronouns “nosotros/-as” and “vosotros/-as.” The verbs in this group are divided into five categories:

1. Verbs that change stem from “e” to “i.” For example, “corregir” (to correct), “elegir” (to choose or to elect), “medir” (to measure), “pedir” (to ask for or to request), “reír”(to laugh), “repetir” (to repeat), “seguir” (to follow), “servir” (to serve).
2. Verbs that change stem from “e” to “ie.” For example, “advertir” (to warn), “atender” (to attend to), “atravesar” (to cross), “calentar” (to heat), “cerrar” (to close), “comenzar” (to commenceor to start), “confesar” (to confess), “convertir” (to convert), “defender” (to defend), “divertir” (to amuse), “empezar” (to begin), “encender” (to light), “entender” (to understand), “enterrar” (to bury), “fregar” (to scrub), “herir” (to injure), “hervir” (to boil), “mentir” (to lie), “negar” (to deny), “pensar” (to think), “perder” (to lose), “preferir” (to prefer), “querer” (to want), “regar” (to water), “sugerir” (to suggest), “temblar” (to tremble), “tropezar” (to trip or to stumble), “verter” (to pour).
3. Verbs that change stem from “o” to “ue.” For example, “acordar” (to agree), “almorzar” (to have lunch), “aprobar” (to approve), “contar” (to count), “costar”(to cost), “dormir” (to sleep), “encontrar”(to find), “forzar” (to force), “morder” (to bite), “mostrar” (to show), “poder” (to be able to), “probar” (to test or to taste), “volar” (to fly), “volver” (to return). Verbs that change stem from “u” to “ue” include only one verb, which happens to be commonly used, that is, “jugar” (to play).
4. Verbs that change stem from “i” to “ie” include only two verbs “adquirir” (to acquire) and “inquirir” (to inquire).

The table below summarizes the stem change rules with examples.

	pedir e ==> i	pensar e==>ie	dormir o==>ue	jugar u==>ue	adquirir i==>ie
yo	pido	pienso	duermo	juego	adquiero
tú	pides	piensas	duermes	juegas	adquieres
él/ella/usted	pide	piensa	duerme	juega	adquiere
nosotros/-as	pedimos	pensamos	dormimos	jugamos	adquirimos
vosotros/-as	pedís	pensáis	dormís	jugáis	adquirís
ellos/ellas/ustedes	piden	piensan	duermen	juegan	adquieren

Notice again how the conjugation remains regular with the subject pronouns “nosotros/-as” and “vosotros/-as.”

The first three groups are the most encountered, whereas the last two groups contain only three verbs, which can be memorized easily.

The rules about verbs ending in “-guir,” “-ger,” and “-gir” should be respected in the first-person “yo” form if a verb happens to belong to one of the abovementioned categories. For example, the verb “seguir” changes stem from “e” to “i.” In the first-person “yo” form, in addition to the stem change, the “gu” is replaced with “g,” while the other forms only change the stem. Similarly, the verb “elegir” changes stem from “e” to “i.” In the first-person “yo” form, in addition to stem change, we replce the “g” with “j,” while the other forms only change the stem.

	“-guir” ending e.g., seguir	“-gir” ending e.g., elegir
yo	sigo	elijo
tú	sigues	eliges
él/ella/usted	sigue	elige
nosotros/-as	seguimos	elegimos
vosotros/-as	seguís	elegís
ellos/ellas/ustedes	siguen	eligen

#3: Irregular Verbs in “Yo” Form + Stem Change

The third group of verbs includes the verbs that are irregular in the first-person “yo” form with a “-go” ending and have a stem change in all other forms except the “nosotros/-as” and “vosotros/-as” forms. This group includes the commonly used verbs “decir” (to say), “venir” (to come), and “tener” (to have).

	decir	venir	tener
yo	digo	vengo	tengo
tú	dices	vienes	tienes
él/ella/usted	dice	viene	tiene
nosotros/-as	decimos	venimos	tenemos
vosotros/-as	decís	venís	tenéis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	dicen	vienen	tienen

#4: Completely Irregular Verbs

The fourth group of verbs includes completely irregular verbs. Verbs in this group include “ser” (to be), “ir” (to go), “oler” (to smell), and oír (to hear). Note that “ser” and “estar” both mean “to be.” We cover the differences between the two in Lesson 9 of this level.

	ser	ir	oler	oír
yo	soy	voy	huelo	oigo
tú	eres	vas	hueles	oyes
él/ella/usted	es	va	huele	oye
nosotros/-as	somos	vamos	olemos	oímos
vosotros/-as	sois	vais	oléis	oís
ellos/ellas/ustedes	son	van	huelen	oyen

#5: Irregular Verbs with Orthographic Changes

The fifth group includes verbs that undergo some other orthographic changes when conjugated. We have already encountered the verbs with “-guir,” “-ger,” and “-gir” endings, which undergo some orthographic change when conjugated in the first-person “yo” form. We have also encountered verbs that end in a vowel followed by “-cer” or “-cir,” whose conjugation in the first-person “yo” form ends in “-zco.” Here we discuss two more orthographic changes:

1. Verbs ending in “-uir” (excluding “-guir”) add “y” between the stem and the conjugation suffix in all forms except with “nosotros/-as” and “vosotros/-as.” For example, “atribuir” (to attribute), “construir” (to construct), “contribuir” (to contribute), “disminuir”(to diminish or to decrease), “distribuir” (to distribute), “huir” (to escapeor to run away), “incluir” (to include), “sustituir” (to substitute).

	construir	incluir	huir
yo	construyo	incluyo	huyo
tú	construyes	incluyes	huyes
él/ella/usted	construye	incluye	huye
nosotros/-as	construimos	incluimos	huimos
vosotros/-as	construís	incluís	huís
ellos/ellas/ustedes	construyen	incluyen	huyen

2. Some verbs ending in “-iar” or “-uar” add an accent to the “i” or “u” before the conjugation suffix in all forms except with “nosotros/-as” and “vosotros/-as.” For example, “enviar” (to send), “fiar”(to trustor to believe in), “liar”(to bundle or to bind), “variar”(to vary), “actuar”(to act), “continuar”(to continue), “habituar”(to get used to), “situar” (to position or to situate), etc.

	enviar	actuar	continuar
yo	envío	actúo	continúo
tú	envías	actúas	continúas
él/ella/usted	envía	actúa	continúa
nosotros/-as	enviamos	actuamos	continuamos
vosotros/-as	enviáis	actuáis	continuáis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	envían	actúan	continúan

Irregular Verbs in Portuguese

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

#1: “-ar” Verbs

The verbs “estar” (to be) and “dar” (to give) are the most common irregular “-ar” verbs that do not follow a particular pattern of conjugation. They are important verbs that should be practiced and memorized.

	estar (to be)	dar (to give)
eu	estou	dou
ele/ela/você	está	dá
nós	estamos	damos
eles/elas/vocês	estão	dão

In addition to the above two verbs, the following “-ar” verbs ending in “-iar” change the “i” to “ei” in all forms except “nós”:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
odiar to hate	odeio	odeia	odiamos	odeiam
ansiar to long for	anseio	anseia	ansiamos	anseiam
incendiar to set alight	incendeio	incendeia	incendiamos	incendeiam
mediar to mediate	medeio	medeia	mediamos	medeiam
remediar to remedy	remedeio	remedeia	remediamos	remedeiam

#2: “-er” Verbs

The most common irregular “-er” verbs are:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
ser to be	sou	é	somos	são
ter to have	tenho	tem	temos	têm
ver to see	vejo	vê	vemos	vêem
poder can	posso	pode	podemos	podem
dizer to say	digo	diz	dizemos	dizem
trazer to bring	trago	traz	trazemos	trazem
fazer to do or make	faço	faz	fazemos	fazem
caber to fit	caibo	cabe	cabemos	cabem
saber to know	sei	sabe	sabemos	sabem
querer to want	quero	quer	queremos	querem
haver to have	hei	há	hemos	hão
ler to read	leio	lê	lemos	leem
crer to believe	creio	crê	cremos	crêem
perder to lose	perco	perde	perdemos	perdem
valer to be worth	valho	vale	valemos	valem

“-er” Verbs with Minor Spelling Changes

In addition to the above verbs, there are some “-er” verbs that undergo minor spelling changes, such as:

a) Verbs that change “c” to “ç”

If the stem ends in “c,” the final stem “c” is changed into “ç” in the first-person singular to maintain the soft sound of the letter “c.” For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
vencer to win	venço	vence	vencemos	vencem
parecer to seem	pareço	parece	parecemos	parecem

b) Verbs that change “g” to “j”

If the stem ends in “g,” the final stem “g” is changed into “j” in the first-person singular to maintain the proper pronunciation sound. For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
eleger to elect	elejo	elege	elegemos	elegem
proteger to protect	protejo	protege	protegemos	protegem

c) Verbs that change “gu” to “g”

If the stem ends in “gu,” the final stem “gu” is changed into “g” in the first-person singular to maintain the hard sound of the letter “g.”  For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
erguer to raise	ergo	ergue	erguemos	erguem

#3: “-ir” Verbs

The most common irregular “-ir” verbs are:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
ir to go	vou	vai	vamos	vão
vir to come	venho	vem	vimos	vêm
rir to laugh	rio	ri	rimos	riem
sorrir to smile	sorrio	sorri	sorrimos	sorriem
sair to leave	saio	sai	saímos	saem
cair to fall	caio	cai	caímos	caem
ouvir to hear	ouço	ouve	ouvimos	ouvem

“-ir” Verbs with Minor Spelling Changes

In addition to the above verbs, there are a few verbs that undergo minor spelling and stem changes. Most of these verbs follow some pattern and fall under one of these five categories:

1. Verbs that undergo stem changes

a) Verbs that change “e” to “i”

Many “-ir” verbs change the stem vowel from “e” to “i” in the first-person singular. For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
mentir to lie	minto	mente	mentimos	mentem
repetir to repeat	repito	repete	repetimos	repetem
servir to serve	sirvo	serve	servimos	servem

Other examples include: “aderir” (to adhere), “advertir” (to warn), “convergir” (to converge), “diferir” (to differ), “digerir” (to digest), “divergir” (to diverge), “divertir” (to amuse), “ferir” (to injure), “preferir” (to prefer), “refletir” (to reflect), “referir” (to refer), “repelir” (to repel), “seguir” (to follow), “sentir” (to feel), “sugerir” (to suggest), and “vestir” (to dress).

In addition to the above verbs, there are a few verbs that change the stem vowel from “e” to “i” in all conjugation forms except the “nós” form. For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
prevenir to prevent	previno	previne	prevenimos	previnem
agredir to attack	agrido	agride	agredimos	agridem
progredir to progress	progrido	progride	progredimos	progridem
regredir to regress	regrido	regride	regredimos	regridem

b) Verbs that change “o” to “u”

Many “-ir” verbs change the stem vowel from “o” to “u” in the first-person singular. For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
dormir to sleep	durmo	dorme	dormimos	dormem
cobrir to cover	cubro	cobre	cobrimos	cobrem
descobrir to discover	descubro	descobre	descobrimos	descobrem
encobrir to cover up	encubro	encobre	encobrimos	encobrem
tossir to cough	tusso	tosse	tossimos	tossem

Exceptionally, the verb “polir” (to polish) changes the stem vowel from “o” to “u” in all conjugation forms except the “nós” form:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
polir to polish	pulo	pule	polimos	pulem

c) Verbs that change “u” to “o”

Some “-ir” verbs change the stem vowel from “u” to “o” in the third-person singular and plural forms. For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
subir to go up	subo	sobe	subimos	sobem
fugir to escape	fujo	foge	fugimos	fogem
cuspir to spit	cuspo	cospe	cuspimos	cospem
sacudir to shake	sacudo	sacode	sacudimos	sacodem

2. Verbs that undergo minor spelling changes

Similar to the orthographic changes we encountered in some “-er” verbs, if the stem of an “-ir” verb ends in “c,” “g,” or “gu,” the final stem letter is changed into “ç,” “j,” or “g,” respectively, in the first-person singular to maintain the proper sound. For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
ressarcir to compensate	ressarço	ressarce	ressarcimos	ressarcem
dirigir to drive	dirijo	dirige	dirigimos	dirigem
seguir to follow	sigo	segue	seguimos	seguem

3. Verbs ending in “-dir”

There are a few verbs ending in “-dir” that change the “d” into “ç” in the first-person singular only. For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
pedir to ask for	peço	pede	pedimos	pedem
medir to measure	meço	mede	medimos	medem
despedir to dismiss	despeço	despede	despedimos	despedem

4. Verbs ending in “-zir”

Verbs that end in “-zir” normally have no ending in the third-person singular form. For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
conduzir to drive	conduzo	conduz	conduzimos	conduzem
deduzir to deduce	deduzo	deduz	deduzimos	denduzem
introduzir to introduce	introduzo	introduz	introduzimos	introduzem
produzir to produce	produzo	produz	produzimos	produzem
traduzir to translate	traduzo	traduz	traduzimos	traduzem

5. Verbs ending in “-uir”

a) Verbs like “seguir”

Many verbs like “seguir” change the “egu” to “ig” in the first-person singular only. For example:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
seguir to follow	sigo	segue	seguimos	seguem
conseguir to get	consigo	consegue	conseguimos	conseguem
perseguir to chase	persigo	persegue	perseguimos	perseguem

b) Verbs that end in “-buir”

Verbs that end in “-buir” are normally irregular in the third-person singular and the first-person plural, and have the following pattern:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
distribuir to distribute	distribuo	distribui	distribuímos	distribuem
contribuir to contribute	contribuo	contribui	contribuímos	contribuem
atribuir to attribute	atribuo	atribui	atribuímos	atribuem

c) Verbs that end in “-truir”

Some verbs that end in “-truir” are irregular in all forms except the first-person singular, and have the following pattern:

	eu	ele/ela/você	nós	eles/elas/vocês
construir to construct	construo	constrói	construímos	constroem
destruir to destroy	destruo	destrói	destruímos	destroem

Irregular Verbs in Italian

We examine five groups of irregular verbs in the present indicative tense.

#1: Completely Irregular Verbs

The first group contains 14 verbs that are common, yet completely irregular. They do not follow a particular pattern of conjugation.

	io	tu	lui/lei	noi	voi	loro
andare (to go)	vado	vai	va	andiamo	andate	vanno
avere (to have)	ho	hai	ha	abbiamo	avete	hanno
bere (to drink)	bevo	bevi	beve	beviamo	bevete	bevono
essere (to be)	sono	sei	è	siamo	siete	sono
dare (to give)	do	dai	dà	diamo	date	danno
dire (to say/tell)	dico	dici	dice	diciamo	dite	dicono
dovere (must)	devo/ debbo	devi	deve	dobbiamo	dovete	devono/ debbono
fare (to do/make)	faccio	fai	fa	facciamo	fate	fanno
potere (can)	posso	puoi	può	possiamo	potete	possono
sapere (to know)	so	sai	sa	sappiamo	sapete	sanno
stare (to stay)	sto	stai	sta	stiamo	state	stanno
scegliere (to choose)	scelgo	scegli	sceglie	scegliamo	scegliete	scelgono
uscire (to go out)	esco	esci	esce	usciamo	uscite	escono
volere (to want)	voglio	vuoi	vuole	vogliamo	volete	vogliono

Notice that the verb “stare” can also mean “to be” in some contexts, e.g., “Come stai?” (How are you?), “Sto bene” (I am well), etc.

In addition to these 14 verbs, any verb that is derived from or written similar to these verbs uses the same conjugation patterns. For example, the verb “rifare” (to redo or remake) is conjugated like the verb “fare,” and the verb “riuscire” (to succeed) is conjugated like the verb “uscire.”

#2: Add “g” to the stem in “io” and “loro” forms

The second group adds a “g” to the stem of the verb in the “io” and “loro” forms. There are four common verbs in this group:

	salire (to go up)	rimanere (to remain)	venire (to come)	tenere (to hold)
io	salgo	rimango	vengo	tengo
tu	sali	rimani	vieni	tieni
lui/lei	sale	rimane	viene	tiene
noi	saliamo	rimaniamo	veniamo	teniamo
voi	salite	rimanete	venite	tenite
loro	salgono	rimangono	vengono	tengono

Notice that the verbs “venire” and “tenere” also change the stem in the “tu” and “lui/lei” forms from “ven-” and “ten-” to “vien-” and “tien-,” respectively.

Verbs that derive from the four verbs in this group are conjugated similarly. For example, the verbs “contenere” (to contain) and “intervenire” (to intervene) follow the same conjugation patterns of the verbs “tenere” and “venire,” respectively.

#3: Other Minor Stem Changes

The third group includes verbs with relatively minor stem changes. For example, the verb “apparire” (to appear) changes the stem from “appar-” to “appai-” when conjugated in the “io” and “loro” forms, whereas the verb “udire” (to hear) changes the stem from “ud-” to “od-” in all forms except “noi” and “voi.” In general, the “noi” and “voi” forms remain unchanged in this group of verbs. Here are four common verbs in this group:

	apparire (to appear)	morire (to die)	sedere (to sit)	udire (to hear)
io	appaio	muoio	siedo[1]	odo
tu	appari	muori	siedi	odi
lui/lei	appare	muore	siede	ode
noi	appariamo	moriamo	sediamo	udiamo
voi	apparite	morite	sedete	udite
loro	appaiono	muoiono	siedono[2]	odono

In addition to these four verbs, similar verbs follow the same conjugation patterns. For example, the verbs “comparire” (to appear or become visible), “riapparire” (to reappear), “scomparire” (to disappear), “sparire” (to disappear or vanish), and “trasparire” (to transpire) follow the same conjugation patterns of the verb “apparirie,” and the verb “possedere” (to possess) follows the same conjugation patterns of the verb “sedere.”

#4: Orthographic Changes

The fourth group includes verbs that are regular in essence but change spelling to maintain proper pronunciation. These are the verbs ending in “-care,” “-gare,” “-ciare,” “-giare,” and “-gliare.”

1. Verbs ending in “-care” and “-gare” add an “h” to the stem in the “tu” and “noi” forms before the “-i” and “-iamo” endings, respectively. For example, “cercare” (to search), “pagare” (to pay), “giocare” (to play), “praticare” (to practice), “negare” (to deny or refuse), “caricare” (to load), “pregare” (to pray or beg), “sporcare” (to make dirty), and “litigare” (to argue).
2. Verbs in “-ciare,” “-giare,” and “-gliare”  drop the “i” from the stem in the “tu” and “noi” forms before the “-i” and “-iamo” endings, respectively, to avoid the double “i.” For example, “cominciare” (to start or begin), “mangiare” (to eat), “baciare” (to kiss), “lasciare” (to leave), “strisciare” (to crawl), “arrangiare” (to arrange), “viaggiare” (to travel), “tagliare” (to cut), and “sbagliare” (to make a mistake).
3. Most other verbs that end in “-iare,” that is, excluding “-ciare,” “-giare,” and “-gliare,” follow the same pattern and drop the “i” from the stem in the “tu” and “noi” forms before the “-i” and “-iamo” endings, respectively, to avoid the double “i.” For example, “abbreviare” (to abbreviate), “cambiare” (to change), “copiare” (to copy), “iniziare” (to begin), “studiare” (to study), and “variare” (to vary).

However, the exception to the rule is that some verbs drop the “i” from the stem only in the “noi” form and maintain the double “i” in the “tu” form. For example, “avviare” (to start), “fuorviare” (to mislead), “inviare” (to send), “obliare” (to forget), “rinviare” (to postpone), “sciare” (to ski), and “spiare” (to spy).

Finally, keep in mind that verbs ending in “-cere” and “-gere” do not undergo any spelling change, but instead change the pronunciation to the hard sounds “k” (as in “kit”) and “g” (as in “get”) in the “io” and “loro” forms before the “-o” and “-ono” endings, respectively. For example, “conoscere” (to know), “piangere” (to cry), and “vincere” (to win).

Here is a summary in the context of some examples:

	io	tu	lui/lei	noi	voi	loro
cercare	cerco	cerchi	cerca	cerchiamo	cercate	cercano
pagare	pago	paghi	paga	paghiamo	pagate	pagano
baciare	bacio	baci	bacia	baciamo	baciate	baciano
mangiare	mangio	mangi	mangia	mangiamo	mangiate	mangiano
tagliare	taglio	tagli	taglia	tagliamo	tagliate	tagliano
studiare	studio	studi	studia	studiamo	studiate	studiano
inviare	invio	invii	invia	inviamo	inviate	inviano
vincere	vinco	vinci	vince	vinciamo	vincete	vincono
piangere	piango	piangi	piange	piangiamo	piangete	piangono

#5: Contracted Infinitive Verbs with “-rre” Endings

Finally, the fifth group includes some special, but not so common, verbs that end in “-arre,” “-orre,” and “-urre.” These verbs did not initially appear under the three main verb types in Italian with “-are,” “-ere,” and “-ire” endings. These verbs belong to a group of verbs called contracted infinitive verbs. In these verbs, the stem of the infinitive is shorter than that of the conjugated verb.

For instance, the verb “tradurre” (to translate) is conjugated in the “io” form as “traduco.” Notice that the stem of the infinitive is “trad-,” whereas the stem of the conjugated verb is “traduc-.” The reason for that often goes back to the Latin origin of the verb, which is “traducere.” This explains the irregular conjugation of many Italian verbs, some of which even belong to the three main verb types, for example, “dire” (to say, Latin: “dicere”), “fare” (to do or make, Latin: “facere”), and “porre” (to put, Latin: “ponere”). In general, we treat verbs in this group as “-ere” verbs because they lost an internal “-e-” when derived from their Latin origin.

Examples of “-rre” Verbs

Let us examine some conjugation examples of contracted infinitive verbs that end with “-arre,” “-orre,” and “-urre.”

	-arre ending trarre (to pull)	-orre ending porre (to put)	-urre ending tradurre (to translate)
io	traggo	pongo	traduco
tu	trai	poni	traduci
lui/lei	trae	pone	traduce
noi	traiamo	poniamo	traduciamo
voi	traete	ponete	traducete
loro	traggono	pongono	traducono

Other examples include:

-arre ending	-orre ending	-urre ending
“contrarre” (to contract)	“comporre” (to compose)	“condurre” (to lead or conduct)
“distrarre” (to distract)	“esporre” (to exhibit)	“dedurre” (to deduce)
“sottrarre” (to subtract)	“imporre” (to impose)	“produrre” (to produce)

Irregular Verbs in French

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 the verb “aller” is used instead of the verb “être” (to be) in some contexts. For example, “Comment allez-vous?” (How are you?), “Je vais bien” (I am well), etc.

“-er” Verbs with Minor Spelling Changes

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 remain 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 remain 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 conjugation 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 follow the same conjugation 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 follow the same conjugation 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 follow the same conjugation 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 follow the same conjugation pattern. Notice that these verbs are conjugated 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 follow the same conjugation 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), i.e., “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 follow with the same conjugation 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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