In short

French verbs fall into three infinitive groups: -er (Lesson 6), -ir, and -re. Regular -ir and -re verbs follow fixed endings on a predictable stem, but many everyday verbs (aller, faire, venir, prendre, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir) are irregular and must be memorized.

The rule

To conjugate a regular verb, drop the infinitive ending to get the stem, then add the endings for its group. The tricky part is that the most common verbs are irregular, so learn those by heart.

Regular -ir verbs (finir)

These are the “big” second-group verbs. Drop -ir and add the endings -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. The plural forms insert a distinctive -iss-.

• Je finis mon travail. (I finish my work.)
• Nous finissons à midi. (We finish at noon.)
• Other verbs like this: choisir (to choose), réussir (to succeed), grandir (to grow), réfléchir (to think), obéir (to obey).

Careful: not every verb ending in -ir belongs here. Venir, partir, dormir are irregular and do not take -iss-. Partir, dormir, sortir, servir, sentir instead drop the last consonant of the stem in the singular and add -s, -s, -t, then restore it in the plural: je dors, tu dors, il dort / nous dormons, vous dormez, ils dorment (partir is in the table below).

Regular -re verbs (vendre)

Drop -re and add -s, -s, -(nothing), -ons, -ez, -ent. The il/elle form has no ending at all - the stem ends in a consonant.

• Je vends ma voiture. (I sell my car.)
• Elle attend le bus. (She waits for the bus.)
• Other verbs like this: attendre (to wait), entendre (to hear), répondre (to answer), perdre (to lose), descendre (to go down).

High-frequency irregulars

These seven verbs appear constantly and each has its own pattern. Notice how the stem often changes between singular and plural:

• aller (to go) - completely irregular: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont.
• faire (to do/make) - watch nous faisons (spelled with -ai- but pronounced “fesons”) and vous faites, ils font.
• venir (to come) - stem changes: je viens … nous venons … ils viennent. Like it: tenir, revenir, devenir.
• prendre (to take) - drops the -d- in the plural: nous prenons, ils prennent. Like it: apprendre, comprendre.
• pouvoir (can/be able to), vouloir (to want), devoir (must/have to) - these are modal verbs, usually followed by an infinitive: Je peux partir. Tu veux venir? Nous devons travailler.

Forms & patterns

Regular groups:

Irregular verbs of motion & action:

Modal verbs:

Note that pouvoir and vouloir share the endings -x, -x, -t in the singular.

Examples

Common mistakes

• nous finons -> nous finissons - regular -ir verbs add -iss- in the plural, but partir-type verbs never do: nous partissons -> nous partons.
• je vende -> je vends - -re verbs take -s in je/tu, never -e.
• il vendt -> il vend - the il/elle form of -re verbs has no ending after the stem.
• nous allez / vous allons -> nous allons / vous allez - do not swap the nous and vous forms of aller.
• je prend -> je prends - prendre keeps the -s in je/tu; only il/elle is prend.
• je veut / je peut -> je veux / je peux - vouloir and pouvoir end in -x in je and tu.

Tips

• Sort every new verb into its group by the last two letters of the infinitive: -er, -ir, or -re.
• The -iss- test tells the two -ir families apart: finir has it (finissons), venir, partir and dormir do not (venons, partons, dormons).
• For -re verbs, remember the silent il/elle form: il attend, elle répond - stem only, no added letter.
• Aller looks like an -er verb but is fully irregular - and it powers the near future (Lesson 16): je vais manger.
• Modal verbs pouvoir / vouloir / devoir are nearly always followed by a bare infinitive: Je dois travailler.
• Group verbs that behave alike: venir = tenir, revenir, devenir; prendre = apprendre, comprendre.