French Verbs – Present Tense of Regular -ir Verbs
Regular verbs in French fall into one of three categories, depending on their ending. There are -er verbs, such as jouer (‘to play’), -re verbs, such as attendre (‘to wait’); and -ir verbs such as finir (‘to finish’). The biggest group is the -er verbs, covered in this lesson.
What are the present tense endings for -ir verbs in French?
Verbs ending in -ir are formed by first removing the -ir from the infinitive to create the stem, to which the following endings are added:
| je | -is |
| tu | -is |
| il | -it |
| elle | -it |
| nous | -issons |
| vous | -issez |
| ils | -issent |
| elles | -issent |
Let’s check this out in practice, with the verb finir, ‘to finish,’ where the endings have been highlighted:
| finir | to finish |
|---|---|
| je finis | I finish |
| tu finis | you finish |
| il finit | he finishes |
| elle finit | she finishes |
| nous finissons | we finish |
| vous finissez | you finish |
| ils finissent | they finish |
| elles finissent | they finish |
What are common -ir verbs in French?
Common -ir verbs in French, which work in the same way as above, include:
| accomplir | to accomplish |
| agir | to act |
| avertir | to warn |
| bâtir | to build |
| choisir | to choose |
| établir | to establish |
| finir | to finish |
| obéir | to obey |
| punir | to punish |
| réfléchir | to reflect |
| remplir | to fill |
| réussir | to succeed |
Quick Quiz – Written Recall
Can you fill in the blanks to complete the verbs we learned?
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