Mastering Regular French -IR Verbs in the Present Tense

In this post we’re going to cover regular French -IR verbs, as well as some important irregular French -IR verbs. French verb forms can be daunting, but most of them are regular. The majority of French verbs are regular -ER verbs. These account for about 70-80% of French verbs. There are fewer -IR verbs, about 10-15%, but many common verbs fall into this category. Mastering regular verb conjugation is key to feeling comfortable when you speak French. So it’s important to spend time practicing.

First we’ll start by looking at the conjugation of regular French -IR verbs. Then we’ll see some examples with common -IR verbs. After that we’ll look at verbs that may seem like regular -IR verbs, but are actually irregular. Finally, you’ll have a chance to practice every covered in this post.

Regular French -IR Verb Conjugation

First let’s look at the forms of regular French -IR verbs. To conjugate them in the present tense, follow these simple steps:

1. Start with the infinitive: For example, finir (to finish), choisir (to choose), or grandir (to grow up).
2. Remove the -IR ending: This gives you the stem (fin-, chois-, grand-).
3. Add the appropriate endings based on the subject:

Note about French Pronouns and Verbs in the Present Tense

Now let’s pause to keep in mind just a few notes in mind when using French pronouns and conjugating French verbs:

• First, the pronoun je becomes j’ before a vowel or silent h: j’obéis (I obey), j’habite (I live).
• Second, there are two ways to say you in French. Tu is singular you, used when you’re speaking to one person who you know well, or who is younger than you. Vous has two uses. It is the formal form of you, for when you’re speaking to someone you don’t know well or to whom you want to show respect. Vous is also used to speak to more than one person, in a familiar or formal setting.
• Third, the pronoun on has two meanings. It can mean one in a general sense, meaning any person. But it also means we, and it is commonly used in spoken French to mean we.
• Fourth, there are two ways to say they. Use ils to refer to an all-male group, and elles to refer to an all-female group. Ils can also be used for mixed groups.
• Fifth, if you’d like to use a gender-neutral third person pronoun, use iel for singular they, and iels for plural they. You may also hear el and els.
• Sixth, even though the je, tu, and il/elle/on forms of -ir verbs are spelled differently, they all sound alike. Plural –ir endings all have different pronunciations.

Examples of Regular French -IR Verbs in Context

Next let’s see some examples of verbs used in context. Here are several examples with choisir (to choose), grandir (to grow up), finir (to finish), and réussir (à faire) (to succeed, to manage to do). Remember that you can negate verbs by putting ne… pas (not) or ne… jamais (never) around the verb.

• Je choisis une robe.
  I choose a dress.
• Nous choisissons toujours un bon restaurant.
  We always choose a good restaurant.
• Elle grandit vite.
  She is growing quickly.
• Ils grandissent dans une petite ville.
  They are growing up in a small town.
• Tu finis tes devoirs?
  Are you finishing your homework?
• Vous finissez le projet aujourd’hui.
  You are finishing the project today.
• Il réussit toujours ses examens.
  He always succeeds in his exams.
• Nous réussissons à terminer tous les projets à temps.
  We succeed in finishing/manage to finish all projects on time.

Practice A

Give the full conjugations of each of these verbs. The answers are given below.

1. obéir (to obey)
2. remplir (to fill)
3. réfléchir (to think about, to reflect on)

Irregular French -IR Verbs

Next, let’s talk about some irregular French –ir verbs that are good to know. There are no spelling irregularities that you have to deal with when you use –ir verbs. But there are several common verbs that look like regular –ir verbs but are actually irregular. Take a look at these commonly used verbs:

• venir (to come): je viens, tu viens, il/elle/on vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils/elles viennent
• tenir (to hold): je tiens, tu tiens, il/elle/on tient, nous tenons, vous tenez, ils/elles tiennent
• sortir (to go out): je sors, tu sors, il/elle/on sort, nous sortons, vous sortez, ils/elles sortent
• partir (to leave): je pars, tu pars, il/elle/on part, nous partons, vous partez, ils/elles partent
• dormir (to sleep): je dors, tu dors, il/elle/on dort, nous dormons, vous dormez, ils/elles dorment
• servir (to serve): je sers, tu sers, il/elle/on sert, nous servons, vous servez, ils/elles servent
• sentir (to feel, to smell): je sens, tu sens, il/elle/on sent, nous sentons, vous sentez, ils/elles sentent
• courir (to run): je cours, tu cours, il/elle/on court, nous courons, vous courez, ils/elles courent
• mourir (to die): je meurs, tu meurs, il/elle/on meurt, nous mourons, vous mourez, ils/elles meurent

Even though these verbs are irregular, you can pick out a few reliable patterns:

• The endings are -s, -s, -t, -ons, -ez, -ent. These endings are a bit like -ir endings, minus the -i-, in the singular, and then regular -er endings in the plural.
• Several of these verbs drop the final consonant of the stem in the singular forms, for example the m in dormir or the t in partir: dors/pars, dort/part. But that ending reappears in the plural forms: dormons/partons, dormez/partez, dorment/partent.
• Mourir has the added irregularity of a vowel change, from ou to eu in the singular forms, as well as the ils/elles forms.

Practice B

Now let’s practice those irregular French –ir verbs. Fill in the blanks with the correct verb form, and then translate. The answers are below.

1. Je ___ demain. (partir)
2. Ils ___ avec leurs amis ce soir. (sortir)
3. Tu ___ une odeur étrange dans la cuisine ? (sentir)
4. Nous ___ le dîner à huit heures. (servir)
5. Vous ___ jusqu’à midi le samedi ? (dormir)
6. Elle ___ très vite pour attraper le bus. (courir)
7. Je ___ te voir ce soir. (venir)
8. Vous ___ le verre avec précaution. (tenir)
9. Ils ___ de fatigue après cette longue journée. (mourir)
10. Tu ___ en vacances la semaine prochaine. (partir)
11. Nous ___ souvent dans les cafés du centre-ville. (sortir)
12. Je ___ le parfum des fleurs dans le jardin. (sentir)
13. Ils ___ des boissons fraîches pendant la fête. (servir)
14. Elle ___ profondément après une longue journée. (dormir)
15. Vous ___ chaque matin pour rester en forme. (courir)
16. Ils ___ nous rendre visite demain soir. (venir)
17. Nous ___ toujours nos promesses. (tenir)
18. Tu ___ de rire en entendant cette blague ! (mourir)

Practice C

Finally, let’s review the forms of regular -ir verbs. Complete each sentence by conjugating the verb in parentheses to match the subject. Then, translate, and check your answers in the key below.

1. Je _______ toujours mon assiette. (finir)
2. Tu _______ quel livre? (choisir)
3. Elle _______ bien ses exercices. (remplir)
4. Nous _______ chaque jour. (grandir)
5. Vous _______ un cadeau pour votre ami ? (choisir)
6. Ils _______ rapidement quand il fait chaud. (agir)
7. On _______ notre travail ensemble. (finir)
8. Je _______ mon espace de travail. (remplir)
9. Nous _______ à devenir plus forts. (réussir)
10. Elles _______ des plantes dans le jardin. (nourrir)
11. Tu _______à la question. (réflechir)
12. Vous _______ vos affaires dans ce tiroir ? (remplir)
13. Il _______ à toute vitesse! (réagir)
14. Il _______ beaucoup de temps dans ce projet important. (investir)
15. Nous _______ un plan pour le voyage. (établir)
16. Ils _______ à éviter les conflits. (réussir)
17. Tu _______ pour être à l’heure. (agir)
18. Vous _______ bien le formulaire ? (remplir)
19. Elle _______ toujours à ses amis. (obéir)
20. On _______ le travail avant de partir. (finir)

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Answers

A

1. j’obéis, tu obéis, il/elle/on obéit, nous obéissons, vous obéissez, ils/elles obéissent
2. je remplis, tu remplis, il/elle/on remplit, nous remplissons, vous remplissez, ils/elles remplissent
3. je réfléchis, tu réfléchis, il/elle/on réfléchit, nous réfléchissons, vous réfléchissez, ils/elles réfléchissent

B

1. Je pars demain. (I am leaving tomorrow.)
2. Ils sortent avec leurs amis ce soir. (They are going out with their friends tonight.)
3. Tu sens une odeur étrange dans la cuisine ? (Do you smell a strange odor in the kitchen?)
4. Nous servons le dîner à huit heures. (We serve dinner at eight o’clock.)
5. Vous dormez jusqu’à midi le samedi ? (Do you sleep until noon on Saturdays?)
6. Elle court très vite pour attraper le bus. (She runs very fast to catch the bus.)
7. Je viens te voir ce soir. (I am coming to see you tonight.)
8. Vous tenez le verre avec précaution. (You are holding the glass carefully.)
9. Ils meurent de fatigue après cette longue journée. (They are dying of fatigue after this long day.)
10. Tu pars en vacances la semaine prochaine. (You are leaving on vacation next week.)
11. Nous sortons souvent dans les cafés du centre-ville. (We often go out to the cafés downtown.)
12. Je sens le parfum des fleurs dans le jardin. (I smell the scent of flowers in the garden.)
13. Ils servent des boissons fraîches pendant la fête. (They serve cold drinks during the party.)
14. Elle dort profondément après une longue journée. (She sleeps deeply after a long day.)
15. Vous courez chaque matin pour rester en forme. (You run every morning to stay in shape.)
16. Ils viennent nous rendre visite demain soir. (They are coming to visit us tomorrow evening.)
17. Nous tenons toujours nos promesses. (We always keep our promises.)
18. Tu meurs de rire en entendant cette blague ! (You’re dying of laughter hearing this joke!)

C

1. Je finis toujours mon assiette. I always finish my plate.
2. Tu choisis quel livre? Which book are you choosing?
3. Elle remplit bien ses exercices. She fills out her exercises well.
4. Nous grandissons chaque jour. We grow every day.
5. Vous choisissez un cadeau pour votre ami? Are you choosing a gift for your friend?
6. Ils agissent rapidement quand il fait chaud. They act quickly when it’s hot.
7. On finit notre travail ensemble. We finish our work together.
8. Je remplis mon espace de travail. I fill my workspace.
9. Nous réussissons à devenir plus forts. We succeed in becoming stronger.
10. Elles nourrissent des plantes dans le jardin. They feed plants in the garden.
11. Tu réfléchis à la question. (You think about the question.)
12. Vous remplissez vos affaires dans ce tiroir? Are you filling your things in this drawer?
13. Il réagit à toute vitesse! He reacts at full speed!
14. Il investit beaucoup de temps dans ce projet important.He invests a lot of time in this important project.
15. Nous établissons un plan pour le voyage. We’re establishing a plan for the trip.
16. Ils réussissent à éviter les conflits. They succeed in avoiding conflicts.
17. Tu agis pour être à l’heure. You act to be on time.
18. Vous remplissez bien le formulaire? Are you filling out the form well?
19. Elle obéit toujours à ses amis. She always obeys her friends.
20. On finit le travail avant de partir. We finish the work before leaving.

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