Irregular Verbs in French and How to Conjugate Them
Learn the usage and conjugation of the most commonly used French irregular verbs.
I want to learn...
There are two types of verbs in French - regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs follow a set, regular pattern. The patterns exist not only in the present tense but also in other tenses where the verb is used. Irregular verbs, on the other hand, do not follow a pattern. Their final letters do not determine what conjugated endings they’ll receive.
In this article, we will focus on French irregular verbs. These verbs need to be memorized because even though there are far more regular verbs than irregular ones, irregular verbs are some of the most important and common verbs in the French language.
Let’s dive into the world of irregular verbs and find some ways to learn them.
The most used irregular verbs in French
Did you know that there are four irregular French verbs that are used in daily life? These common irregular verbs are:
- ĂŞtre - to be
- aller - to go
- avoir - to have
- faire - to make, to do
Let's learn how these verbs are conjugated.
être – to be
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Tu es | Vous ĂŞtes |
Je suis | Nous sommes |
il est | ils sont |
Elle est | Elles sont |
aller – to go
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je vais | Nous allons |
Tu vas | Vous allez |
il va | ils vont |
Elle va | Elles vont |
avoir – to have
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
J’ai | Nous avons |
Tu as | Vous avez |
il a | Ils ont |
Elle a | Elles ont |
faire – to make, to do
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je fais | Nous faisons |
Tu fais | Vous faites |
il fait | ils font |
Elle fait | Elles font |
Let's learn how to conjugate irregular French verbs that follow certain patterns
Some irregular verbs follow patterns, so once you know these patterns, it’s easier to identify and conjugate irregular verbs.
Prendre
Verbs ending in –prendre are all conjugated like prendre:
Pendre - to take
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je prends | Nous prenons |
Tu prends | Vous prenez |
Il prend | Ils prennent |
Elle prend | Elles prennent |
Similar verbs that are conjugated like Prendre-
- apprendre – to learn
- comprendre – to understand
- entreprendre – to undertake
- méprendre – to mistake
- prendre – to take
- reprendre – to retake, to take again
- surprendre – to surprise
Mettre
Mettre and the verbs ending in –mettre all follow the same pattern of conjugation.
Mettre - to put
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je mets | Nous mettons |
Tu mets | Vous mettez |
Il met | Ils mettent |
Elle met | Elles mettent |
Similar verbs that are conjugated like Mettre-
- admettre – to admit
- commettre – to commit
- compromettre – to compromise
- mettre – to put, to place
- permettre – to permit
- promettre – to promise
- remettre – to turn in work, to postpone
- soumettre – to submit
- transmettre – to transmit
Venir
Venir and the verbs that end with -nir have their own pattern of conjugation, and in this case, the verb undergoes a stem change. The stem vien is used with je, tu, il, elle; the stem ven is used with nous and vous; the stem vien is used with ils and elles respectively.
Venir - to come
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je viens | Nous venons |
Tu viens | Vous venez |
Il vient | Ils viennent |
Elle vient | Elles viennent |
Similar verbs that are conjugated like venir-
- abstenir – to refrain, to abstain from
- advenir – to happen
- appartenir – to belong to
- circonvenir – to circumvent
- contenir – to contain
- convenir – to suit, to be suitable
- détenir – to detain
- devenir – to become
- entretenir – to look after, to support
- intervenir – to intervene
- maintenir – to maintain
- obtenir – to obtain
- parvenir – to reach, to achieve
- prévenir – to warn
- retenir – to retain
- soutenir – to support
- souvenir – to remember
- subvenir – to provide for
- survenir – to occur, to take place
- tenir – to hold, to keep
- venir – to come
Manger
Verbs ending in -ger have a spelling change in the nous form of the verb. An extra -e is added to keep the -g sound soft.
Manger - to eat
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je mange | Nous mangeons |
Tu manges | Vous mangez |
Il mange | Ils mangent |
Elle mange | Elles mangent |
Similar verbs that are conjugated like Manger-
- bouger – to move
- changer – to change
- corriger – to correct
- décourager – to discourage
- déménager – to move
- déranger – to disturb
- diriger – to direct
- encourager – to encourage
- engager – to bind
- exiger – to demand
- juger – to judge
- loger – to lodge
- manger – to eat
- mélanger – to mix
- nager – to swim
- obliger – to oblige
- partager – to share
- rédiger – to write
- voyager – to travel
Lancer
Verbs like lancer that end in -cer also have a spelling change in the nous form. The -c is changed to a -ç to maintain a soft -c sound.
Lancer - to throw
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je lance | Nous lançons |
Tu lances | Vous lancez |
Il lance | Ils lancent |
Elle lance | Elles lancent |
Similar verbs that are conjugated like Lancer-
- annoncer – to announce
- avancer – to advance
- commencer – to commence
- dénoncer – to denounce
- divorcer – to divorce
- effacer – to erase
- lancer – to throw
- menacer – to threaten
- placer – to put
- prononcer – to pronounce
- remplacer – to replace
- renoncer – to renounce
Payer
Verbs ending in -yer change the -y to an -i in the je, tu, il, elle, ils and elles forms.
Payer - to pay
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je paie | Nous payons |
Tu paies | Vous payez |
Il paie | Ils paient |
Elle paie | Elles paient |
Similar verbs that are conjugated like payer-
- aboyer – to bark
- balayer – to sweep
- effrayer – to frighten
- s’ennuyer – to be bored
- envoyer – to send
- essayer – to try
- essuyer – to wipe
- nettoyer – to clean
- payer – to pay
- renvoyer – to send back, to fire
Acheter
Some verbs, like acheter, change the -e in the root to -è in the je, tu, il, elle, ils and elles forms.
Acheter - to buy
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
J’ achète | Nous achetons |
Tu achètes | Vous achetez |
Il achète | Ils achètent |
Elle achète | Elles achètent |
Similar verbs that are conjugated like acheter -
- acheter – to buy
- amener – to bring
- enlever – to take off
- espérer – to hope
- geler – to freeze
- se lever – to get up
- posséder – to own
- préférer – to prefer
- se promener – to take a stroll
- répéter – to repeat
- suggérer – to suggest
Appeler
Some French verbs that end in -eler and -eter double the l or t in all except nous and vous in the present tense. Example: appeler –> appel/appell -er (to call)
Appeler - to call
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
J’ appelle | Nous appelons |
Tu appelles | Vous appelez |
Il appelle | Ils appellent |
Elle appelle | Elles appellent |
Similar verbs that are conjugated like appeler-
- appeler – to call
- épeler – to spell out
- étinceler – to sparkle
- feuilleter – to leaf through a book
- jeter – to jump
- renouveler – to renew
How to conjugate irregular French verbs that don’t follow a specific pattern
Most irregular French verbs don’t follow any specific pattern and therefore, have to be memorized.
So, let’s learn a few of them.
dire – to say, to tell
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je dis | Nous disons |
Tu dis | Vous dites |
il dit | Ils disent |
Elle dit | Elles disent |
lire - to read
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je lis | Nous lisons |
Tu lis | Vous lisez |
il lit | Ils lisent |
Elle lit | Elles lisent |
pouvoir – to be able to do
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je peux | Nous pouvons |
Tu peux | Vous pouvez |
Il peut | Ils peuvent |
Elle peut | Elles peuvent |
savoir – to know, to know how to
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je sais | Nous savons |
Tu sais | Vous savez |
Il sait | Ils savent |
Elle sait | Elles savent |
voir – to see
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je vois | Nous voyons |
Tu vois | Vous voyez |
Il voit | Ils voient |
Elle voit | Elles voient |
vouloir – to want
Singular | Plural |
---|---|
Je veux | Nous voulons |
Tu veux | Vous voulez |
Il veut | Ils veulent |
Elle veut | Elles veulent |
Ready to learn more irregular verbs?
Try Busuu today! Our free online courses will help you speak like a local, and teach you essential French grammar and vocabulary you can use for work, study, travel or fun!