Once you’ve learned the essentials and how to say “thank you” in French, you’re ready to take on the basics of French verbs. Verbs allow you to put together sentences, which means they are an essential step in moving from memorizing phrases to having fluid, real-life conversations.
To use a verb in a sentence, you’ll need to learn how to conjugate it to match the subject and the time at which the action is taking place. French is known for having many tenses—over 21 different tenses in total—but there’s no need to be intimidated.
In this post, we’ll help you master the four main tenses you’ll need to feel comfortable in conversation, which include:
- le présent (present tense)
- l’imparfait (imperfect tense)
- le passé composé (“compound past,” equivalent to simple past or the present perfect in English)
- le futur (future tense)
Plus, we’ll give you examples of when to use each tense and how to apply them to common verbs! After you learn the conjugation rules, you’ll be ready to use any French verb that comes your way!
Table of Contents
- Most common verbs in French
- Regular vs irregular verbs
- How to conjugate “-ER” verbs
- How to conjugate “-IR” verbs
- How to conjugate irregular verbs
- Irregular verbs: être, avoir, aller, and faire
- A faster way to learn French
Most common verbs in French
Want to feel confident carrying conversations in French? Master the most common verbs, and you’ll not only be able to broaden your speaking abilities, you’ll also be able to understand more of the phrases that come your way.
There are a number of verbs that you’ll find across every conversation in French. We’ve narrowed the list down to these 20 verbs. Remember that each of these verbs is in its unconjugated or infinitive form! Try applying the conjugation rules below to these verbs.
| French | English |
| Être (auxiliary) | To be |
| Avoir (auxiliary) | To have |
| Faire | To do, to make |
| Aller | To go |
| Dire | To say |
| Voir | To see |
| Savoir | To know |
| Venir | To come |
| Vouloir | To want |
| Pouvoir | To be able to / Can |
| Devoir | To have to / Must |
| Regarder | To watch |
| Suivre | To follow |
| Parler | To speak, to talk |
| Prendre | To take |
| Croire | To believe, to think |
| Aimer | To love, to like |
| Finir | To finish, to end |
| Penser | To think |
| Trouver | To find |
Regular vs irregular verbs in French
In French there are two types of verbs, regular and irregular. Regular verbs follow predictable conjugation patterns. To conjugate verbs that end in “-ER” and “-IR” for example, you will drop the ending and replace it with one that agrees with the sentence subject. These conjugated endings will be the same for all verbs that have the same type of ending.
Irregular verbs fall outside of these conjugation patterns. These verbs follow a similar structure where the ending is dropped and changed to agree with the subject, but the specific endings have small nuances depending on the verb. All “-RE” ending verbs are considered irregular, as well as a few “-ER” and “-IR” verbs. These irregular “-ER” and “-IR” verbs can make conjugation tricky, but with time and practice you’ll be comfortable using them!
To organize these conjugation patterns, verbs in French are broken into three groups : premier groupe (first group), deuxième groupe (second group) and troisième groupe (third group). These groups put verbs with the most common verb endings in the infinitive form together.
The first group includes all the verbs ending in “–ER” in the infinitive form. Note that aller (to go) is an irregular verb—the only irregular “-ER” verb in French—and does not fall in the first group even though it ends in “–ER.”
The second group includes all the verbs ending in -IR in the infinitive form. If the verb has a present participle ending in -issant in French (like finir, finissant = To finish, finishing), then this verb is part of the second group.
The third group includes all irregular verbs that:
- end in -IR but that do not follow the -issant rule (like partir = to leave)
- end in -OIR (vouloir = to want, pouvoir = to be able to / can)
- end in -RE (suivre = to follow), plus
- the only irregular verb ending in “-ER”, aller (to go)
To help you understand each verb group groups and their conjugation patterns, we’ll break down the conjugation of four distinct tenses in French:
- le présent (present tense): for routine actions and current actions.
- l’imparfait (imperfect tense): used to describe an incomplete or ongoing action or state of being.
- le passé composé (past tense): used to describe actions that occurred in the past.
- le futur (future tense): to talk about future plans or intentions, as well as to make predictions about what may occur in the future.
1. How to conjugate French -ER verbs
Verbs in le premier groupe (the first group) end in -ER. Let’s use the example of parler (to speak, to talk) and see how the endings change depending on the tense.
Parler – to speak, to talk
| Present speak / am speaking | Imperfect was / were speaking | Compound Past spoke | Future will speak | |
| Je I | parle | parlais | ai parlé | parlerai |
| Tu You, informal | parles | parlais | as parlé | parleras |
| Il, Elle He, She | parle | parlait | a parlé | parlera |
| Nous We | parlons | parlions | avons parlé | parlerons |
| Vous You, formal | parlez | parliez | avez parlé | parlerez |
| Ils, Elles They | parlent | parlaient | ont parlé | parleront |
2. How to conjugate French -IR verbs
Verbs in le deuxième groupe (the second group) end in -IR. Let’s use the example of finir (to finish) and see how the endings change depending on the tense.
Finir – to finish
| Present finish | Imperfect was / were finishing | Compound Past finished | Future will finish | |
| Je I | finis | finissais | ai fini | finirai |
| Tu You, informal | finis | finissais | as fini | finiras |
| Il, Elle He, She | finit | finissait | a fini | finira |
| Nous We | finissons | finissions | avons fini | finirons |
| Vous You, formal | finissez | finissiez | avez fini | finirez |
| Ils, Elles They | finissent | finissaient | ont fini | finiront |
3. How to conjugate irregular verbs
All remaining verbs that do not follow the -IR and -ER patterns are considered irregular verbs and fall into le troisième groupe (the third group). Verbs with -OIR endings like voir (to see), -IR verbs that do not follow the -issant rule like partir (to leave), -RE verbs like prendre (to take), and the verb aller (to go) all fall into the category of irregular verbs.
While -OIR and -RE verbs will generally follow similar conjugation patterns, irregular verbs each have their own unique pattern that you’ll begin to memorize as you learn and practice.
Conjugating irregular French -IR verbs
Let’s use the example of partir (to leave) and see how the ending of non -issant pattern -IR verbs change depending on the tense.
You may notice that unlike the regular -IR verb finir the passé composé tense of partir has gendered and plural conjugations. This means that an “e” or an “s” is added to the verb to agree with the gender and quantity of the sentence subject.
Partir – to leave
| Present leave | Imperfect was / were leaving | Compound Past left | Future will leave | |
| Je I | pars | partais | suis parti(e) | partirai |
| Tu You, informal | pars | partais | es parti(e) | partiras |
| Il, Elle He, She | part | partait | est parti(e) | partira |
| Nous We | partons | partions | sommes partis,(ies) | partirons |
| Vous You, formal | partez | partiez | êtes parti(s),(ie), (ies) | partirez |
| Ils, Elles They | partent | partaient | sont partis,(ies) | partiront |
Conjugating irregular French -RE verbs
Let’s use the example of croire (to think / to believe) and see how the ending of -RE verbs change depending on the tense.
While verbs like prendre (to take) and suivre (to follow) also end in -RE, they have slight differences in their conjugation patterns compared to other -RE verbs. The verb croire on the other hand, has a conjugation pattern that is similar to many other -RE verbs.
Croire – to believe, to think
| Present believe / think | Imperfect was believing / was thinking | Compound Past believed / thought | Future will believe / will think | |
| Je I | crois | croyais | ai cru | croirai |
| Tu You, informal | crois | croyais | as cru | croiras |
| Il, Elle He, She | croit | croyait | a cru | croira |
| Nous We | croyons | croyions | avons cru | croirons |
| Vous You, formal | croyez | croyiez | avez cru | croirez |
| Ils, Elles They | croient | croyaient | ont cru | croiront |
Conjugating irregular French -OIR verbs
Let’s use the example of vouloir (to want) and voir (to see) to understand how the ending of -OIR verbs change depending on the tense.
Vouloir – to want
| Present want | Imperfect wanted | Compound Past wanted / have wanted | Future will want | |
| Je I | veux | voulais | ai voulu | voudrai |
| Tu You, informal | veux | voulais | as voulu | voudras |
| Il, Elle He, She | veut | voulait | a voulu | voudra |
| Nous We | voulons | voulions | avons voulu | voudrons |
| Vous You, formal | voulez | vouliez | avez voulu | voudrez |
| Ils, Elles They | veulent | voulaient | ont voulu | voudront |
Voir – to see
| Present see | Imperfect was seeing | Compound Past saw | Future will see | |
| Je I | vois | voyais | ai vu | verrai |
| Tu You, informal | vois | voyais | as vu | verras |
| Il, Elle He, She | voit | voyait | a vu | verra |
| Nous We | voyons | voyions | avons vu | verrons |
| Vous You, formal | voyez | voyiez | avez vu | verrez |
| Ils, Elles They | voient | voyaient | ont vu | verront |
Irregular verbs: être, avoir, aller, and faire
Now, let’s take a look at verbs that conjugate like no other. The words être (to be), avoir (to have), aller (to go), and faire (to make) are the most common verbs in the French language.
You’ll use these verbs to say things like “allons-y!” (let’s go!) and “Il fait chaud aujourd’hui” (It’s hot today). Each has its own unique verb conjugation that is unlike any others in the French language.
Être – to be
| Present am / is / are | Imperfect was / were | Compound Past have / has been | Future will be | |
| Je I | suis | étais | ai été | serai |
| Tu You, informal | es | étais | as été | seras |
| Il, Elle He, She | est | était | a été | sera |
| Nous We | sommes | étions | avons été | serons |
| Vous You, formal | êtes | étiez | avez été | serez |
| Ils, Elles They | sont | étaient | ont été | seront |
Simple phrases using être are very common as you begin learning French. Sentences like “I am tired” or “He is tall” all use the verb être.
- Je suis fatigué. = I am tired.
- Il est grand. = He is tall.
Être can also be used to indicate possession. The combination of the infinitive form of être and the word à or “to” create the phrase “to belong to.”
- être à = to belong to
- Cette voiture est à moi. = This car belongs to me.
Avoir – to have
| Present have | Imperfect had | Compound Past have had | Future will have | |
| Je I | ai | avais | ai eu | aurai |
| Tu You, informal | as | avais | as eu | auras |
| Il, Elle He, She | a | avait | a eu | aura |
| Nous We | avons | avions | avons eu | aurons |
| Vous You, formal | avez | aviez | avez eu | aurez |
| Ils, Elles They | ont | avaient | ont eu | auront |
Although the verb “to be” is used in English to refer to certain physical conditions, in French you combine avoir (to have) with a noun to describe certain conditions. For example, you aren’t “being” your age, you “have” your age:
- avoir…. ans = to be …. years old
- J’ai vingt ans. = I am 20 years old.
Avoir can also be used to describe your physical state, such as how cold or hungry you are.
- J’ai chaud. = I am hot.
- J’ai froid. = I am cold.
- J’ai faim. = I am hungry.
- J’ai soif. = I am thirsty.
Other popular avoir phrases include “to be lucky” – avoir de la chance – and “to need” – avoir besoin de.
- J’ai de la chance. = I am lucky.
- J’ai besoin de toi. = I need you.
Grammar note: All verbs in the passé composé (past) tense require two verbs to create the tense. In all the examples we’ve seen so far, the past tense has been a combination of the word avoir and the verb being conjugated. Most French verbs will use avoir in the past tense, but there are seventeen verbs, including aller, that will use être to create the past tense.
Aller – to go
| Present go / are going | Imperfect was / were going | Compound Past went | Future will go | |
| Je I | vais | allais | suis allé(e) | irai |
| Tu You, informal | vas | allais | es allé(e) | iras |
| Il, Elle He, She | va | allait | est allé(e) | ira |
| Nous We | allons | allions | sommes allés,(ées) | irons |
| Vous You, formal | allez | alliez | êtes allé,(s),(ée), (ées) | irez |
| Ils, Elles They | vont | allaient | sont allés, (ées) | iront |
Aller is another verb you will use a lot in French. Phrases like “allons-y” (let’s go) or “Comment allez-vous” (how are you doing) are commonly used in conversation. In fact, the question “how are you doing” is also answered using aller (to go).
- Comment allez-vous? = How are you doing?
- Je vais bien. = I am fine, I feel fine.
Faire – to do, to make
| Present do / doing / make / making | Imperfect was making / was doing | Compound Past did / made | Future will do / will make | |
| Je I | fais | faisais | ai fait | ferai |
| Tu You, informal | fais | faisais | as fait | feras |
| Il, Elle He, She | fait | faisait | a fait | fera |
| Nous We | faisons | faisions | avons fait | ferons |
| Vous You, formal | faites | faisiez | avez fait | ferez |
| Ils, Elles They | font | faisaient | ont fait | feront |
Faire is an extremely versatile verb in the French language. When faire is used before a noun, it can create a command such as “pay attention” or alter the meaning of the noun to be more specific. For example, connaissance on its own means “to know,” as in to know someone, but faire le connaissance de means to meet for the first time.
- faire attention à = to pay attention to
- Fais attention aux règles de grammaire en français. = Pay attention to the grammar rules in French.
- faire le connaissance de = to meet, as in to meet for the first time
- Je ferai la connaissance de ma belle-soeur demain. = I will meet my sister-in-law for the first time tomorrow.
Faire is also used to describe the weather and sports, as in:
- Quel temps fait-il ? = What’s the weather like?
- Il fait beau. = The weather is nice.
- Il fait du ski. = He goes skiing.
Grammar note: When two verbs are used in succession, like in “faire attention à” the first verb is conjugated and the second remains in the infinitive. For example:
- Je veux aller au cinéma. = I want to go to the movies.
- J’aime regarder la télévision. = I like to watch television.
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