French Grammar

French irregular verbs ending in -ir and -er

The groups, the everyday verbs, the key tenses and the key points

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Irregular verbs ending in -ir

There are a number of important French irregular verbs ending in -ir. These are conjugated differently from the majority of group 2 verbs in -ir, which are conjugated on the model of finir.

Among the most common irregular verbs ending in -ir are dormir, mentir, mourir, ouvrir, tenir, sentir, servir , sortirand verbs based on these.

There are two main groups: verbs conjugated like sortir and verbs conjugated like ouvrir
Other irregular verbs in -ir need to be learned individually.

1. Verbs on the model of sortir

Key verbs in this group are démentir, dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir, sortir

Sample verb sortir

Present tense:	Singular	Plural
1st	Je sors	Nous sortons
2nd	Tu sors	Vous sortez
3rd	Il sort	Ils sortent

Other tenses Future: Je sortirai. Preterite: Je sortis. Perfect: Je suis sorti. Imperfect: Je sortais
* Note: perfect tense of other verbs uses the auxiliary avoir, as in : J'ai dormi

2. Verbs on the model of ouvrir

This small group only contains a few relatively common verbs couvrir, découvrir, offrir, ouvrir, souffrir,

Sample verb couvrir

Present tense:	Singular	Plural
1st	Je couvre	Nous couvrons
2nd	Tu couvres	Vous couvrez
3rd	Il couvre	Ils couvrent

Other tenses Future: Je couvrirai. Preterite: Je couvris. Perfect: J'ai couvert. Imperfect: Je couvrais

3. Tenir and Venir

and verbs based on these, such as soutenir, parvenir

Sample verb tenir

Present tense:	Singular	Plural
1st	Je tiens	Nous tenons
2nd	Tu tiens	Vous tenez
3rd	Il tient	Ils tiennent

Other tenses Future: Je tiendrai. Preterite: Je tins. Perfect: J'ai tenu. Imperfect: Je tenais

Irregular verbs ending in -er

Some 90% of French verbs end in -er. Basically speaking, they are all regular verbs. However, there are a few irregularities which are really no more than changes of spelling, such as a single or double consonant depending on the verb form.

Among common -er verbs whose spelling varies according to the form used are acheter, appeler, manger, lancer and verbs similar these.

There are two main groups: 1. Those like acheter or jeter which may double the consonant or replace e with è, and: 2. Verbs conjugated like manger or lancer where the e is maintained, or the c becomes a ç before a hard vowel ( a or o).

1a. Verbs like appeler

These verbs double the final consonant before an ending beginning with a silent e. Among key verbs in this group are appeler, épeler, étiqueter, jeter, projeter

Sample verb s'appeler

Present tense:	Singular	Plural
1st	Je m'appelle	Nous nous appelons
2nd	Tu t'appelles	Vous vous appelez
3rd	Il s'appelle	Ils s'appellent

Other tenses Future: Je m'appellerai. Preterite: Je m'appelai. Perfect: Je me suis appelé. Imperfect: Je m'appelais

1b. Verbs like acheter

These verbs replace e with è before an ending beginning with a silent e. The principal verbs in this group are acheter, déceler, geler, harceler, marteler, peler, receler

Sample verb acheter

Present tense:	Singular	Plural
1st	J'achète	Nous achetons
2nd	Tu achètes	Vous achetez
3rd	Il achète	Ils achètent

Other tenses Future: J'achèterai. Preterite: J'achetai. Perfect: J'ai acheté. Imperfect: J'achetais

2a. Verbs like manger

With these verbs the e is maintained before an ending starting with a hard vowel. The key verbs in this group are manger, changer, nager, engager, interroger, diriger, corriger, juger, encourager, échanger, exiger, envisager, rédiger, plonger, déranger, charger, mélanger, partager,voyager

Sample verb manger

Present tense:	Singular	Plural
1st	Je mange	Nous mangeons
2nd	Tu manges	Vous mangez
3rd	Il mange	Ils mangent

Other tenses Future: Je mangerai. Preterite: Je mangeai. Perfect: J'ai mangé. Imperfect: Je mangeais

2b. Verbs like lancer

With these verbs the c becomes a ç before an ending starting with a hard vowel. The key verbs in this group are lancer, commencer, annoncer, balancer, avancer, déplacer, forcer, menacer, remplacer, effacer, exercer, percer, foncer, divorcer, financer, grincer, amorcer, énoncer, pincer, renoncer, tracer, prononcer

Sample verb lancer

Present tense:	Singular	Plural
1st	Je lance	Nous lançons
2nd	Tu lances	Vous lancez
3rd	Il lance	Ils lancent

Other tenses Future: Je lancerai. Preterite: Je lançai. Perfect: J'ai lancé. Imperfect: Je lançais

► Return to : The 12 key irregular verbs
► Continue to Irregular verbs 3: Irregular verbs ending in -re
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