31 French Irregular Verbs and How to Conjugate Them

When learning French it can be challenging to remember whether a verb is conjugated regularly or irregularly, and how the spelling changes depending on the form. 

Patterns abound in regular verbs—whether you’re tackling the future tense, the past tense or even French grammar as a whole.

But there are some more patterns to find on the irregular side of things.

Let’s take a look at irregular verbs in French and try to point out as many patterns and groups as possible.

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Irregular vs. Regular French Verbs

There are two types of verbs in French. The first type is called regular verbs. These verbs are regular because they follow a set pattern. These set patterns prevail in all tenses that a verb undergoes.

Primarily, regular verbs fall into one of three categories: verbs that end in -er, verbs that end in -ir or verbs that end in -re.

To conjugate these verbs in the present tense, simply chop off the last two letters and add the appropriate endings determined by the subject.

Irregular verbs, on the other hand, do not follow a pattern. Their final letters do not determine what conjugated endings they will receive.

As such, these verbs need to be memorized because even though there are far more regular verbs than irregular ones, irregular verbs encompass some of the most important and common verbs in the French language.

The Big Four Irregular French Verbs (Être, Avoir, Aller and Faire)

The following verbs are essential to know: être (to be), avoir (to have), aller (to go) and faire (to do/make). These four verbs are perhaps the most important irregular verbs in all of the French language.

Furthermore, the irregular verbs être (to be), avoir (to have) and aller (to go) are used in compound tenses: the first two being support verbs for the passé composé (the past perfect) and the third being a support verb for the futur proche (the near future).

Let’s see how these verbs are conjugated in the present tense:

Être (to be)

Je suis	I am
Tu es	you are
Il est / Elle est	he/she is
Nous sommes	we are
Vous êtes	you are
Ils sont / Elles sont	they are (masculine/feminine)

Avoir (to have)

J'ai	I have
Tu as	you have
Il a / Elle a	he/she has
Nous avons	we have
Vous avez	you have
Ils ont / Elles ont	they have (masculine/feminine)

Aller (to go)

J'ai	I go
Tu as	you go
Il a / Elle a	he/she goes
Nous avons	we go
Vous avez	you go (formal/plural)
Ils ont / Elles ont	they go (masculine/feminine)

Faire (to do/make)

Je fais	I do/make
Tu fais	you do/make
Il fait / Elle fait	he/she does/makes
Nous faisons	we do/make
Vous faites	you do/make (formal/plural)
Ils font / Elles font	they do/make (masculine/feminine)

Modal Verbs

Perhaps the second most important group of irregular verbs are the modals. 

Modal verbs are a very special type of verb in French. They are a type of helping verb that modifies the “mood” of the unconjugated verb that comes afterward, which is a fancy way to say that these verbs indicate ability, possibility, desire or necessity.

For example, the verbs vouloir (to want), pouvoir (to be able to), devoir (to have to) and savoir (to know) are all modal verbs.

Check out their conjugations:

Vouloir (to want)

Je veux	I want
Tu veux	you want
Il veut / Elle veut	he/she wants
Nous voulons	we want
Vous voulez	you want (formal/plural)
Ils veulent / Elles veulent	they want (masculine/feminine)

Pouvoir (to be able to)

Je peux	I can
Tu peux	you can
Il peut / Elle peut	he/she can
Nous pouvons	we can
Vous pouvez	you can (formal/plural)
Ils peuvent / Elles peuvent	they can (masculine/feminine)

Devoir (to have to)

Je dois	I have to
Tu dois	you have to
Il doit / Elle doit	he/she has to
Nous devons	we have to
Vous devez	you have to (formal/plural)
Ils doivent / Elles doivent	they have to (masculine/feminine)

Savoir (to know)

Je sais	I know
Tu sais	you know
Il sait  / Elle sait	he/she knows
Nous savons	we know
Vous savez	you know (formal/plural)
Ils savent / Elles savent	they know (masculine/feminine)

Irregular -ER Stem-changing Verbs

Those –er verbs you thought you had all figured out aren’t quite so regular after all but there are only a few exceptions.

In fact, these -er verb irregularities are called stem changes, and rather than being irregular verbs completely, they are simply a sub-class of -er verbs.

A stem change happens when the root of the verb (the base of the verb without -er) sees a spelling change before regular -er conjugation takes place.

With the subjects nous and/or vous, the conjugated verb is spelled differently from regular rules. Sometimes we need to add an extra letter. Other times, we must change or add an accent.

We’ll break down the main types of spelling-change verbs:

-Er Verbs with a “G”

-Er verbs that end with a “g” keep the “e” in the nous form. Some examples include manger (to eat) and nager (to swim) 

The reason has to do with pronunciation. Based on standard rules of French pronunciation, mangons would be pronounced with a hard “g” (as in “gopher”) as opposed to a soft “g” (as in “Germany.”)

Thus, in order to retain the “j” sound, we say nous mangeons (we eat) and nous nageons (we swim).

The other subjects are conjugated like normal -er verbs.

Below are the conjugations for the irregular, stem-changing –er verbs appeler (to call) and manger (to eat).

Appeler (to call)

J'appelle	I call
Tu appelles	you call
Il appelle / Elle appelle	he/she calls
Nous appelons	we call
Vous appelez	you call (formal/plural)
Ils appellent / Elles appellent	they call (masculine/feminine)

With appeler, we double the “l” in certain conjugations to keep the longer -e sound before the “l.” If there were no double “l,” the preceding e would become a short e sound, which is not the correct pronunciation.

This same doubling-up happens with other verbs, as well such as rappeler (to call back) and jeter (to throw).

Manger (to eat)

Verb form	Meaning
Je mange	I eat
Tu manges	you eat
Il mange / Elle mange	he/she eats
Nous mangeons	we eat
Vous mangez	you eat (formal), you all eat
Ils mangent / Elles mangent	they eat

Most verbs that end in –ger keep their e in the nous form to keep that “g” sound. Some other verbs that have this same change include bouger (to move), corriger (to correct) and voyager (to travel).

Accent Omission Verbs

Some verbs have accent changes depending on the subject they’re used with. Some example are acheter  (to buy) and préférer (to prefer) 

In the nous and vous forms, the conjugated verb more closely resembles the infinitive.

For instance, acheter has an accent in all conjugated forms except the nous and vous forms. Otherwise, they’re conjugated like regular -er verbs.

J’achète	I buy
Tu achètes	you buy
Il achète  / Elle achète	he/she buys
Nous achetons	we buy
Vous achetez	you buy (formal/plural)
Ils achètent / Elles achètent	they buy (masculine/feminine)

Préférer is similar. The double accent aigu (acute accent) stays only in the nous and vous forms.

Je préfère	I prefer
Tu préfères	you prefer
Il préfère  / Elle préfère	he/she prefers
Nous préférons	we prefer
Vous préférez	you prefer (formal/plural)
Ils préfèrent / Elles préfèrent	they prefer (masculine/feminine)

Accent Addition Verbs

Similarly, verbs like commencer  (to begin) and effacer (to erase) undergo an accent change. However, it’s that one is added (not omitted) in the nous and vous forms.

For pronunciation purposes, we must add a cédille (cedilla—the little “tail” accent) to the “c” in the nous and vous forms. Otherwise, these verbs are conjugated like typical -er verbs.

Je commence	I begin
Tu commences	you begin
Il commence  / Elle commence	he/she begins
Nous commençons	we begin
Vous commençez	you begin (formal/plural)
Ils commencent / Elles commencent	they begin (masculine/feminine)

Keep the “Y” Verbs

Additional major spelling-change verb types are those such as payer (to pay) and envoyer  (to send), in which the “y” becomes an “i” in all forms except the nous and vous forms.

Otherwise, they’re conjugated like other -er verbs.

Je paie	I pay
Tu paies	you pay
Il paie  / Elle paie	he/she pays
Nous payons	we pay
Vous payez	you pay (formal/plural)
Ils paient / Elles paient	they pay (masculine/feminine)

Irregular -IR Verbs

The following –ir verbs are considered irregular: tenir (to keep) and venir (to come).

Tenir (to keep)

Je tiens	I keep
Tu tiens	you keep
Il tient  / Elle tient	he/she keeps
Nous tenons	we keep
Vous tenez	you keep (formal/plural)
Ils tiennent / Elles tiennent	they keep (masculine/feminine)

Venir (to come)

Je viens	I come
Tu viens	you come
Il vient  / Elle vient	he/she comes
Nous venons	we come
Vous venez	you come (formal/plural)
Ils viennent / Elles viennent	they come (masculine/feminine)

Some other verbs conjugated like these two include devenir (to become), obtenir (to obtain) and appartenir (to belong to).

Ouvrir (to open)

Confusingly, the verb ouvrir (to open) is different from a regular -ir verb because it’s conjugated like an –er verb. Check it out:

J'ouvre	I open
Tu ouvres	you open
Il ouvre  / Elle ouvre	he/she opens
Nous ouvrons	we open
Vous ouvrez	you open (formal/plural)
Ils ouvrent / Elles ouvrent	they open (masculine/feminine)

Other verbs that are conjugated like this include découvrir (to discover) and couvrir (to cover).

Irregular Verbs in the Partir Family

Although these verbs aren’t simply built off one another, they’re conjugated in the same way as one another.

Remove the last three letters of the infinitive (“tir” or “mir”) and add the appropriate endings. The singular tense conjugations follow the pattern “s,” “s,” “t.”

The good news is that the plural forms closely resemble regular -er verbs. Partir means “to leave.” For example:

Je pars pour Angleterre demain (I leave for England tomorrow).

Je pars	I leave
Tu pars	you leave
Il part  / Elle part	he/she leaves
Nous partons	we leave
Vous partez	you leave (formal/plural)
Ils partent / Elles partent	they leave (masculine/feminine)

Some other verbs in this group include sortir (to exit), mentir (to lie), dormir (to sleep) and sentir (to feel).

Irregular -OIR Verbs

The next two verbs end in –oir. When conjugated, voir and recevoir have the same endings, even though their stems change throughout the conjugation.

We’ll start with voir:

Voir (to see)

Je vois	I see
Tu vois	you see
Il voit  / Elle voit	he/she sees
Nous voyons	we see
Vous voyez	you see (formal/plural)
Ils voient / Elles voient	they see (masculine/feminine)

Recevoir (to receive)

Je reçois	I receive
Tu reçois	you receive
Il reçoit  / Elle reçoit	he/she receives
Nous recevons	we receive
Vous recevez	you receive (formal/plural)
Ils reçoivent / Elles reçoivent	they receive (masculine/feminine)

Irregular -RE Stem-changing Verbs

Let’s start off simple with prendre and apprendre. These two verbs are almost regular except for a few stem changes. This is different from regular -re verbs because they drop an extra letter in the nous and vous forms.

Prendre (to take)

Je prends	I take
Tu prends	you take
Il prend  / Elle prend	he/she takes
Nous prenons	we take
Vous prenez	you take (formal/plural)
Ils prennent / Elles prennent	they take (masculine/feminine)

Apprendre (to learn)

J'apprends	I learn
Tu apprends	you learn
Il apprend  / Elle apprend	he/she learns
Nous apprenons	we learn
Vous apprenez	you learn (formal/plural)
Ils apprennent / Elles apprennent	they learn (masculine/feminine)

Other verbs conjugated like these two include comprendre (to understand) and surprendre (to surprise).

Four Main Irregular -RE Verbs

Yay for more groups! These verbs are also conjugated similarly.

Rire (to laugh)

Je ris	I laugh
Tu ris	you laugh
Il rit  / Elle rit	he/she laughs
Nous rions	we laugh
Vous riez	you laugh (formal/plural)
Ils rient / Elles rient	they laugh (masculine/feminine)

Dire (to say)

Je dis	I say
Tu dis	you say
Il dit  / Elle dit	he/she says
Nous disons	we say
Vous dites	you say (formal/plural)
Ils disent / Elles disent	they say (masculine/feminine)

Écrire (to write)

J'écris	I write
Tu écris	you write
Il écrit  / Elle écrit	he/she writes
Nous écrivons	we write
Vous écrivez	you write (formal/plural)
Ils écrivent / Elles écrivent	they write (masculine/feminine)

Lire (to read)

Je lis	I read
Tu lis	you read
Il lit  / Elle lit	he/she reads
Nous lisons	we read
Vous lisez	you read (formal/plural)
Ils lisent / Elles lisent	they read (masculine/feminine)

Other -RE Irregular Verbs

Croire (to believe) and boire (to drink) are two more irregular verbs we can pair together. While their conjugations aren’t identical, they’re similar.

Croire (to believe)

Je crois	I believe
Tu crois	you believe
Il croit  / Elle croit	he/she believes
Nous croyons	we believe
Vous croyez	you believe (formal/plural)
Ils croient  / Elles croient	they believe (masculine/feminine)

Boire (to drink)

Je bois	I drink
Tu bois	you drink
Il boit  / Elle boit	he/she drinks
Nous buvons	we drink
Vous buvez	you drink (formal/plural)
Ils boivent / Elles boivent	they drink (masculine/feminine)

And the following are miscellaneous irregular –re verbs. The first two are almost regular -re verbs, but they drop an extra letter in their je, tu, il and elle forms.

Battre (to hit)

Je bats	I hit
Tu bats	you hit
Il bat  / Elle bat	he/she hits
Nous battons	we hit
Vous battez	you hit (formal/plural)
Ils battent  / Elles battent	they hit (masculine/feminine)

Mettre (to put)

Je mets	I put
Tu mets	you put
Il met  / Elle met	he/she puts
Nous mettons	we put
Vous mettez	you put (formal/plural)
Ils mettent / Elles mettent	they put (masculine/feminine)

Other verbs conjugated like mettre include admettre (to admit), permettre (to permit) and promettre (to promise).

The final irregular -re verb I’ll include—as well as the last in this post—is vivre (to live).

Vivre (to live)

Je vis	I live
Tu vis	you live
Il vit  / Elle vit	he/she lives
Nous vivons	we live
Vous vivez	you live (formal/plural)
Ils vivent / Elles vivent	they live (masculine/feminine)

How to Practice Irregular French Verbs

Once you finish soaking up this post, you’ll want to put your new knowledge to practice right away.

• First check out this article on Wikitionary for a complete list of irregular, present tense verbs in French.
• Laura K. Lawless of Lawless French has tons of great reference articles on irregular verbs (in addition to almost any topic of the French language). Following the link above, just click on the group you want to read more about (irregular -er, -ir or -re), and you’ll find helpful explanations and loads of clear examples.
• Her partner site Progress with Lawless French, powered by Kwiziq, has “kwizzes” you can take to practice grammar, assess your level and receive a personalized study plan. Free accounts are limited to 10 quizzes per month, while Premium accounts are available via a paid monthly subscription.
• To continue practicing, Conjuguemos, the University of Texas and About French also have some great free quizzes online. 

• Sporcle French Irregular Verbs Quiz tests the most common and important irregular verbs: être, avoir, aller and faire (to be, to have, to go and to do, respectively).
• With “FrogVerb” Irregular Verbs, you help a frog catch the flies that have the proper conjugated form of the requested verb. It’s an engaging way to review irregular verbs. Plus, if you want to focus on specific verbs or keep ones you don’t know out of the game, you can customize which verbs appear.
• This 10-question multiple choice quiz is a quick and simple way to find out how well you understand French irregular verbs.
• This fill-in-the-blank quiz is also 10 questions (it does include some verbs not mentioned here) testing your knowledge of irregular verbs.
• Reverso Conjugation isn’t exactly a practice tool, but it’s a great reference source for double-checking how a specific verb is conjugated or for learning new verbs. Simply type in the verb you want and it’ll show you every possible form, including other tenses (past, future, subjunctive).
• Finally, you can always use a handy-dandy online conjugator for those times when you just can’t remember how to conjugate a verb.

 

The good news: the majority of French verbs follow the rules.

The bad news: the most common and important ones don’t.

The better news: you just learned what many of those verbs are, as well as how to conjugate and use them properly.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)