Conjugating French -ir Verbs in the Present Tense

The two regular -ir patterns

French verbs ending in -ir look like they should share a single tidy conjugation. They do not. There are two patterns that genuinely repeat across multiple verbs, plus a tiny third group that behaves like an -er verb in disguise. Get these three patterns straight and the rest of the work is memorisation of a short list of heavy hitters.

Second-group pattern (-issons): this is the textbook "regular -ir" verb and the one French teachers point at when they introduce the deuxième groupe. Only around 300 verbs in modern French actually follow it, but those 300 include some genuinely common ones. The endings are je -is, tu -is, il/elle -it, nous -issons, vous -issez, ils -issent. Take finir (to finish):

• je finis
• tu finis
• il / elle finit
• nous finissons
• vous finissez
• ils / elles finissent

The -iss- in the plural is the giveaway. If a verb has it, it is second-group regular. No -iss-, no second group. That single test will save you from a lot of guessing.

Short-endings pattern (partir-type): this group drops the -ir consonant cluster from the stem and adds short endings: je -s, tu -s, il -t, nous -ons, vous -ez, ils -ent. The singular forms lose a consonant compared to the infinitive, which is the bit that trips learners up. Take partir (to leave):

• je pars
• tu pars
• il / elle part
• nous partons
• vous partez
• ils / elles partent

Verbs that conjugate this way: partir, sortir, dormir, sentir, mentir, servir. The stem drops its final consonant in the singular (par-, sor-, dor-, sen-, men-, ser-) and restores it in the plural (partons, sortons, dormons, sentons, mentons, servons).

ouvrir-type: a small group (ouvrir, offrir, couvrir, souffrir) that conjugates like an -er verb in the present despite ending in -ir. That is not a typo. Take ouvrir (to open):

• j'ouvre
• tu ouvres
• il / elle ouvre
• nous ouvrons
• vous ouvrez
• ils / elles ouvrent

If you have already learned parler, you already know how these conjugate. Just swap the stem.

The heavy hitters (high-frequency irregulars)

These are the -ir and -oir verbs that appear constantly in everyday French and that refuse to fit either regular pattern. The good news: there are not many of them, and because they come up so often, repetition does most of the work.

savoir (to know): je sais, tu sais, il sait, nous savons, vous savez, ils savent.

pouvoir (to be able): je peux, tu peux, il peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils peuvent.

vouloir (to want): je veux, tu veux, il veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils veulent.

venir (to come): je viens, tu viens, il vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils viennent. The compounds revenir (to come back), devenir (to become), and se souvenir (to remember) follow the same pattern: je reviens, je deviens, je me souviens.

devoir (must / to owe): je dois, tu dois, il doit, nous devons, vous devez, ils doivent.

recevoir (to receive): je reçois, tu reçois, il reçoit, nous recevons, vous recevez, ils reçoivent. Note the cedilla on the c before o (reçois, reçoit, reçoivent) but not before e (recevons, recevez); the cedilla is there to keep the c soft.

falloir (impersonal "must"): only one form, il faut. That is it. There is no je faut, no nous faut. Use it for general obligations: il faut partir, il faut manger.

tenir (to hold): conjugates exactly like venir. je tiens, tu tiens, il tient, nous tenons, vous tenez, ils tiennent. The compounds (obtenir, maintenir, retenir, contenir) all follow this pattern too.

mourir (to die): je meurs, tu meurs, il meurt, nous mourons, vous mourez, ils meurent.

valoir (to be worth): je vaux, tu vaux, il vaut, nous valons, vous valez, ils valent. The fixed expression ça vaut la peine (it's worth it) is where you'll hear it most.

Telling the patterns apart

A quick heuristic before you commit a verb to memory. Conjugate the nous form first; it gives away the pattern.

• If the nous form has -issons in it (nous finissons, nous choisissons, nous agissons), the verb is second-group regular. Use the -is / -is / -it / -issons / -issez / -issent template.
• If the nous form is just -ons after a short stem (nous partons, nous sortons, nous dormons), the verb is partir-type. Use the -s / -s / -t / -ons / -ez / -ent template with a dropped consonant in the singular.
• If the verb is one of the named irregulars above (savoir, pouvoir, vouloir, venir, devoir, recevoir, falloir, tenir, mourir, valoir), learn it in full. There is no shortcut.

The 21 -ir verbs in this curriculum

Grouped by pattern, with English translations.

Second-group regular (-issons pattern):

• finir (to finish)
• agir (to act)

partir-type (short endings, dropped consonant):

• partir (to leave)
• sortir (to go out)
• dormir (to sleep)
• sentir (to feel / to smell)

ouvrir-type (conjugates like -er):

• ouvrir (to open)

Irregulars (memorise in full):

• falloir (to be necessary, impersonal)
• savoir (to know)
• venir (to come)
• revenir (to come back)
• devenir (to become)
• se souvenir (to remember)
• pouvoir (to be able)
• mourir (to die)
• devoir (must / to owe)
• valoir (to be worth)
• recevoir (to receive)
• tenir (to hold)
• vouloir (to want)

How to internalise -ir conjugation

Split the work into three buckets and treat each one differently. The -issons crowd is regular by ending: if you can spot the -iss- infix in the plural, the whole paradigm falls out automatically and you can produce any verb in the group from its infinitive. The partir-type is regular by tradition: there are only six common members, they all behave the same way, and once you have partir locked in you can produce sortir, dormir, sentir, mentir, and servir without thinking. The irregulars are memorise outright, and the reassuring thing is that the list is short and they appear constantly, so they stick fast. You will use pouvoir, vouloir, savoir, and venir in your first hundred sentences of French; rote learning pays back almost immediately.

The single most useful diagnostic is the -iss- marker. When you meet a new -ir verb, conjugate the nous form first. -issons means textbook second group. Plain -ons after a short stem means partir-type. Anything else is on the irregulars list and worth a quick look in a conjugation table before you commit it to memory.