Present tense: -ir and -re verbs
Besides -er verbs, there are two smaller regular groups: -ir verbs like finir (with -iss- in the plural) and -re verbs like vendre.
| finir (finish) | vendre (sell) | |
|---|---|---|
| je | finis | vends |
| tu | finis | vends |
| il / elle / on | finit | vend |
| nous | finissons | vendons |
| vous | finissez | vendez |
| ils / elles | finissent | vendent |
Common verbs
- Like finir: choisir (choose), réussir (succeed), grandir (grow), remplir (fill in), obéir.
- Like vendre: attendre (wait), entendre (hear), répondre (answer), perdre (lose), descendre.
- Careful: partir, sortir, dormir, sentir end in -ir but have no -iss-: je pars, nous partons.
Examples
- Le cours finit à midi.The class finishes at noon.
- Nous choisissons le menu.We choose the set menu.
- J’attends le bus.I’m waiting for the bus.
- Tu réponds au message ?Are you answering the message?
- Les enfants grandissent vite.Children grow up fast.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Nous finons le travail.✓ Nous finissons le travail.Finir adds -iss- in the plural forms, a feature English verbs do not have.
- ✗ Il vends sa voiture.✓ Il vend sa voiture.The il form of -re verbs has no ending at all, so there is no final s, even though English adds -s to he sells.
- ✗ Tu choisit un livre.✓ Tu choisis un livre.The tu form of -ir verbs ends in -s, not in -t.
- ✗ Nous partissons à huit heures.✓ Nous partons à huit heures.Partir has no -iss- and takes the plain endings, unlike regular -ir verbs such as finir.
- ✗ Elles descendez.✓ Elles descendent.Elles takes -ent, whereas -ez belongs only to vous.