A list of compounds and homologues of irregular French verbs

Many irregular French verbs are used in compound form to make new verbs with new meanings. The compound versions follow the same conjugation method as the original verb.

Homologues are verbs that resemble the original verb in spelling and are conjugated in the same basic way.

venir	to come
s’abstenir	to abstain
advenir	to happen
appartenir à	to belong
circonvenir	to circumvent, get around
contenir	to contain
contrevenir	to contravene
convenir	to suit
détenir	to detain
devenir	to become
entretenir	to maintain, support
intervenir	to intervene, take place
maintenir	to maintain
obtenir	to obtain
parvenir à	to reach, to manage to
prévenir	to prevent, tell, call, warn, anticipate
provenir de	to come from, stem from
redevenir	to become … again
revenir	to come back
retenir	to retain
se souvenir de	to remember
soutenir	to support
subvenir	to meet, provide, subsidise
survenir	to occur, arise
tenir	to hold, keep

prendre	to take
apprendre	to learn
comprendre	to understand
(se) déprendre	to free oneself from
désapprendre	to forget, unlearn
entreprendre	to start, undertake, embark on
s’éprendre de	to become enamoured of
se méprendre	to be mistaken about
rapprendre	to learn again
réapprendre	to learn again
reprendre	to take back, to have some more (food)
surprendre	to surprise

mettre	to put
admettre	to admit, accept
compromettre	to compromise, endanger, jeopardise
commettre	to commit, carry out, appoint
démettre	to dismiss, to dislocate
émettre	to emit, express, put forward, to issue, to send out
omettre	to omit, leave out
permettre	to permit, allow
promettre	to promise, show promise
remettre	to put back, hand over, put straight again
retransmettre	to retransmit, broadcast, relay
soumettre	to submit
transmettre	to transmit

dire	to say, tell
contredire	to contradict
se dédire	to retract one’s statement, to back out of
interdire	to forbid, prohibit, ban
maudire	to curse
médire	to speak ill of, to malign
prédire	to predict
redire	to repeat

partir	to leave, depart
desservir	to serve, lead to, do a disservice, clear
dormir	to sleep
mentir	to lie
revêtir	to take on, assume, adorn
sentir	to smell, feel
servir	to serve
sortir	to go out, exit
vêtir	to dress

voir	to see
entrevoir	to glimpse, make out, foresee
prévoir	to predict, plan, provide for, anticipate
pourvoir	to fill, endow, provide for
revoir	to see again, review, correct, revise

ouvrir	to open
accueillir	to welcome
assaillir	to assail, attack
couvrir	to cover
cueillir	to gather, pick
découvrir	to discover
défaillir	to faint, fail
entrouvrir	to open a little
offrir	to offer, give, buy
recouvrir	to cover up, hide, conceal
recueillir	to collect, obtain, gather
redécouvrir	to rediscover
rouvrir	to reopen
saillir	to cover, serve, jut out
souffrir	to suffer, put up with

courir	to run
accourir	to run up
concourir	to compete
discourir	to hold forth
encourir	to incur
parcourir	to travel all over, cover
recourir	to use, have recourse to, resort to, run again
secourir	to help, rescue, give first aid to

recevoir	to receive
apercevoir	to catch sight of, notice
concevoir	to design, conceive, understand, form, see
décevoir	to disappoint
entrapercevoir	to catch a glimpse of
percevoir	to collect, receive, perceive, appreciate

vivre	to live
revivre	to relive, come alive again
survivre	to survive

écrire	to write
circonscrire	to confine or limit
décrire	to describe, depict, or narrate in detail
inscrire	to enroll, register, or write something in a record or list
prescrire	to prescribe
proscrire	to prohibit or ban
récrire	to rewrite or transcribe
souscrire	to subscribe or endorse
transcrire	to transcribe or copy in writing

il se peut que

ByFast French June 19, 2024June 19, 2024

The French phrase “il se peut que” is commonly used in everyday conversation to express possibility or uncertainty. In English, it translates to “it may be that” or “it is possible that.” This phrase is often followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood, which is used to convey doubt, possibility, or uncertainty. Breaking Down…

Pronunciation

c pronunciation

ByFast French February 26, 2024February 26, 2024

The letter “c” can be pronounced in two different ways in French. It can be hard, like the first “c” in the word “coriace,” meaning “tough,” “leathery,” or “hard-headed,” pronounced [KOH REE AHSS]. Or it can be soft, like the last “c” in “coriace.” How do you know whether a “c” will be hard or…

Sayings & Expressions

le roi n’est pas son cousin

ByFast French October 18, 2023October 17, 2023

The French expression “le roi n’est pas son cousin” translates literally as “the king is not his cousin.” What it really means is “he is happier than a king,” or “he is almost as happy as a king,” depending on your interpretation. This saying can be understood in one of two ways. Firstly, it can…

Prepositions

How to say “under” in French

ByFast French November 1, 2023November 1, 2023

Translating prepositions from one language to another can be a tricky task. One group of prepositions that often poses challenges in learning French is the one containing “under,” “underneath,” “below” and “beneath.” “Sous” The most common and straightforward translation for “under” in French is “sous.” This word is the primary equivalent of “under” and is…

Verbs

pousser

ByFast French December 1, 2023June 19, 2024

The French verb “pousser” means “to push,” “to move,” “to push aside,” “to let out,” or “to grow,” among a variety of different meanings. The green sign in the photo means “Push to open.” To push: “Pousser” mainly means to push or shove. To grow: Expressions and Idiomatic Usage: Etymology: The French verb “pousser” traces…

Sayings & Expressions

être mal barré

ByFast French July 31, 2023July 31, 2023

The French saying “être mal barré” means “to get off to a bad start,” “to be heading for failure,” or “to get into big trouble.” Literally it translates as “to be badly steered” or “to be badly guided,” in the nautical sense of steering or guiding. “La barre” is the tiller or the helm of…

Grammar: Compounds & Homologues

Don’t miss new articles!