Here are the 19 most important irregular verbs to know in French. They are important because they are very frequently used. They are also important to know because many exist in compound form (eg, venir is used in the compound forms revenir, devenir, prévenir, provenir, convenir, survenir and advenir, among others). Since these 19 verbs are irregular, the way they are conjugated doesn’t follow the rules of regular verbs. (Conjugation: using the appropriate spellings of the verb to match I, you, he/she/it/one/etc, we, you and they).
If you’re wondering why such frequently used verbs are also so irregular, it is because verbs that are used more frequently tend to undergo more changes over the centuries. Less frequently used verbs experience fewer changes, and so tend to follow regular conjugation patterns.
Verbs at the top of this list are more frequently used than verbs at the bottom of this list. So focus on learning the first nine (9) verbs at the top of the list before working on the later ones. These are être, avoir, faire, aller, venir, devoir, pouvoir, vouloir and savoir.
If you don’t know what “past participle” and “conjugated with” and “future simple stem” means, because you haven’t yet learned the Passé Composé tense or the Future Simple tense, please ignore those parts. Just focus on learning the je, tu, il, nous, vous, and ils forms of each verb.
Intermediate topics:
Notice that the “they” form (ils) of the first four irregular verbs end in “-ont.” “Être” is “ils sont,” “avoir” is “ils ont,” “faire” is “ils font,” and “aller” is “ils vont.” These are the only verbs in French ending in “ont” in the “ils” form.
Notice also that the “vous” forms of “être,” “faire,” and “dire” do NOT end in “-ez” like all other verbs in French (eg vous avez, vous allez, etc). Instead they end in “-tes.” So “you are” is “vous êtes,” “you do” is “vous faites” and “you say” is “vous dites.” These are the only three verbs in the French language where the “vous” form ends in “-tes.”
Many irregular verbs are also used in compound forms (eg “venir” is used in “revenir”), which are also conjugated similarly to the original verb. For example, “venir” (to come) gives us “revenir” (to come back/again), and “prendre” (to take) gives us “comprendre” (to understand).
Many of these irregular verbs have their past participle ending in the letter “u,” even though very few of them are verbs whose infinitives end in “-re.” Regular verbs like “vendre” and “attendre” have their past participle ending in “u.” “Vendre” becomes “vendu” in the past (sold) and “attendre” becomes “attendu” in the past (waited for/awaited). But all the irregular verbs ending in “-oir” have their past participle ending in “u,” along with a few other irregular verbs.
The second most frequently used verb in French is “avoir,” which means “to have.” It can also be used to talk about how old someone is. “Avoir” is an essential verb to know. “Avoir” is also used to express age. For instance:
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Most French learners are familiar with the word for “where,” which is “où.” But how do you say “somewhere,” “nowhere,” “anywhere,” “everywhere,” “elsewhere,” and similar words?
The French verb “devoir” means “to have to” or “must.” An earlier post looked at “devoir” in a general sense. Let’s examine a few specific aspects of “devoir” that are indispensable for reading and talking in French. Past participle The past participle of “devoir” is “dû.” Unlike the past participles of “avoir, savoir, vouloir, pouvoir,…
Both “humour” and “humeur” are French nouns. But they mean different things. “L’humour” (masculine) means “the humour” or “the comedy.” It corresponds fairly closely to the English word “humour” (or “humor,” in US English). In French culture, especially cultivated and sophisticated French culture, “wit” was seen as more important. The French idea of “wit” is…
The French verb “revenir” has several meanings and uses. It basically means “to come back,” since it is based on the verb “venir,” meaning “to come.” Here are some of the primary meanings:
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