Getting confused with French verbs is something almost every new French learner struggles with. But without understanding these verbs, learning grammar can become more confusing and complex, and you might end up giving up in between. But don’t worry, in this blog, we have mentioned 20 of the most common verbs in French that help you understand the verb conjugation pattern, and boost your confidence. Read on and discover different er, re, and ir ending verbs in French that will make your French journey easier and more fun!
Table of Contents
1. Jouer: To Play
2. Être: To Be
3. Donner: To give
4. Avoir: To Have
5. Faire: To Do/Make
6. Pouvoir: To Be Able
7. Dire: To Say/Tell
8. Aller: To Go
9. Voir: To See
10. Savoir: To Know (Facts, How To)
11. Vouloir: To Want
12. Venir: To Come
13. Devoir: To Have To/Must/Owe
14. Prendre: To Take
15. Mettre: To Put/Place
16. Parler: To Speak
17. Aimer: To Like/Love
18. Passer: To Spend (Time)/To
19. Falloir: To Be Necessary / Must
20. Trouver: To Find
“Un verbe” aka verbs in French are doing words or action words, which means that they express the action which is being performed by the subject of the sentence (pronoun or a noun).
For example, “Nous allons au parc” (We are going to the park,) here the verb “aller” (to go) is conjugated to “allons” to match the subject “nous” (we), and it is showing the action being performed by the subject.
But, did you know that these French verbs don’t only show physical action, they also describe thoughts, states, concepts, and processes? Let’s take a look at the types of verbs in French to understand them better.
Essentially, the verbs in the French language are divided into two types, regular and irregular verbs. Understanding these French words will not only help learn the language better but even make the French verb conjugation easier.
Below, are 20 common irregular and regular verbs in French that will help you gain a strong foundation of the language and even help you understand their conjugation patterns better. Let’s take a look at them:
Also Read: Prepositions in French
Learning about the common ir, re, and er ending verbs in French will help you not only understand the fundamental concepts of the French language but it will also help you form basic sentences and express actions. Check out 20 of the most common French verbs along with some examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je joue (“I play”) | nous jouons (“we play”) |
| tu joues (“you [singular informal] play”) | vous jouez (“you [plural/formal] play”) |
| il, elle, on joue (“he, she, it plays”) | ils, elles jouent (“they play”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je suis (“I am”) | nous sommes (“we are”) |
| tu es (“you [singular informal] are”) | vous êtes (“you [plural/formal] are”) |
| il, elle, on est (“he, she, it is”) | ils, elles sont (“they are”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je donne (“I give”) | nous donnons (“we give”) |
| tu donnes (“you [singular informal] give”) | vous donnez (“you [plural/formal] give”) |
| il, elle, on donne (“he, she, it gives”) | ils, elles donnent (“they give”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| j’ai (“I have”) | nous avons (“we have”) |
| tu as (“you [singular informal] have”) | vous avez (“you [plural/formal] have”) |
| il, elle, on a (“he, she, it has”) | ils, elles ont (“they have”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je fais (“I do/make”) | nous faisons (“we do/make”) |
| tu fais (“you [singular informal] do/make”) | vous faites (“you [plural/formal] do/make”) |
| il, elle, on fait (“he, she, it does/makes”) | ils, elles font (“they do/make”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je peux (“I can”) | nous pouvons (“we can”) |
| tu peux (“you [singular informal] can”) | vous pouvez (“you [plural/formal] can”) |
| il, elle, on peut (“he, she, it can”) | ils, elles peuvent (“they can”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je dis (“I say/tell”) | nous disons (“we say/tell”) |
| tu dis (“you [singular informal] say/tell”) | vous dites (“you [plural/formal] say/tell”) |
| il, elle, on dit (“he, she, it says/tells”) | ils, elles disent (“they say/tell”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je vais (“I go”) | nous allons (“we go”) |
| tu vas (“you [singular informal] go”) | vous allez (“you [plural/formal] go”) |
| il, elle, on va (“he, she, it goes”) | ils, elles vont (“they go”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je vois (“I see”) | nous voyons (“we see”) |
| tu vois (“you [singular informal] see”) | vous voyez (“you [plural/formal] see”) |
| il, elle, on voit (“he, she, it sees”) | ils, elles voient (“they see”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je sais (“I know”) | nous savons (“we know”) |
| tu sais (“you [singular informal] know”) | vous savez (“you [plural/formal] know”) |
| il, elle, on sait (“he, she, it knows”) | ils, elles savent (“they know”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je veux (“I want”) | nous voulons (“we want”) |
| tu veux (“you [singular informal] want”) | vous voulez (“you [plural/formal] want”) |
| il, elle, on veut (“he, she, it wants”) | ils, elles veulent (“they want”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je viens (“I come”) | nous venons (“we come”) |
| tu viens (“you [singular informal] come”) | vous venez (“you [plural/formal] come”) |
| il, elle, on vient (“he, she, it comes”) | ils, elles viennent (“they come”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je dois (“I have to/must/owe”) | nous devons (“we have to/must/owe”) |
| tu dois (“you [singular informal] have to”) | vous devez (“you [plural/formal] have to”) |
| il, elle, on doit (“he, she, it has to”) | ils, elles doivent (“they have to”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je prends (“I take”) | nous prenons (“we take”) |
| tu prends (“you [singular informal] take”) | vous prenez (“you [plural/formal] take”) |
| il, elle, on prend (“he, she, it takes”) | ils, elles prennent (“they take”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je mets (“I put/place”) | nous mettons (“we put/place”) |
| tu mets (“you [singular informal] put/place”) | vous mettez (“you [plural/formal] put/place”) |
| il, elle, on met (“he, she, it puts/places”) | ils, elles mettent (“they put/place”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je parle (“I speak”) | nous parlons (“we speak”) |
| tu parles (“you [singular informal] speak”) | vous parlez (“you [plural/formal] speak”) |
| il, elle, on parle (“he, she, it speaks”) | ils, elles parlent (“they speak”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| j’aime (“I like/love”) | nous aimons (“we like/love”) |
| tu aimes (“you [singular informal] like/love”) | vous aimez (“you [plural/formal] like/love”) |
| il, elle, on aime (“he, she, it likes/loves”) | ils, elles aiment (“they like/love”) |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je passe (“I spend/pass”) | nous passons (“we spend/pass”) |
| tu passes (“you [singular informal] spend/pass”) | vous passez (“you [plural/formal] spend/pass”) |
| il, elle, on passe (“he, she, it spends/passes”) | ils, elles passent (“they spend/pass”) |
Examples:
Do note that Falloir is an impersonal verb and only conjugates in the third person singular il form.
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| il faut (“it is necessary” / “one must”) | No plural form (used only as "il faut") |
Examples:
| Singular Form | Plural/Formal Form |
|---|---|
| je trouve (“I find”) | nous trouvons (“we find”) |
| tu trouves (“you [singular informal] find”) | vous trouvez (“you [plural/formal] find”) |
| il, elle, on trouve (“he, she, one finds”) | ils, elles trouvent (“they find”) |
Examples:
To sum up, learning French can be quite intimidating, especially if you’re just starting. However, you can make it less daunting with the help of French verbs. Learning common verbs in French and mastering both regular and irregular verbs can help contextualize learning and even build your confidence.
Another way to boost your French learning journey is by getting help from our experts at Gradding.com. They will help you understand the common regular and irregular verbs in French, how to use them in context and understand active learning techniques. Get tailored help today!
The 20 common and frequently used verbs in French are:
The super 7 are the most important French verbs which are irregular but are also highly common, these include:
Examples of regular French verbs are parler (to speak,) finir (to finish,) and attendre (to wait), these they types of verb which follow predictable conjugation patterns. On the other hand, some examples of irregular French verbs are être (to be,) avoir (to have,) aller (to go,) and faire (to do/make), which are the verbs that do not follow a regular pattern and often change their stem or endings.
To conjugate French verbs, you have to change the ending of the verb to agree with the subject (je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles) and tense (present, past, future, etc.). Based on their infinitive endings, there are three main French verb groups which are -er verbs (like parler,) -ir verbs (like finir,) and -re verbs (like attendre). Do note that the irregular verbs have unique conjugations which need to be memorized.
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