Groups 2 & 3, -ir verbs
French -ir verbs
Two patterns to know: the big regular family that conjugates like finir, and the smaller irregular family (partir, dormir, venir) that drops a consonant in the singular.
Two families wear the -ir suffix in French. The "regular -ir" family (group 2) conjugates like finir and has a tell-tale -iss- in the plural. The "irregular -ir" family (group 3), partir, dormir, venir, tenir, voir, savoir, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, falloir, ouvrir, courir, mourir, does its own thing. You need both patterns.
French IR verb endings (regular finir-type, group 2)
Drop -ir from the infinitive, add these endings. Note the -iss- infix in the plural, it's the signature of group 2.
| je | -is |
|---|---|
| tu | -is |
| il / elle | -it |
| nous | -issons |
| vous | -issez |
| ils / elles | -issent |
Irregular IR verb endings (partir / dormir-type, group 3)
Drop the last three letters (not just -ir) for the singular, part-, dorm-, sor-, then add the endings below. The plural keeps the consonant.
| je | -s |
|---|---|
| tu | -s |
| il / elle | -t |
| nous | -ons |
| vous | -ez |
| ils / elles | -ent |
Regular model: finir (to finish)
The cleanest example of a group-2 verb, every regular -ir verb follows this exact pattern.
Présent (indicative)
| je | finis |
|---|---|
| tu | finis |
| il | finit |
| nous | finissons |
| vous | finissez |
| ils | finissent |
Irregular model: partir (to leave)
The blueprint for the partir / sortir / dormir / sentir / mentir / servir family. The singular drops the -t-; the plural keeps it.
Présent (indicative)
| je | pars |
|---|---|
| tu | pars |
| il | part |
| nous | partons |
| vous | partez |
| ils | partent |
The other irregular -ir families
A few -ir verbs don't fit either model above and need to be memorized:
- venir / tenir, and all their compounds (devenir, revenir, contenir, obtenir, retenir, soutenir). Present: je viens, tu viens, il vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils viennent. Past participle: venu, tenu. Venir + its compounds takes être in compound tenses.
- pouvoir, vouloir, savoir, devoir, voir, falloir, modal-like verbs that end in -oir, not -ir, but get lumped in. Each has its own present pattern and a unique futur stem (je pourrai, je voudrai, je saurai, je devrai, je verrai, il faudra).
- ouvrir (and couvrir, offrir, souffrir), conjugate in the present like an -er verb: j'ouvre, tu ouvres, il ouvre, nous ouvrons, vous ouvrez, ils ouvrent. Past participle ends in -ert: ouvert.
- courir, mourir, keep the stem visible everywhere (je cours, je meurs) but the futur doubles the r: je courrai, je mourrai.