In the first three parts of this series, we covered ER, IR, and RE verbs and how recognizing these patterns lets you conjugate most French verbs without much stress. But there is a small group of verbs that refuse to follow any of those patterns, and unfortunately, they happen to be some of the most frequently used verbs in the entire language.
This is the part of French grammar where pattern recognition stops helping you and memorization genuinely becomes necessary. The good news is that this group is small. Once you learn it properly, you have covered almost everything you need for daily conversation and for exams like TEF and TCF.
Être (to be)
This is the most fundamental verb in French, used for identity, description and a huge number of expressions.
Je suis
Tu es
Il / Elle / On est
Nous sommes
Vous êtes
Ils / Elles sont
Avoir (to have)
Just as essential as “être” and also used in many expressions where English would use “to be,” such as “avoir faim” (to be hungry) or “avoir froid” (to be cold) or to talk about age!
J’ai
Tu as
Il / Elle / On a
Nous avons
Vous avez
Ils / Elles ont
Aller (to go)
Used constantly for talking about movement, plans and also for forming the near future tense in French.
Je vais
Tu vas
Il / Elle / On va
Nous allons
Vous allez
Ils / Elles vont
Faire (to do, to make)
One of the most versatile verbs in French, used in countless everyday expressions, from talking about the weather to describing activities.
Je fais
Tu fais
Il / Elle / On fait
Nous faisons
Vous faites
Ils / Elles font
Venir (to come)
Also used to form the recent past in French, through the structure “venir de,” meaning to have just done something.
Je viens
Tu viens
Il / Elle / On vient
Nous venons
Vous venez
Ils / Elles viennent
Pouvoir (to be able to, can)
Used constantly to express ability or possibility, often followed by another verb in its infinitive form.
Je peux
Tu peux
Il / Elle / On peut
Nous pouvons
Vous pouvez
Ils / Elles peuvent
Vouloir (to want)
Essential for expressing desires, requests and polite suggestions.
Je veux
Tu veux
Il / Elle / On veut
Nous voulons
Vous voulez
Ils / Elles veulent
Devoir (to have to, must, to owe)
Used to express obligation or necessity, and also to talk about owing something.
Je dois
Tu dois
Il / Elle / On doit
Nous devons
Vous devez
Ils / Elles doivent
Savoir (to know, as in facts or how to do something)
Je sais
Tu sais
Il / Elle / On sait
Nous savons
Vous savez
Ils / Elles savent
Connaître (to know, as in being familiar with a person or place)
A common point of confusion for learners since both “savoir” and “connaître” translate to “know” in English but are used in different situations.
Je connais
Tu connais
Il / Elle / On connaît
Nous connaissons
Vous connaissez
Ils / Elles connaissent
Voir (to see)
Je vois
Tu vois
Il / Elle / On voit
Nous voyons
Vous voyez
Ils / Elles voient
Dire (to say, to tell)
Je dis
Tu dis
Il / Elle / On dit
Nous disons
Vous dites
Ils / Elles disent
Prendre (to take)
Je prends
Tu prends
Il / Elle / On prend
Nous prenons
Vous prenez
Ils / Elles prennent
This verb is also the base for comprendre (to understand) and apprendre (to learn). You can likewise conjugate these two verbs.
Mettre (to put, to place)
Je mets
Tu mets
Il / Elle / On met
Nous mettons
Vous mettez
Ils / Elles mettent
Boire (to drink)
Je bois
Tu bois
Il / Elle / On boit
Nous buvons
Vous buvez
Ils / Elles boivent
A pattern hiding inside the irregularity
Even though these verbs do not follow the regular ER, IR, RE patterns, many of them share something in common with each other. Look closely at pouvoir, vouloir, and devoir. All three have a similar shape, with je, tu and il/elle/on forms that are short and close to each other and nous and vous forms that shift the vowel sound. Savoir and connaître share a similar nous and vous pattern too.
This does not mean you can skip memorizing them, but it does mean that once you have learned a few of these well, the next ones become a little easier to absorb, because your ear and your memory start picking up on the family resemblance between them.
Why do these verbs deserve extra attention before your exam?
Être, avoir, aller, and faire alone appear in an enormous number of sentences across every part of a French exam, from listening passages to writing tasks. Pouvoir, vouloir, and devoir are essential for expressing opinions, requests, and obligations, which are common themes in TEF and TCF speaking and writing sections. If there is one section of French grammar worth drilling until it becomes automatic, it is this one.
Across these four parts, you now have a fairly complete picture of French present tense. The honest truth about these irregular verbs is that there is no shortcut around memorizing them properly. But the list is short, the verbs are genuinely useful in almost every conversation you will ever have in French, and the effort you put in here will pay off constantly, in your exams and in everyday speaking.
A good way to actually retain these is to use them in your own short sentences every day, rather than only reading the conjugation tables. You will notice these forms start to feel natural far faster than memorizing them silently ever will.
Exercise!
-
Conjugate the verb in brackets into the correct present tense form.
- Je _______ (être) très content aujourd’hui.
- Nous _______ (avoir) un examen demain.
- Elle _______ (aller) au marché ce matin.
- Vous _______ (faire) du sport régulièrement ?
- Ils _______ (vouloir) apprendre le français rapidement.
- Tu _______ (pouvoir) m’aider, s’il te plaît ?
- Nous _______ (devoir) finir ce travail avant ce soir.
- Je _______ (savoir) parler un peu d’espagnol.
- Il _______ (connaître) bien cette ville.
- Elles _______ (prendre) le train tous les jours.
- Vous _______ (dire) la vérité, j’espère.
- Nous _______ (venir) de Mumbai.
- Tu _______ (voir) ce que je veux dire ?
- Je _______ (mettre) mon manteau avant de sortir.
- Ils _______ (boire) du café chaque matin.
- Je ______ (aller) au bureau tous les matins.
- Nous ______ (faire) français chaque jour.
- Elle ______ (avoir) une nouvelle voiture.
- Vous ______ (pouvoir) parler anglais ?
- Ils ______ (vouloir) venir avec nous.
- Tu ______ (prendre) ton livre ?
- Je ______ (savoir) la réponse.
- Nous ______ (écrire) une carte postale.
- Il ______ (mettre) son sac sur la chaise.
- Vous ______ (voir) ce film ?
- Choose the correct answer.
- Nous _____ au restaurant.
- a) va
- b) allons
- c) allez
- Elles _____ leurs devoirs.
- a) fait
- b) font
- c) faisons
- Je _____ un livre.
- a) lis
- b) lit
- c) lisez
- Tu _____ avec moi ?
- a) viens
- b) vient
- c) venons
- Il _____ une lettre.
- a) écrit
- b) écris
- c) écrivons
Answer key
-
Conjugate the verb in brackets into the correct present tense form.
- suis
- avons
- va
- faites
- veulent
- peux
- devons
- sais
- connaît
- prennent
- dites
- venons
- vois
- mets
- boivent
- vais
- faisons
- a
- pouvez
- veulent
- prends
- sais
- écrivons
- met
- voyez
- Choose the correct answer.
- b) allons
- b) font
- a) lis
- a) viens
- a) écrit
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