Irregular Verbs in French
Verbs are made up of two parts: their radical and their ending (terminaison).
The radical is the part of the verb that usually doesn’t change. For example, in the verb aimer, ‘aim’ is the radical. This part remains the same in all the forms of the verb.
However, the radicals of some verbs do vary and change when conjugated in different tenses or for different subjects. These verbs are called irregular verbs.
To help you tackle irregular verbs, here is a list of the most commonly used in the French language. Mastering their conjugation will help you improve your French grammar.
List of most common irregular verbs in French
Verb to be : être
Pronouns | Simple present | Futur simple |
Je (I) | suis | serai |
Tu (you) | es | seras |
Il/elle/on (He/she) | est | sera |
Nous (we) | sommes | serons |
Vous (you) | êtes | serez |
Ils/elles (they) | sont | seront |
Verb to have : avoir
Pronouns | Simple present | Futur simple |
Je (I) | ai | aurai |
Tu (you) | as | auras |
Il/elle/on (He/she) | a | aura |
Nous (we) | avons | aurons |
Vous (you) | avez | aurez |
Ils/elles (they) | ont | auront |
Verb can and to want: pouvoir/vouloir
Pronouns | Simple present | Futur simple |
Je (I) | peux / veux | pourrai / voudrai |
Tu (you) | peux/ veux | pourras / voudras |
Il/elle/on (He/she) | peut / veut | pourra / voudra |
Nous (we) | pouvons/ voulons | pourrons / voudrons |
Vous (you) | pouvez / voulez | pourrez / voudrez |
Ils/elles (they) | pouvont / voulont | pourront / voudront |
Verb can and to want: voir
Pronouns | Simple present | Futur simple |
Je (I) | vois | verrai |
Tu (you) | vois | verras |
Il/elle/on (He/she) | voit | verra |
Nous (we) | voyons | verrons |
Vous (you) | voyez | verrez |
Ils/elles (they) | voient | verront |
Verb can and to drink: boire
Pronouns | Simple present | Future Simple |
Je (I) | bois | boirai |
Tu (you) | bois | boiras |
Il/elle/on (He/she) | boit | boira |
Nous (we) | buvons | boirons |
Vous (you) | buvez | boirez |
Ils/elles (they) | boivent | boiront |
Verb can and to go: aller
Pronouns | Simple present | Futur Simple |
Je (I) | vais | irai |
Tu (you) | vas | iras |
Il/elle/on (He/she) | va | ira |
Nous (we) | allons | irons |
Vous (you) | allez | irez |
Ils/elles (they) | vont | iront |
Verb can and to do: faire
Pronouns | Simple present | Futur Simple |
Je (I) | fais | ferai |
Tu (you) | fais | feras |
Il/elle/on (He/she) | fait | fera |
Nous (we) | faisons | ferons |
Vous (you) | faisez | ferez |
Ils/elles (they) | font | feront |
Verb can and to come: venir
Pronouns | Simple present | Futur Simple |
Je (I) | viens | viendrai |
Tu (you) | viens | viendras |
Il/elle/on (He/she) | vient | viendra |
Nous (we) | venons | viendrons |
Vous (you) | venez | viendrez |
Ils/elles (they) | vennont | viendront |
Verb can and to have to: devoir
Pronouns | Simple present | Futur Simple |
Je (I) | dois | devrai |
Tu (you) | dois | devras |
Il/elle/on (He/she) | doit | devra |
Nous (we) | devrons | devrons |
Vous (you) | devrez | devrez |
Ils/elles (they) | devront | devront |
Irregular Verbs - Practice Worksheet
Now that you have learned about irregular verbs, you can test your knowledge with the following worksheets.
