Verbe irrégulier – Most common French irregular verbs and their conjugations

Key takeaways

• French irregular verbs don’t follow the usual patterns of -er, -ir, or -re verbs.
• The most common irregular verbs are être, avoir, aller, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, venir, devoir, prendre, mettre.
• They are essential for daily communication and appear constantly in conversation, reading, and writing.
• Many irregular verbs fall into mini-groups or irregular verb families, which helps learners organize and memorize them.
• Learning irregular verbs early speeds up progress toward fluency.

What Are Irregular Verbs in French?

In French, verbs fall into three groups:

1. -ER verbs (regular, e.g., parler → je parle, tu parles).
2. -IR verbs (many regular, e.g., finir → je finis, nous finissons).
3. -RE verbs (often irregular, e.g., prendre, mettre).

Irregular verbs are those that break the predictable patterns. They may have stem changes, unexpected endings, or unique forms.

Every learner quickly realizes that the verbs you need most — “to be,” “to have,” “to go” — are all irregular. This is why, as the Berlitz overview of irregular verb families explains, focusing on these groups early gives you maximum return for your study time.

The Most Common French Irregular Verbs

Here is a list of the 10 most frequently used irregular verbs and their conjugations in the present tense:

These 10 verbs account for a huge percentage of spoken French. Mastering them will allow you to form simple but powerful sentences in nearly any situation.

Patterns in French Irregular Verbs

Although irregular verbs seem chaotic, many belong to families that share similarities.

• -OIR verbs (vouloir, pouvoir, devoir): unusual stems, but similar endings.
• -RE verbs (prendre, mettre, lire): many drop or alter consonants.
• Stem-changing verbs (venir, tenir): change in singular vs plural.

Grouping them by type makes them easier to study. As the Berlitz breakdown of irregular verb families points out, once you learn one verb in a family, others become easier.

Irregular -IR Verbs

Not all -ir verbs are irregular. Compare:

• Regular: finir → je finis, nous finissons.
• Irregular: partir → je pars, nous partons.
• Irregular: venir → je viens, nous venons.

Other common irregular -ir verbs: dormir, sortir, courir.

Example:

• Je dors tard le week-end. → I sleep late on weekends.
• Ils sortent ensemble. → They go out together.

Irregular -RE Verbs

The -re group is famous for its irregulars. Some follow clear rules, but many require memorization.

• Prendre (to take): je prends, tu prends, il prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils prennent
• Mettre (to put): je mets, nous mettons, ils mettent
• Lire (to read): je lis, nous lisons, ils lisent
• Écrire (to write): j’écris, nous écrivons, ils écrivent

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Less Common but Useful Irregular Verbs

• Boire (to drink): je bois, nous buvons, ils boivent
• Connaître (to know): je connais, nous connaissons, ils connaissent
• Dire (to say): je dis, nous disons, ils disent
• Savoir (to know): je sais, nous savons, ils savent
• Tenir (to hold): je tiens, nous tenons, ils tiennent

Why Learn Irregular Verbs Early?

1. They are used constantly — every basic sentence involves at least one.
2. They function as auxiliary verbs (être, avoir) to build compound tenses.
3. They are essential for expressing ability, necessity, and desire (pouvoir, devoir, vouloir).

Exercises: Practice Irregular Verbs

1. Fill in the blanks

• Je ________ (être) fatigué.
• Tu ________ (avoir) deux chiens?
• Ils ________ (aller) à l’école.
• Nous ________ (faire) du sport.
• Elle ________ (vouloir) un café.

2. Translate into French

• I want to learn French.
• She must finish her homework.
• We are going to Paris tomorrow.
• They can swim very well.

3. Conjugate in the present tense

• Venir (to come) → ________
• Lire (to read) → ________
• Pouvoir (to be able to) → ________

Answers

1. suis, as, vont, faisons, veut
2. Je veux apprendre le français | Elle doit finir ses devoirs | Nous allons à Paris demain | Ils peuvent très bien nager
3. je viens, tu lis, nous pouvons

Tips for Mastering French Irregular Verbs

• Focus on the top 10 first. These cover everyday speech.
• Group by families. If you know venir, you can guess tenir.
• Practice in context. Make sentences instead of memorizing charts: Je suis fatigué, Nous avons faim, Ils vont travailler.
• Listen actively. Notice irregulars in songs, movies, or conversations.

To see how irregular verbs fit into the broader tense system, explore our French verb tenses guide. For practical strategies, check learning French effectively. And to set realistic goals, read about how long it takes to learn French fluently.

Summary

French irregular verbs are the backbone of the language. They may not follow regular patterns, but they appear in nearly every sentence you’ll hear or say. By focusing first on the most common verbs — être, avoir, aller, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, venir, devoir, prendre, mettre — you’ll quickly gain confidence in conversation.

Irregular verbs may look intimidating at first, but grouping them into irregular verb families and practicing subgroups like irregular -re verbs makes them manageable. Over time, conjugating them will become automatic as you learn French with Promova.