This lesson is for verbs whose present forms do not follow the -er, -ir or -re endings. Most of them belong to one of the small families below.
An irregular example
prendre drops the d of its stem in the plural and doubles the n in ils/elles.
prendre in Présent
comprendre and apprendre follow it.
Verbs like dormir
dormir, partir, sortir, servir and mentir drop the last consonant of the stem in the singular: je dors, tu dors, il dort, but nous dormons.
Verbs like ouvrir
ouvrir, offrir, couvrir and souffrir end in -ir but take the -er endings: j'ouvre, tu ouvres, il ouvre, nous ouvrons.
Verbs in -oir
These carry one stem in the singular, another in nous and vous, and return to the first in ils/elles.
| Verb | je | nous | ils/elles |
|---|---|---|---|
| pouvoir | peux | pouvons | peuvent |
| vouloir | veux | voulons | veulent |
| devoir | dois | devons | doivent |
| recevoir | reçois | recevons | reçoivent |
| voir | vois | voyons | voient |
être, avoir, aller and faire
These four keep no pattern. Learn each form on its own: je suis, j'ai, je vais, je fais.