Understanding French Irregular Verbs
French irregular verbs don't follow the standard conjugation patterns of regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs. These verbs have unique conjugation patterns that must be memorized individually.
The most important irregular verbs are high-frequency verbs used constantly in French:
ÊTRE (to be) - Most important verb in French
AVOIR (to have) - Essential auxiliary verb
ALLER (to go) - Movement and future tense
FAIRE (to do/make) - Common action verb
VENIR (to come) - Movement toward speaker
These five verbs are essential for basic French communication and appear in countless expressions and constructions.
Examples
Je suis français. (I am French.) - ÊTRE
Essential for identity and description
J'ai vingt ans. (I am twenty years old.) - AVOIR
Essential for possession and age
Je vais au cinéma. (I'm going to the cinema.) - ALLER
Essential for movement and future
ÊTRE (to be) - Most Important Verb
ÊTRE is the most frequently used verb in French. It's used for identity, description, location, and as an auxiliary verb:
ÊTRE (to be) - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | suis | I am |
| tu | es | you are (informal) |
| il/elle/on | est | he/she/one is |
| nous | sommes | we are |
| vous | êtes | you are (formal/plural) |
| ils/elles | sont | they are |
Uses of ÊTRE
Main functions of être in French:
Identity: Je suis Marie. (I am Marie.)
Description: Il est grand. (He is tall.)
Location: Nous sommes à Paris. (We are in Paris.)
Profession: Elle est médecin. (She is a doctor.)
ÊTRE as Auxiliary
Être with past participles:
Je suis arrivé(e). (I arrived.)
Nous sommes partis. (We left.)
AVOIR (to have) - Essential Auxiliary
AVOIR expresses possession and is the most common auxiliary verb for compound tenses:
AVOIR (to have) - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | ai | I have |
| tu | as | you have (informal) |
| il/elle/on | a | he/she/one has |
| nous | avons | we have |
| vous | avez | you have (formal/plural) |
| ils/elles | ont | they have |
Uses of AVOIR
Main functions of avoir:
Possession: J'ai une voiture. (I have a car.)
Age: Il a trente ans. (He is thirty years old.)
AVOIR Expressions
Common expressions with avoir:
AVOIR Expressions
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| avoir faim | to be hungry | J'ai faim. |
| avoir soif | to be thirsty | Tu as soif. |
| avoir peur | to be afraid | Il a peur. |
| avoir chaud | to be hot | Nous avons chaud. |
| avoir froid | to be cold | Vous avez froid. |
| avoir raison | to be right | Ils ont raison. |
ALLER (to go) - Movement and Future
ALLER expresses movement and forms the immediate future (futur proche):
ALLER (to go) - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | vais | I go/am going |
| tu | vas | you go/are going (informal) |
| il/elle/on | va | he/she/one goes/is going |
| nous | allons | we go/are going |
| vous | allez | you go/are going (formal/plural) |
| ils/elles | vont | they go/are going |
ALLER for Movement
Using aller for going places:
Je vais à l'école. (I'm going to school.)
Nous allons en France. (We're going to France.)
Immediate Future with ALLER
Aller + infinitive = immediate future:
Je vais manger. (I'm going to eat.)
Il va partir. (He's going to leave.)
FAIRE (to do/make) - Versatile Action Verb
FAIRE is used for actions, activities, and weather expressions:
FAIRE (to do/make) - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | fais | I do/make |
| tu | fais | you do/make (informal) |
| il/elle/on | fait | he/she/one does/makes |
| nous | faisons | we do/make |
| vous | faites | you do/make (formal/plural) |
| ils/elles | font | they do/make |
FAIRE Activities
Common activities with faire:
faire du sport (to do sports)
faire les courses (to do shopping)
faire la cuisine (to cook)
faire ses devoirs (to do homework)
FAIRE Weather Expressions
Weather with faire:
Il fait beau. (It's nice weather.)
Il fait froid. (It's cold.)
VENIR (to come) - Movement Toward Speaker
VENIR expresses movement toward the speaker and recent past:
VENIR (to come) - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | viens | I come/am coming |
| tu | viens | you come/are coming (informal) |
| il/elle/on | vient | he/she/one comes/is coming |
| nous | venons | we come/are coming |
| vous | venez | you come/are coming (formal/plural) |
| ils/elles | viennent | they come/are coming |
VENIR for Movement
Using venir for coming:
Je viens de Paris. (I come from Paris.)
Il vient chez moi. (He's coming to my place.)
Recent Past with VENIR DE
Venir de + infinitive = just did something:
Je viens de manger. (I just ate.)
Elle vient d'arriver. (She just arrived.)
Other Important Irregular Verbs
Additional high-frequency irregular verbs:
POUVOIR (can/to be able)
Modal verb for ability and permission:
POUVOIR - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | peux | I can |
| tu | peux | you can |
| il/elle/on | peut | he/she/one can |
| nous | pouvons | we can |
| vous | pouvez | you can |
| ils/elles | peuvent | they can |
VOULOIR (to want)
Modal verb for desire and polite requests:
je veux, tu veux, il veut
nous voulons, vous voulez, ils veulent
SAVOIR (to know)
Knowledge and skills:
je sais, tu sais, il sait
nous savons, vous savez, ils savent
Memory Strategies
Tips for memorizing irregular verb conjugations:
Grouping Similar Patterns
Some irregular verbs share patterns:
VENIR family: venir, tenir, devenir
POUVOIR family: pouvoir, vouloir
Practice Techniques
Effective memorization methods:
1. Daily conjugation practice
2. Use verbs in context sentences
3. Create flashcards for each verb
4. Practice with native speaker audio
Common Irregular Verb Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Mixing regular and irregular patterns: Using regular endings on irregular verbs
2. Confusing similar verbs: Mixing up être and avoir uses
3. Wrong auxiliary choice: Using avoir instead of être
4. Forgetting liaison: Not connecting sounds in speech
Examples
❌ je suis avoir → ✅ j'ai (I have)
Wrong: don't mix être and avoir
❌ il a allé → ✅ il est allé (he went)
Wrong: aller uses être as auxiliary
❌ nous faisons [fay-sons] → ✅ nous faisons [fuh-zon]
Wrong: pronunciation of faisons
❌ je vais à manger → ✅ je vais manger
Wrong: no preposition needed with infinitive