1. Regular -IR Verbs in the Present Tense (2nd Group: Finir, Choisir, Réussir)
Regular -ir verbs belong to the second group of French verbs. To conjugate them in the present tense, drop the infinitive ending -ir to find the stem (finir → fin-, choisir → chois-) and add the endings: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent. Notice the characteristic -iss- bridge in all plural forms!
| Subject Pronoun | Ending | Finir (to finish) | Choisir (to choose) | Pronunciation Cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je / J' | -is | je finis | je choisis | fee-nee / shwa-zee (-s is silent) |
| Tu | -is | tu finis | tu choisis | fee-nee / shwa-zee (-s is silent) |
| Il / Elle / On | -it | il/elle/on finit | il/elle/on choisit | fee-nee / shwa-zee (-t is silent) |
| Nous | -issons | nous finissons | nous choisissons | fee-nee-sohn / shwa-zee-sohn |
| Vous | -issez | vous finissez | vous choisissez | fee-nee-say / shwa-zee-say |
| Ils / Elles | -issent | ils/elles finissent | ils/elles choisissent | fee-nees / shwa-zees (pronounce the double s!) |
High-Frequency Regular -IR Verbs to Know for French A1
• choisir (to choose)
• remplir (to fill / fill out a form)
• applaudir (to applaud)
• réfléchir (à) (to think about / reflect)
• obéir (à) (to obey someone/rules)
• grossir (to gain weight)
• maigrir (to lose weight)
• rougir (to blush / turn red)
2. Regular -RE Verbs in the Present Tense (Attendre, Vendre, Entendre, Répondre)
Regular -re verbs drop the -re ending to form the stem (attendre → attend-, vendre → vend-) and add: -s, -s, — (nothing!), -ons, -ez, -ent. In the third-person singular (il / elle / on), nothing is added because the stem already ends in -d!
| Subject Pronoun | Ending | Attendre (to wait for) | Vendre (to sell) | Pronunciation Cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je / J' | -s | j'attends | je vends | zhuh-tahn / vahn (-ds is silent!) |
| Tu | -s | tu attends | tu vends | tyoo a-tahn / vahn (-ds is silent!) |
| Il / Elle / On | — (no ending) | il/elle/on attend | il/elle/on vend | a-tahn / vahn (final -d is silent!) |
| Nous | -ons | nous attendons | nous vendons | a-tahn-dohn / vahn-dohn (pronounce the d!) |
| Vous | -ez | vous attendez | vous vendez | a-tahn-day / vahn-day (pronounce the d!) |
| Ils / Elles | -ent | ils/elles attendent | ils/elles vendent | a-tahnd / vahnd (pronounce the d, silent -ent!) |
Essential Regular -RE Verbs & Their Preposition Rules
| French Verb | English Meaning | Correct French Example | Crucial Preposition Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| attendre | to wait (for) | J'attends le bus / mon ami. | NO "pour"! "For" is already built into attendre. |
| répondre à | to answer / reply (to) | Elle répond à la question / au client. | Always requires à (à la, au, aux) before a noun! |
| entendre | to hear | Tu entends ce bruit ? | Direct object (no preposition). |
| vendre | to sell | Ils vendent leur voiture. | Direct object. |
| perdre | to lose / waste (time) | Il perd toujours ses clés. | Also used in perdre du temps (to waste time). |
| descendre | to go down / get off | Nous descendons à la prochaine station. | descendre du train / du bus (to get off). |
| rendre | to give back / return | Je rends le livre à la bibliothèque. | Used in rendre visite à = to visit a person! |
3. Pronunciation & Exam Traps: -IR vs. -RE Verbs
In both spoken French and written exams, pay special attention to how the plural forms sound compared to the singular forms:
- Never Add a "-t" to Il/Elle/On on Regular -RE Verbs: Because attend-, vend-, répond-, and perd- already end in -d, the il/elle/on form adds nothing: Il attend, Elle répond, On vend (never write attendt or vendt!).
- Don't Forget "-iss-" in Plural Regular -IR Verbs: In the nous, vous, and ils/elles forms, regular -ir verbs always insert -iss-: Nous finissons, Vous choisissez, Ils réussissent (never nous finons!).
- Attendre vs. Répondre à: Never say J'attends pour le train → say J'attends le train. Conversely, never say Je réponds le professeur → say Je réponds au professeur!
- Rendre visite à (Person) vs. Visiter (Place): To visit a person (friend, parents, doctor), use rendre visite à: Nous rendons visite à nos grands-parents.
Frequently Asked Questions — Regular -IR and -RE Verbs in the Present Tense
Why doesn't 'il attend' or 'elle vend' take a '-t' at the end?
In French, regular -re verbs whose stem ends in '-d' or '-t' (like attendre, vendre, répondre, perdre, entendre) do not add a '-t' in the il/elle/on form. The stem itself serves as the third-person singular conjugation: il attend, elle vend, on répond.
How can you hear the difference between 'il finit' and 'ils finissent', or 'il vend' and 'ils vendent'?
In singular 'il finit' (fee-nee), the final '-t' is silent; in plural 'ils finissent' (fee-nees), the '-iss-' is clearly pronounced! Similarly, in singular 'il vend' (vahn), the final '-d' is silent; in plural 'ils vendent' (vahnd), the silent '-ent' causes you to pronounce the 'd' sound at the end.
Why do we say 'J'attends le bus' without 'pour', but 'Je réponds au message' with 'à'?
The verb 'attendre' already means 'to wait for', so it takes a direct object with no preposition (J'attends le bus). The verb 'répondre' means 'to reply to' and always requires the preposition 'à' (répondre à une question, répondre au téléphone, répondre aux clients).
How do you say 'to visit my parents' using an -re verb?
In French, 'visiter' is used only for places (museums, cities). To visit people, use the expression 'rendre visite à': Je rends visite à mes parents, Nous rendons visite à un ami.