Regular -IR & -RE Verbs: New Patterns

Why this matters

You've conquered -ER verbs. But French has two more regular verb families — and some of the most useful daily verbs live there. When you say "I understand," "I finish work," or "I take the bus," you're using -IR and -RE verbs. Time to meet them.

🦝 Remy says: "Three verb families, and you'll know them all by tonight. French grammar is actually quite organized — once you see the patterns, it's like a puzzle clicking into place."

-IR Verbs: The Second Family

Remove -ir, then add these endings. Notice the -iss- that appears in the nous/vous/ils forms:

| Pronoun | Ending | Example: finir (to finish) | |

|

--|

-| | je | -is | je finis [zhuh fee-nee] | | tu | -is | tu finis | | il/elle | -it | il finit [eel fee-nee] | | nous | -issons | nous finissons [noo fee-nee-sohn] | | vous | -issez | vous finissez [voo fee-nee-say] | | ils/elles | -issent | ils finissent [eel fee-nees] |

Other common -IR verbs that follow this pattern:

| Verb | Meaning | ils form | |

|

|

| | choisir | to choose | ils choisissent | | réussir | to succeed | ils réussissent | | grandir | to grow | ils grandissent | | rougir | to blush | ils rougissent | | obéir | to obey | ils obéissent |

Example sentences:

• Tu choisis quoi ? [tü shwah-zee kwah] = What are you choosing?
• Elle réussit toujours ses examens. = She always passes her exams.
• Les enfants grandissent vite ! = Kids grow up fast!

-RE Verbs: The Third Family

Remove -re, then add these endings. The il/elle form gets nothing added:

| Pronoun | Ending | Example: vendre (to sell) | |

|

--|

| | je | -s | je vends [zhuh vahn] | | tu | -s | tu vends | | il/elle | — | il vend [eel vahn] | | nous | -ons | nous vendons | | vous | -ez | vous vendez | | ils/elles | -ent | ils vendent |

Example: Il vend des légumes au marché. = He sells vegetables at the market.

Other -RE verbs: attendre (to wait), répondre (to answer), descendre (to go down), perdre (to lose).

🦝 Remy's memory trick: "For -RE verbs, il/elle gets no ending — it's the minimalist of the group. Just drop the -re and walk away. Il vend. Done."

Quick Comparison: All Three Families

| Subject | -ER: parler | -IR: finir | -RE: vendre | |

|

-|

--|

-| | je | parle | finis | vends | | tu | parles | finis | vends | | il/elle | parle | finit | vend | | nous | parlons | finissons | vendons | | vous | parlez | finissez | vendez | | ils/elles | parlent | finissent | vendent |

📝 Exercise 1 — Fill in the blank

1. Le magasin ________ (finir) à 18h.
2. Tu ________ (choisir) quel plat ?
3. Elle ________ (vendre) sa voiture.
4. Nous ________ (attendre) le bus.
5. Ils ________ (réussir) leurs examens.

✅ Answers:

1. finit
2. choisis
3. vend
4. attendons
5. réussissent

📝 Exercise 2 — Transform

Change the subject as indicated and rewrite the sentence.

1. Je finis à 18h. → Ils ________
2. Tu vends des livres ? → Vous ________
3. Elle choisit une robe. → Elles ________

✅ Answers:

1. Ils finissent à 18h.
2. Vous vendez des livres ?
3. Elles choisissent une robe.

📝 Exercise 3 — Translate

1. I'm waiting for a friend. → ___
2. She succeeds every time. → ___
3. We choose the red one. → ___
4. They (m.) sell their house. → ___
5. Do you (tu) answer emails? → ___

✅ Answers:

1. J'attends un ami.
2. Elle réussit à chaque fois.
3. Nous choisissons le rouge.
4. Ils vendent leur maison.
5. Tu réponds aux emails ?

🎯 Today's challenge

Write three sentences about your day using one verb from each family: an -ER verb, an -IR verb, and an -RE verb. Share them with a language partner or write them in your notebook.

⭐ Key takeaways

• -IR verbs add -iss- in the nous, vous, and ils/elles forms — this is the key marker.
• -RE verbs are unique: il/elle gets no ending at all — just drop the -re.
• Knowing all three families covers the vast majority of regular French verbs.