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French Verb Finisher
The regular –ir verb finir, "to finish," is normally pretty simple, but different prepositions and auxiliary verbs can make it a little tricky.
Finir = to finish, complete (transitive)
| Finis ton verre ! | Finish your glass! Drink up! | |
| Je vais finir les devoirs demain. | I’m going to finish the homework tomorrow. |
Finir = to finish, end (intransitive)
| La réunion finit à midi. | The meeting ends at noon. | |
| J’aime les films qui finissent bien. | I like movies with a happy ending. |
Finir in compound tenses
Generally speaking, finir requires avoir as its auxiliary verb in the compound tenses and moods.
Par exemple…
| J’ai fini les devoirs hier. | I finished the homework yesterday. | |
| Tu as fini ton repas ? | Have you finished your meal? |
In impersonal constructions and with inanimate objects, the auxiliary can be être.
Par exemple…
| C’est fini ! | It’s over! | |
| L’école est finie. | School is out. |
With être as the auxiliary verb, finir means "finished" as in dead, figuratively.
Par exemple…
| Cet acteur est fini. | That actor is finished. (His career is over.) | |
| Nos ennuis sont enfin finis. | Our worries are finally over. |
Finir de + infinitive = to stop doing
| Finis de crier ! | Stop yelling! | |
| Tu vas finir de te plaindre ? | Are you going to stop complaining? |
Finir en = to end in / end up in
| Tous les mots qui finissent en –sion sont féminins. | All words that end in –sion are feminine. | |
| Le voleur a fini en prison. | The thief ended up in prison. |
Finir par + infinitive = to end up doing / to do in the end
| Nous avons fini par acheter la maison. | We ended up buying the house. | |
| Ils ont fini par divorcer. | They got divorced in the end. |
En finir avec / de = to be done with
| J’en ai fini avec tout ça. | I’m done with all that. | |
| Il n’en finit jamais de se vanter. | He never stops bragging. |
Related lessons
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