Irregular -ir Verbs

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Verbes du troisième groupe*

There are around 60 irregular -ir verbs, but that doesn’t mean you have to memorize 60 different verb conjugation tables. Thanks to patterns in the conjugations of most of these verbs, you only need to learn 21.

Verbs like partir

These verbs are conjugated in the present tense by dropping the final letter of the stem in the singular conjugations before adding these endings:

Common verbs

and their derivatives: ressentir, endormir, etc.

Verbs that end in -llir, -frir, or -vrir

Most verbs that end in -llir and all that end in -frir or -vrir are conjugated like regular -er verbs, thus the endings

Common verbs

and their derivatives: découvrir, recueillir, etc.

Verbs that end in -enir

All verbs with this ending (tenir [to hold], venir [to come], and all of their derivatives) follow this pattern in the present tense.

Par exemple : venir

Common verbs

 There is, however, one important difference between these verbs in the compound tenses: venir and most of its derivatives require être as their helping verb, while tenir and all of its derivatives require avoir.

Really irregular -ir verbs

Knowing the above three patterns will allow you to conjugate most irregular -ir verbs, leaving just these with unique or nearly unique conjugations:

1. acquérir | conquérir
2. assaillir | défaillir | saillir | tressaillir
3. asseoir
4. avoir
5. bouillir
6. courir | parcourir | secourir
7. décevoir | recevoir
8. devoir
9. falloir
10. mourir
11. mouvoir | émouvoir | promouvoir
12. pleuvoir
13. pouvoir | vouloir
14. savoir
15. servir | desservir
16. valoir
17. vêtir | revêtir
18. voir

* French grammarians lump all irregular verbs together in le troisième groupe.

 Related lessons

• Regular -ir verbs
• -IR verb conjugations – PwLF super list
• Irregular verbs
• Present tense
• Helping verbs
• Simple vs compound tenses
• Introduction to French verbs

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