Learn and memorize French irregular Verbs Easily and Efficiently with This Method!
French verbs are known for their complexities, and irregular verbs stand out as the trickiest among them. Unlike regular verbs that follow predictable patterns, irregular verbs have unique conjugation forms that need to be memorized individually.
HOWEVER! I got good news! Did you know there was a way to memorize French irregular verbs efficiently and without thousands and thousands of tables?
In this blog post, I’ll show you the method I have been teaching to thousands of students for four years. I’ll break down some of the most important irregular verbs in French and break down their conjugating patterns, so you can confidently navigate these linguistic hurdles.
This is a short explanation of my ebook where I explain everything you need to know about French verbs which includes:
✅ The list of verbs you ACTUALLY need to remember
✅ What verbs conjugate similarly
✅ “BUILT-IN-TENSES” 📚: My own technique on how I LEARNED French verbs as an immigrant in French school broken down
✅ Only the conjugations you need and TIPS to 🧠 REMEMBER THEM FAST
✅ Fill-in-the-blank Exercises ✏️ to practise
✅ Verb drills to never forget
✅ Writing 📓 prompts to put it all together
✅ Answer keys 🔑 for everything
The French Irregular Verbs YOU NEED TO KNOW
-
- The 3 Auxiliaries
Avoir, être, and aller are most likely the first verbs you will ever learn in French, and there is a reason. Many conjugations and sentence structures are constructed with these three verbs so you need them before anything else.
GOOD NEWS. ONCE YOU KNOW THIS, 50% OF THE JOB IS DONE. YOU CAN CREATE SO MANY SENTENCES WITH THESE CONJUGAISONS.
Avoir (to have): “Avoir” is one of the most frequently used irregular verbs in French, and it serves as the auxiliary verb for the compound tenses. Here’s how it’s conjugated in the present tense.
| J’ai | I have |
| Tu as | You have |
| Il / elle / on a | He / She has |
| Nous avons | We have |
| Vous avez | You have (plural and formal) |
| Ils / Elles ont | They have |
Être (to be): “Être” is another essential irregular verb in French and is used to express states of being or in compound tenses. Here’s its present tense conjugation:
| Je suis | I am |
| Tu es | You are |
| Il / elle / on est | He / She is |
| Nous sommes | We are |
| Vous êtes | You are (plural and formal) |
| Ils / Elles sont | They are |
Aller (to go): When talking about movement or actions, “Aller” is your go-to irregular verb. Observe its present tense forms:
| Je vais | I go |
| Tu vas | You go |
| Il / elle / on va | He / She goes |
| Nous allons | We go |
| Vous allez | You go (plural and formal) |
| Ils / Elles vont | They go |
Other Essential Irregular Verbs
| Faire: to do | Pouvoir / vouloir: can/to want | Venir / tenir: to come / to hold | Dire: to say |
| Je fais | Je peux / veux | Je viens / tiens | Je dis |
| Tu fais | Tu peux / veux | Tu viens / tiens | Tu dis |
| Il fait | Il peut / veut | Il vient / tient | Il dit |
| Nous faisons | Nous pouvons / voulons | Nous venons / tenons | Nous disons |
| Vous faites | Vous pouvez/ voulez | Vous venez / tenez | Vous dites |
| Ils font | Ils peuvent / veulent | Ils viennent / tiennent | Ils disent |
My Secret Method: “The Built-in” Verbs
Most French verbs are actually formed by a prefix following another verb. Rather than learning each verb individually, you just have to learn those base verbs that form others. If you know these verbs you know hundreds of other verbs without even realising.
| PRENDRETO TAKE | METTRETO PUT | VENIR – TO COMETENIR – TO HOLD | CROIRE TO BELIEVE |
| apprendre – to learn comprendre – to understand entreprendre – to undertake méprendre – to mistake Reprendre – to retake, to take again surprendre – to surprise |
admettre – to admit commettre – to commit compromettre – to compromise permettre – to permit promettre – to promise remettre – to turn in work, to postpone soumettre – to submit transmettre – to transmit |
abstenir – to refrain, to abstain from advenir – to happen appartenir – to belong contenir – to contain convenir – to suit, to be suitable détenir – to detain devenir – to become entretenir – to look after, to support intrevenir – to intervene maintenir – to maintain obtenir – to obtain parvenir – to reach, to achieve prévenir – to warn retenir – to retain soutenir – to support souvenir – to remember subvenir – to provide for survenir – to occur, to take place |
boire – to drinkdevoir – must, shouldvoir – to see |
Let’s take prendre as an example.
Je prends l’avion.
I take the airplane.
If you want to form a sentence with apprendre (to learn), you just need the exact same conjugation and add the prefix “ap” in front.
J’apprends le français.
I’m learning French.
Go Deeper
Of course, there is so much more to French verbs, regular and irregular. In my ebook “No BS French Verbs” I cover EVERYTHING you need to master French verbs and include many exercise drills and writing prompts so you put all your new knowledge into practice. That’s all!
You might like:
Reflective Verbs in French
Ask Questions in French
Everything about the French Past Tenses
While irregular verbs in French may seem daunting at first, with practice and dedication, you can confidently master their conjugating patterns. Remember that regular exposure to these verbs through reading, writing, and conversation is crucial for retaining their forms. Understanding these essential irregular verbs, like “avoir,” “être,” “aller,” “faire,” and “prendre,” will significantly boost your fluency and understanding of the French language. So, embrace the challenge, and soon enough, you’ll find yourself conjugating these irregular verbs with ease, paving the way to becoming a proficient French speaker! Bonne chance! (Good luck!)
…
If you liked this post, here are a few things you can do to support me:
* Leave a comment below with the most useful verbs in this list
* Share this post with a friend or Pin it on Pinterest
* Sign up to my newsletter below so you don’t miss any discounts or freebies
* Book a class with me and get $10 off to achieve your Portuguese learning goals (just scroll down a bit to see my profile, if you can’t see it, click in the image below but make sure to sign up with the link above first to get your discount)
