French Irregular – IR Verbs
French irregular –IR verbs fall into three categories: ones that use regular –ER conjugations, ones that follow a second set of –IR conjugations, and ones that have their own unique sets of conjugations. The first two groups simply require learning the “new” rules of conjugation and which verbs fall into which category. There’s no shortcut for the final category of irregular –IR verbs. You’ll need to learn the conjugations for each of these on a verb by verb basis.
–IR Verbs Are Conjugated Like –ER Verbs
For verbs such as couvrir, cueillir, découvrir, offrir, ouvrir, and souffrir, use regular –ER endings instead of –IR endings
Pronoun Ending Cueillir – To pick Ouvrir – To open
je -e cueille ouvre
tu -es cueilles ouvres
il, elle, on -e cueille ouvre
nous -ons cueillons ouvrons
vous -ez cueillez ouvrez
ils, elles -ent cueillent ouvrent
Verbs that Follow the Alternate Set of Conjugations
Some irregular –IR verbs, including dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir, and sortir, use the following set of conjugations. Drop the final letter of the stem in singular conjugations.
Pronoun Ending Partir – To go Sortir – To exit
je -s pars sors
tu -s pars sors
il, elle, on -t part sort
nous -ons partons sortons
vous -ez partez sortrez
ils, elles -ent partent sortent
Verbs with Unique Conjugations
Asseoir, courir, devoir, falloir, mourir, pleuvoir, pouvoir, recevoir, savoir, tenir, valoir, venir, voir, and vouloir don’t follow either of the conjugation patterns discussed above. You’ll need to memorize the unique conjugations for each of these irregular –IR verbs.