Irregular Verbs in French: 15 Essential Ones to Know
French, like many languages, has its fair share of irregular verbs that don't follow the usual conjugation patterns. Mastering these irregular verbs is essential to improve your French language skills. In this article, we'll explore 15 irregular verbs in French that you should know.
Why are Irregular Verbs Important?
Irregular verbs are verbs that don't follow the usual -er, -ir, or -re conjugation patterns. They are often used in everyday conversations, and understanding them will help you communicate more effectively in French. Irregular verbs can be tricky, but with practice and repetition, you'll be able to use them confidently.
The 15 Irregular Verbs in French
Here are 15 irregular verbs in French that you should know:
1. Aller (to go)
- Present tense: vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont
- Imperfect tense: allais, allais, allait, allions, alliez, allaient
2. Venir (to come)
- Present tense: viens, viens, vient, venons, venez, viennent
- Imperfect tense: venais, venais, venait, venions, veniriez, venaient
3. Faire (to do/to make)
- Present tense: fais, fais, fait, faisons, faites, font
- Imperfect tense: faisais, faisais, faisait, faisions, faisiez, faisaient
4. Pouvoir (can/to be able to)
- Present tense: peux, peux, peut, pouvons, pouvez, peuvent
- Imperfect tense: pouvais, pouvais, pouvait, povions, pouviez, pouvaient
5. Vouloir (to want)
- Present tense: veux, veux, veut, voulons, voulez, veulent
- Imperfect tense: voulais, voulais, voulait, voulions, vouliez, voulaient
6. Devoir (must/to have to)
- Present tense: dois, dois, doit, devons, devez, doivent
- Imperfect tense: devais, devais, devait, devions, deviez, devaient
7. Dire (to say/to tell)
- Present tense: dis, dis, dit, disons, dites, disent
- Imperfect tense: disais, disais, disait, disions, disiez, disaient
8. Penser (to think)
- Present tense: pense, penses, pense, pensons, pensez, pensent
- Imperfect tense: pensais, pensais, pensait, pensions, pensiez, pensaient
9. Prendre (to take)
- Present tense: prends, prends, prend, prenons, prenez, prennent
- Imperfect tense: prenais, prenais, prenait, prendions, prendriez, prenaient
10. Bouger (to move)
- Present tense: bouge, bouges, bouge, bougeons, bougez, bougent
- Imperfect tense: bougeais, bougeais, bougeait, bougions, bougiez, bougaient
11. Connaître (to know)
- Present tense: connais, connais, connaît, connaissons, connaissez, connaissent
- Imperfect tense: connaissais, connaissais, connaissait, connaissions, connaissiez, connaissaient
12. Savoir (to know/to know how)
- Present tense: sais, sais, sait, savons, savez, savent
- Imperfect tense: savais, savais, savait, savions, saviez, savaient
13. Falloir (to need)
- Present tense: faut, faut, faut, faisons, faut, faut
- Imperfect tense: fallait, fallait, fallait, faisions, falliez, fallaient
14. Rester (to stay)
- Present tense: reste, restes, reste, restons, restez, restent
- Imperfect tense: restais, restais, restait, restions, restiez, restaient
15. Sortir (to go out)
- Present tense: sors, sors, sort, sortons
