Present Tense: Regular -IR and -RE Verbs

Present Tense: Regular -IR and -RE Verbs in French

This guide explains how to form and use the present tense (le présent de l'indicatif) for regular verbs that end in -IR and -RE in French. You will learn what the French present expresses, how to form the verb stems and endings, useful pronunciation notes, how to make negatives and questions, common mistakes to avoid, and plenty of clear examples.

What does the present tense express? When do I use it?

The French present (présent de l'indicatif) is used in several ways — often where English uses either the simple present or the present continuous.

- Actions happening now: Je finis ma soupe. (I am finishing my soup.)
- Habitual actions / routines: Il vend des journaux tous les matins. (He sells newspapers every morning.)
- General truths or facts: Les enfants grandissent vite. (Children grow quickly.)
- Near future or scheduled events (context can make the present mean "will"): Nous finissons le projet demain. (We finish / will finish the project tomorrow.)
- Storytelling or live narration (historic/present tense for effect): Il entre, il s'assoit et il attend. (He comes in, sits down and waits.)

Note about English: In English you distinguish "I eat" (simple present) from "I am eating" (present continuous). In French the présent can mean either depending on context: Je mange can mean "I eat" or "I am eating."

Which verbs are "regular" -IR and -RE?

- Regular -IR verbs here refer to the common 2nd-group -ir verbs whose nous form ends in -issons. Examples: finir, choisir, grandir, réussir, réfléchir, remplir, grossir, maigrir, obéir.
- Regular -RE verbs are many common verbs like attendre, vendre, descendre, entendre, perdre, rendre, répondre, défendre, prétendre.

Important warning: not every -IR or -RE verb is regular. There are irregular -IR verbs (partir, dormir, sentir) that behave differently, and irregular -RE verbs (prendre, mettre, dire). When you learn a new -ir or -re verb, check whether it follows the regular pattern.

How do I form the present for regular -IR verbs (finir, choisir)?

Step-by-step: make the stem and add endings

Step 1 — find the stem
- Start with the infinitive (e.g., finir).
- Remove the ending -ir → stem = fin-

Step 2 — add the present endings for regular -IR verbs
- je: -is
- tu: -is
- il / elle / on: -it
- nous: -issons
- vous: -issez
- ils / elles: -issent

Examples (full conjugation)
- finir (to finish)
- Je finis. (I finish / I am finishing.)
- Tu finis. (You finish.)
- Il/Elle/On finit. (He/She/One finishes.)
- Nous finissons. (We finish.)
- Vous finissez. (You finish — plural or formal.)
- Ils/Elles finissent. (They finish.)

- choisir (to choose)
- Je choisis. (I choose / I am choosing.)
- Tu choisis. (You choose.)
- Il choisit. (He chooses.)
- Nous choisissons. (We choose.)
- Vous choisissez. (You choose.)
- Ils choisissent. (They choose.)

Useful example sentences
- Je finis mes devoirs à dix heures. (I finish my homework at ten o'clock.)
- Tu choisis toujours les mêmes chaussures. (You always choose the same shoes.)
- Il finit par accepter. (He ends up accepting.)
- Nous réussissons l'examen. (We pass / succeed at the exam.)
- Vous remplissez le formulaire ici. (You fill in the form here.)
- Elles grandissent vite. (They grow up fast.)

How do I form the present for regular -RE verbs (attendre, vendre)?

Step-by-step: make the stem and add endings

Step 1 — find the stem
- Start with the infinitive (e.g., attendre).
- Remove the ending -re → stem = attend-

Step 2 — add the present endings for regular -RE verbs
- je: -s
- tu: -s
- il / elle / on: (no added ending; use the stem)
- nous: -ons
- vous: -ez
- ils / elles: -ent

Examples (full conjugation)
- attendre (to wait)
- J'attends. (I wait / I am waiting.)
- Tu attends. (You wait.)
- Il/Elle/On attend. (He/She/One waits.)
- Nous attendons. (We wait.)
- Vous attendez. (You wait.)
- Ils/Elles attendent. (They wait.)

- vendre (to sell)
- Je vends. (I sell.)
- Tu vends. (You sell.)
- Il vend. (He sells.)
- Nous vendons. (We sell.)
- Vous vendez. (You sell.)
- Ils vendent. (They sell.)

Useful example sentences
- J'attends le bus. (I am waiting for the bus.)
- Tu attends toujours trop longtemps. (You always wait too long.)
- Elle vend sa voiture. (She is selling her car.)
- Nous descendons au rez-de-chaussée. (We go down to the ground floor.)
- Vous répondez aux questions. (You answer the questions.)
- Ils perdent souvent leurs clés. (They often lose their keys.)

Pronunciation notes: what is silent and what to listen for

- Many final letters in written French are not pronounced. In particular the third-person plural ending -ent is silent: il vend and ils vendent are pronounced the same in isolation.
- For many regular -IR verbs, the spoken forms for je / tu / il can sound very similar because their endings produce the same vowel sound (written -is, -is, -it). Rely on the subject pronoun or context to know who performs the action.
- The nous and vous forms are usually distinct in sound: nous finissons vs vous finissez vs ils finissent. Practice listening to the differences.
- Liaison (linking sound) can make final consonants audible before a following vowel: for example, in "ils ont" the final s is pronounced as a /z/ sound linking to the vowel.

Practical tip: when you listen, pay attention to the pronoun or other words in the sentence — pronunciation alone sometimes does not show the person.

Negation and questions in the present

Negation
- The usual negation is ne ... pas around the conjugated verb.
- Je ne finis pas. (I am not finishing.)
- Nous n'attendons pas le bus. (We are not waiting for the bus.)
- With a vowel sound after ne, use the elided form n' + verb: Je n'attends pas. (I am not waiting.)

Questions
- Informal spoken: put intonation at the end or repeat the subject: Tu finis le travail ? (Are you finishing the work?)
- Standard neutral: use est-ce que: Est-ce que tu finis le travail ? (Do you finish / Are you finishing the work?)
- Formal/inverted: Finis-tu le travail ? (Do you finish / Are you finishing the work?)

Examples with -RE verbs
- Est-ce que vous vendez ce livre ? (Are you selling this book?)
- Vendez-vous des produits en ligne ? (Do you sell products online?)

Negated questions
- Tu n'attends pas le bus ? (You are not waiting for the bus?)
- N'attendez-vous pas le train ? (A more formal way to ask, "Aren't you waiting for the train?")

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

- Forgetting the correct ending for je/tu with -IR and -RE verbs. Wrong: *je fini. Correct: je finis.
- Confusing regular -IR verbs with irregular -IR verbs. Example: finir → nous finissons (regular) vs partir → nous partons (irregular; does not use -issons). Always check the conjugation for a new -ir verb.
- Assuming all -RE verbs are regular. Some common -RE verbs are irregular (e.g., prendre, mettre). Learn each verb’s pattern when it looks unfamiliar.
- Relying on spelling to hear the person. Written endings (-s, -t, -ent) are often silent: listen for the pronoun or context.

Examples of corrections
- Wrong: *Nous finons. → Correct: Nous finissons.
- Wrong: *Je vend. → Correct: Je vends.
- Wrong: *Finissons-tu ? → Correct: Finis-tu ? (or Est-ce que tu finis ?)

Extra tips and related structures

- Progressive emphasis: to stress that something is happening right now, French often uses être en train de + infinitive: Je suis en train de finir mes devoirs. (I am in the process of finishing my homework.)
- Near future: aller + infinitive is commonly used for the near future: Je vais finir bientôt. (I am going to finish soon.)
- Present participle (useful but different): finir → finissant (while finishing). You can use en + present participle for "while": En finissant, il a trouvé la clé. (While finishing, he found the key.)

Quick reference: conjugation endings at a glance

- Regular -IR endings: je -is / tu -is / il/elle/on -it / nous -issons / vous -issez / ils/elles -issent
- Example: finir → je finis, tu finis, il finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent

- Regular -RE endings: je -s / tu -s / il/elle/on (no ending added) / nous -ons / vous -ez / ils/elles -ent
- Example: attendre → j'attends, tu attends, il attend, nous attendons, vous attendez, ils attendent

Glossary (simple explanations)

- Infinitive: the basic unconjugated verb form (finir, vendre, attendre).
- Stem (radical): the infinitive without its ending (-ir or -re). Example: finir → fin-.
- Ending (terminaison): the letters you add to the stem to form a conjugated verb (e.g., -issons).
- Regular verb: a verb that follows a predictable pattern for all persons.
- Irregular verb: a verb that does not follow the regular pattern and must be learned separately.
- Présent de l'indicatif: the present tense in French used for current actions, habits, facts, etc.

Final tips: how to practice effectively

- Memorize the endings for each group (ER / IR / RE). The -IR nous form (-issons) is the quickest visual cue that a verb is 2nd-group regular.
- Conjugate several model verbs (finir, choisir, attendre, vendre) in the present until the patterns feel automatic.
- Read and listen: pay attention to subject pronouns and context because pronunciation often hides endings.
- When you learn a new -ir or -re verb, check whether it is regular (2nd-group -ir) or irregular.

That covers the essentials for the present tense of regular -IR and -RE verbs in French. Use the model verbs above as templates and gradually add more verbs to your practice list.