French verb conjugations

Full conjugation tables for the 162 most common French verbs, in order of how often they're used. Every tense a learner needs, with the auxiliary, participles and imperative.

Practise conjugations: free verb drills →

The 20 most common French verbs

• être to be
• avoir to have
• pouvoir can, to be able to
• faire to do, to make
• mettre to put, to put on
• dire to say, to tell
• devoir must, to have to, to owe
• prendre to take
• donner to give
• aller to go
• vouloir to want
• savoir to know
• falloir to be necessary
• voir to see
• demander to ask
• trouver to find, to think
• rendre to give back, to make
• venir to come
• passer to pass, to spend , to stop by
• comprendre to understand

Irregular verbs

Verbs that don't follow the regular -er, -ir or -re patterns. Most of the verbs you use every day are here.

• être to be
• avoir to have
• pouvoir can, to be able to
• faire to do, to make
• mettre to put, to put on
• dire to say, to tell
• devoir must, to have to, to owe
• prendre to take
• aller to go
• vouloir to want
• savoir to know
• falloir to be necessary
• voir to see
• rendre to give back, to make
• venir to come
• comprendre to understand
• partir to leave
• tenir to hold, to keep
• connaître to know
• entendre to hear
• reprendre to take back, to resume
• devenir to become
• sortir to go out
• attendre to wait
• vivre to live
• écrire to write
• perdre to lose
• lire to read
• ouvrir to open
• mourir to die
• suivre to follow
• répondre to answer
• servir to serve, to be used for
• croire to believe, to think
• permettre to allow
• apprendre to learn, to teach
• recevoir to receive
• revenir to come back
• reconnaître to recognise, to admit
• agir to act
• paraître to appear, to seem
• conduire to drive, to lead
• envoyer to send
• offrir to offer, to give
• produire to produce
• obtenir to obtain, to get
• vendre to sell
• courir to run
• descendre to go down, to get off
• naître to be born
• boire to drink
• dormir to sleep
• sentir to feel, to smell
• appartenir to belong
• choisir to choose
• finir to finish
• réussir to succeed, to pass
• battre to beat
• plaire to please
• rire to laugh
• sourire to smile, smile
• dépendre to depend
• se souvenir to remember
• s'asseoir to sit down
• se sentir to feel
• se taire to be quiet

Regular -er verbs (and their spelling changes)

Nine French verbs in ten end in -er and follow one pattern. A few change their spelling to keep the sound: commencer → nous commençons, manger → nous mangeons, acheter → j'achète, appeler → j'appelle, préférer → je préfère, payer → je paie.

• donner to give
• demander to ask
• trouver to find, to think
• passer to pass, to spend , to stop by
• rester to stay
• penser to think
• parler to speak, to talk
• aimer to love, to like
• regarder to look at, to watch
• appeler to call
• arriver to arrive, to happen
• porter to carry, to wear
• sembler to seem
• entrer to enter, to come in
• présenter to present, to introduce
• garder to keep, to look after
• chercher to look for
• terminer to finish, to end
• changer to change
• laisser to leave , to let
• jouer to play
• tomber to fall
• travailler to work
• arrêter to stop, to arrest
• montrer to show
• continuer to continue
• commencer to begin, to start
• compter to count, to matter
• occuper to occupy
• décider to decide
• retrouver to find again, to meet up with
• mener to lead
• expliquer to explain
• monter to go up, to get on
• rentrer to go home, to return
• retourner to go back, to turn over
• manger to eat
• acheter to buy
• payer to pay
• aider to help
• essayer to try
• oublier to forget
• préférer to prefer
• espérer to hope
• tourner to turn
• toucher to touch
• lever to raise
• marcher to walk, to work
• proposer to suggest, to offer
• accepter to accept
• refuser to refuse
• gagner to win, to earn
• jeter to throw
• tirer to pull, to shoot
• pousser to push, to grow
• ajouter to add
• tuer to kill
• casser to break
• quitter to leave
• rappeler to remind, to call back
• manquer to miss, to lack
• apporter to bring
• emporter to take away
• utiliser to use
• créer to create
• préparer to prepare
• raconter to tell
• rencontrer to meet
• remercier to thank
• pleurer to cry
• chanter to sing
• danser to dance
• voyager to travel
• visiter to visit
• habiter to live
• nager to swim
• cuisiner to cook
• laver to wash
• fermer to close
• écouter to listen
• étudier to study
• oser to dare
• exister to exist
• tenter to try, to tempt
• représenter to represent
• considérer to consider
• répéter to repeat
• imaginer to imagine
• s'appeler to be called
• se lever to get up
• se coucher to go to bed
• se réveiller to wake up
• s'habiller to get dressed
• se promener to go for a walk
• se dépêcher to hurry
• s'amuser to have fun