Grammar / A1 : Beginner / Common irregular verbs
Common irregular verbs
aller, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, prendre in the present.
The verbs that refused to regularise
Irregular verbs are not irregular by accident. The verbs that survive centuries of daily use get worn into irregular shapes by the millions of mouths that pronounce them. aller, faire, vouloir, pouvoir, venir: these are not verbs you encounter occasionally. They are the structure that holds everything else together. A single day of French (reading, listening, speaking) will expose you to each of them dozens of times.
Since être and avoir have their own lessons, this one focuses on the eight other irregular verbs you need most urgently at A1 level. There is no single rule that covers them all. Each one must be learnt on its own terms. The good news is that most of them have patterns within their irregularity, and understanding those patterns makes memorisation much easier.
aller : to go
aller is the most irregular verb in French: its three stems (all-, v-, ir-) come from three completely different Latin verbs that merged into one over centuries. It also has a special use that no other verb has at A1 level: combined with an infinitive, it expresses the immediate future.
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je vais | /vɛ/ | Je vais au marché. (I am going to the market.) |
| tu | tu vas | /va/ | Tu vas bien ? (Are you well?) |
| il / elle / on | il va | /va/ | Elle va à l'école. (She goes to school.) |
| nous | nous allons | /alɔ̃/ | Nous allons au restaurant. (We are going to the restaurant.) |
| vous | vous allez | /ale/ | Vous allez où ? (Where are you going?) |
| ils / elles | ils vont | /vɔ̃/ | Ils vont travailler. (They are going to work.) |
The immediate future: aller + infinitive
One of the most useful structures at A1 level. Take any form of aller and add an infinitive to express what is going to happen.
Je vais manger. (I am going to eat.)
On va partir demain. (We are going to leave tomorrow.)
Il va pleuvoir. (It is going to rain.)
Vous allez comprendre. (You are going to understand.)
This structure is so common in spoken French that it has largely replaced the simple future tense in everyday conversation.
Ça va ? (How are you? / Are you OK?) Ça va bien, merci. (Fine, thanks.)
Comment allez-vous ? (How are you?: formal)
Allez ! (Come on! / Let's go!)
faire : to do, to make
faire has two quirks worth knowing immediately. First, the nous form sounds different from how it is written: faisons is pronounced /fəzɔ̃/, not /fɛzɔ̃/. Second, vous faites is irregular (not vous faisez). These two forms must be memorised explicitly.
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je fais | /fɛ/ | Je fais mes devoirs. (I am doing my homework.) |
| tu | tu fais | /fɛ/ | Qu'est-ce que tu fais ? (What are you doing?) |
| il / elle / on | il fait | /fɛ/ (t is silent) | Il fait beau aujourd'hui. (The weather is nice today.) |
| nous | nous faisons | /fəzɔ̃/ (not /fɛzɔ̃/) | Nous faisons du sport. (We do sport.) |
| vous | vous faites | /fɛt/ (irregular form) | Qu'est-ce que vous faites ? (What are you doing?) |
| ils / elles | ils font | /fɔ̃/ | Ils font la cuisine. (They are cooking.) |
⚠ vous faites is one of the few truly irregular vous forms in French. The expected form vous faisez does not exist. Learn faites as a fixed form.
faire du / de la / des + activity:
Je fais du vélo. (I cycle.) · Elle fait de la natation. (She swims.) · Ils font des randonnées. (They go hiking.)
faire + weather:
Il fait beau. (The weather is nice.) · Il fait froid. (It is cold.) · Il fait chaud. (It is hot.)
other common expressions:
faire attention (to pay attention) · faire une pause (to take a break) · faire les courses (to do the shopping)
vouloir and pouvoir : wanting and being able to
These two verbs are presented together because they share the same structure and the same pattern of use. Both are modal verbs: they are almost always followed by an infinitive. Both also follow the two-stem pattern, which is worth understanding because it explains several other verbs in this lesson.
💡 The two-stem pattern: many irregular French verbs use one stem for je, tu, il/elle, ils/elles and a different stem for nous and vous. Once you recognise this, you can work out the forms more easily. The ils/elles form always uses the singular stem plus -ent.
vouloir : to want
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je veux | /vø/ | Je veux partir. (I want to leave.) |
| tu | tu veux | /vø/ | Tu veux du café ? (Do you want some coffee?) |
| il / elle / on | il veut | /vø/ (t is silent) | Elle veut apprendre le français. (She wants to learn French.) |
| nous | nous voulons | /vulɔ̃/ (different stem) | Nous voulons une table pour deux. (We want a table for two.) |
| vous | vous voulez | /vule/ | Vous voulez autre chose ? (Do you want anything else?) |
| ils / elles | ils veulent | /vœl/ (note the vowel shift) | Ils veulent voyager. (They want to travel.) |
💡 In spoken French, je voudrais (the conditional form, meaning "I would like") is more polite than je veux. In a café or shop, je voudrais un café sounds much better than je veux un café. You will cover the conditional in a later lesson, but it is worth knowing this form early.
pouvoir : to be able to, can
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je peux | /pø/ | Je peux t'aider ? (Can I help you?) |
| tu | tu peux | /pø/ | Tu peux répéter ? (Can you repeat?) |
| il / elle / on | il peut | /pø/ (t is silent) | On peut entrer ? (Can we come in?) |
| nous | nous pouvons | /puvɔ̃/ (different stem) | Nous pouvons commencer. (We can start.) |
| vous | vous pouvez | /puve/ | Vous pouvez m'aider ? (Can you help me?) |
| ils / elles | ils peuvent | /pœv/ | Ils peuvent venir demain. (They can come tomorrow.) |
pouvoir expresses both ability and permission:
Je peux nager vite. (I can swim fast.) (ability)
On peut partir maintenant ? (Can we leave now?) (permission)
Est-ce que tu peux fermer la fenêtre ? (Can you close the window?) (polite request)
venir : to come
venir also follows the two-stem pattern. The singular stem is vien- and the nous/vous stem is ven-. Notice that the double n in viennent creates a distinctly different vowel sound from venons.
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je viens | /vjɛ̃/ | Je viens de Hong Kong. (I come from Hong Kong.) |
| tu | tu viens | /vjɛ̃/ | Tu viens avec nous ? (Are you coming with us?) |
| il / elle / on | il vient | /vjɛ̃/ (t is silent) | Elle vient demain. (She is coming tomorrow.) |
| nous | nous venons | /vənɔ̃/ (different stem) | Nous venons d'arriver. (We have just arrived.) |
| vous | vous venez | /vəne/ | D'où venez-vous ? (Where do you come from?) |
| ils / elles | ils viennent | /vjɛn/ (double n sounds) | Ils viennent ce soir. (They are coming this evening.) |
💡 venir de + infinitive expresses something that has just happened: Je viens de manger. (I have just eaten.) Elle vient d'appeler. (She has just called.) This is a very natural and frequently used structure.
Several common verbs follow exactly the same pattern as venir: revenir (to come back), devenir (to become), tenir (to hold), obtenir (to obtain). Once you know venir, these are free.
prendre : to take
prendre uses two stems: prend- for the singular forms and pren- for nous and vous. The plural ils prennent has a double n, giving it a different sound from prenons. The singular forms drop the d in writing, though this never affects pronunciation since d is silent before a silent consonant anyway.
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je prends | /prɑ̃/ (ds is silent) | Je prends le bus. (I take the bus.) |
| tu | tu prends | /prɑ̃/ | Tu prends quoi comme boisson ? (What are you having to drink?) |
| il / elle / on | il prend | /prɑ̃/ (d is silent) | Elle prend un café. (She is having a coffee.) |
| nous | nous prenons | /prənɔ̃/ | Nous prenons le train. (We are taking the train.) |
| vous | vous prenez | /prəne/ | Vous prenez quelque chose ? (Will you have something?) |
| ils / elles | ils prennent | /prɛn/ (double n) | Ils prennent leur temps. (They are taking their time.) |
Three very frequent verbs conjugate exactly like prendre:
apprendre (to learn): j'apprends le français. (I am learning French.)
comprendre (to understand): Je ne comprends pas. (I don't understand.)
surprendre (to surprise): Ça me surprend. (That surprises me.)
Master prendre and you master all three.
partir and sortir : leaving and going out
These two verbs belong to a family of irregular -ir verbs that follow a consistent truncation pattern: in the singular forms, the last two letters of the infinitive stem are dropped. In the plural forms, the full stem is kept. Both verbs keep the same endings throughout.
| Subject | partir (to leave) | sortir (to go out) |
|---|---|---|
| je | je pars | je sors |
| tu | tu pars | tu sors |
| il / elle / on | il part | il sort |
| nous | nous partons | nous sortons |
| vous | vous partez | vous sortez |
| ils / elles | ils partent | ils sortent |
💡 dormir (to sleep) follows the exact same truncation pattern: je dors, tu dors, il dort, nous dormons, vous dormez, ils dorment. One pattern, three verbs.
partir vs sortir: the distinction is worth a moment. partir means to leave a place definitively, departing for somewhere else. sortir means to go out, often temporarily.
Le train part à dix heures. (The train leaves at ten.) (definitive departure)
Je pars en vacances demain. (I am leaving for the holidays tomorrow.)
Elle sort ce soir. (She is going out tonight.) (going out, not necessarily leaving for good)
On sort le chien. (We are taking the dog out.)
voir, dire, and savoir
Three more irregular verbs that appear constantly in spoken and written French. They are grouped here not because they share a pattern, but because each one must be known at this level.
voir : to see
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je vois | /vwa/ | Je vois un problème. (I see a problem.) |
| tu | tu vois | /vwa/ | Tu vois ce que je veux dire ? (Do you see what I mean?) |
| il / elle / on | il voit | /vwa/ (t is silent) | Elle voit ses amis le week-end. (She sees her friends at the weekend.) |
| nous | nous voyons | /vwajɔ̃/ (y appears) | Nous voyons les résultats. (We are seeing the results.) |
| vous | vous voyez | /vwaje/ | Vous voyez ce bâtiment ? (Do you see that building?) |
| ils / elles | ils voient | /vwa/ | Ils voient la situation différemment. (They see the situation differently.) |
dire : to say, to tell
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je dis | /di/ | Je dis la vérité. (I am telling the truth.) |
| tu | tu dis | /di/ | Qu'est-ce que tu dis ? (What are you saying?) |
| il / elle / on | il dit | /di/ (t is silent) | Elle dit bonjour. (She says hello.) |
| nous | nous disons | /dizɔ̃/ | Nous disons la même chose. (We are saying the same thing.) |
| vous | vous dites | /dit/ (irregular form) | Qu'est-ce que vous dites ? (What are you saying?) |
| ils / elles | ils disent | /diz/ | Ils disent que c'est difficile. (They say it is difficult.) |
⚠ Like faire, the vous form of dire is irregular: vous dites, not vous disez. This must be learnt as a fixed form.
savoir : to know (a fact, how to do something)
| Subject | Form | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | je sais | /sɛ/ | Je sais parler chinois. (I know how to speak Chinese.) |
| tu | tu sais | /sɛ/ | Tu sais nager ? (Do you know how to swim?) |
| il / elle / on | il sait | /sɛ/ (t is silent) | Elle sait la réponse. (She knows the answer.) |
| nous | nous savons | /savɔ̃/ | Nous savons où il habite. (We know where he lives.) |
| vous | vous savez | /save/ | Vous savez l'heure ? (Do you know the time?) |
| ils / elles | ils savent | /sav/ | Ils savent conduire. (They know how to drive.) |
💡 savoir vs connaître: both mean "to know" but in different senses. savoir is used for facts and learned skills (je sais que, je sais faire, je sais où). connaître is used for people and places you are acquainted with (je connais Paris, je connais Marie). This distinction will be covered in more detail in a later lesson.
Quick reference : all forms at a glance
| Verb | je | tu | il/elle | nous | vous | ils/elles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aller | vais | vas | va | allons | allez | vont |
| faire | fais | fais | fait | faisons | faites ⚠ | font |
| vouloir | veux | veux | veut | voulons | voulez | veulent |
| pouvoir | peux | peux | peut | pouvons | pouvez | peuvent |
| venir | viens | viens | vient | venons | venez | viennent |
| prendre | prends | prends | prend | prenons | prenez | prennent |
| partir | pars | pars | part | partons | partez | partent |
| sortir | sors | sors | sort | sortons | sortez | sortent |
| voir | vois | vois | voit | voyons | voyez | voient |
| dire | dis | dis | dit | disons | dites ⚠ | disent |
| savoir | sais | sais | sait | savons | savez | savent |
⚠ marks the two irregular vous forms that most learners get wrong: vous faites and vous dites.
Key points
✓ aller has three different stems (v-, all-, ir-). Learn all six forms individually.
✓ aller + infinitive expresses the immediate future: je vais manger, on va partir.
✓ faire: nous faisons is pronounced /fəzɔ̃/. vous faites is irregular (not faisez).
✓ vouloir and pouvoir follow the two-stem pattern and are followed by an infinitive.
✓ venir and prendre also follow the two-stem pattern. apprendre and comprendre conjugate like prendre.
✓ partir, sortir, dormir: drop the last two letters of the stem in singular forms.
✓ voir: nous voyons / vous voyez add a y. dire: vous dites is irregular (not disez).
✓ savoir is for facts and skills. connaître is for people and places.