Français — The three verb groups
French verbs split into three groups. Group 1 ends in -er (parler), group 2 in -ir with the -iss- infix (finir, nous finissons), and group 3 gathers the irregular verbs in -ir, -re and -oir (partir, prendre, pouvoir). The group decides the present-tense endings.
How it works
Group 1 (-er) takes the endings -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent: je parle, nous parlons, ils parlent. Group 2 (-ir) adds -iss- in the plural: je finis, nous finissons, ils finissent. Group 3 is irregular and spans verbs in -ir, -re and -oir: je pars, je prends, je peux — the stem often changes, so each verb is learnt separately.
Examples
| Group | Verb | Present (je / nous) |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 — regular -er | parler | je parle · nous parlons |
| Group 2 — -ir (-iss-) | finir | je finis · nous finissons |
| Group 3 — irregular -ir | partir | je pars · nous partons |
| Group 3 — -re | prendre | je prends · nous prenons |
| Group 3 — -oir | pouvoir | je peux · nous pouvons |
| Auxiliaries (irregular) | être / avoir | je suis · j'ai |
Good to know
The 3rd group is closed — no new verbs join it — but it holds the most frequent verbs, so learn them by heart. Beware: aller ends in -er yet is 3rd-group irregular (je vais, not «je alle»), and not every -ir verb is group 2 — only those that add -iss- (finir) are; partir does not (je pars, not «je finis»).