Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to conjugate the most essential irregular French verbs in the present tense, building on the regular patterns from Part 1.
Lesson Explanation
Building on the three regular conjugation groups from Part 1, Lesson 4, this lesson covers the handful of extremely frequent irregular verbs that genuinely must be memorized individually, since they are used constantly.
Aller (to go), one of the most irregular French verbs: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. This verb is essential because it forms the near-future construction, covered fully in Part 4, Lesson 2, alongside its use for simple movement.
Faire (to do/make): je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font — genuinely useful in countless idiomatic expressions beyond its literal meaning, such as weather expressions: Il fait beau. (The weather is nice — literally “it makes beautiful.”)
Vouloir (to want): je veux, tu veux, il veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils veulent. Pouvoir (can/to be able to): je peux, tu peux, il peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils peuvent. Both follow a similar irregular pattern, with the singular forms sharing a stem distinct from the plural forms — a pattern genuinely worth noticing across several irregular verbs.
Prendre (to take): je prends, tu prends, il prend, nous prenons, vous prenez, ils prennent — note the doubled “n” specifically in the “ils” form, a spelling detail easy to overlook.
Practice Questions
1. Conjugate “aller” (to go) for “je.”
View Answer
Je vais.
2. Conjugate “aller” for “ils.”
View Answer
Ils vont.
3. Which later lesson uses “aller” to form the near-future construction?
View Answer
Part 4, Lesson 2.
4. Conjugate “faire” (to do/make) for “je.”
View Answer
Je fais.
5. Write “The weather is nice,” using “faire” idiomatically.
View Answer
Il fait beau.
6. Conjugate “vouloir” (to want) for “je.”
View Answer
Je veux.
7. Conjugate “pouvoir” (can) for “je.”
View Answer
Je peux.
8. What pattern do “vouloir” and “pouvoir” share?
View Answer
Their singular forms share a stem distinct from the plural forms.
9. Conjugate “vouloir” for “nous.”
View Answer
Nous voulons.
10. Conjugate “prendre” (to take) for “je.”
View Answer
Je prends.
11. Conjugate “prendre” for “ils,” noting the spelling detail.
View Answer
Ils prennent (with a doubled “n”).
12. Which earlier lesson covered the regular conjugation groups this lesson builds on?
View Answer
Part 1, Lesson 4.