Goal
You’ll be able to conjugate regular -ir and -re verbs, France’s two other regular verb families, and notice how their endings genuinely differ from the silent -er pattern.
Learn
-IR verbs, using finir (to finish) as the model:
je finis (I finish) tu finis (you finish) il/elle finit (he/she finishes) nous finissons (we finish) vous finissez (you all finish) ils/elles finissent (they finish)
-RE verbs, using vendre (to sell) as the model:
je vends (I sell) tu vends (you sell) il/elle vend (he/she sells) nous vendons (we sell) vous vendez (you all sell) ils/elles vendent (they sell)
Notice something genuinely different from -er verbs: -ir verbs’ nous/vous/ils forms include an audible -iss- insertion (finissons, finissez, finissent), and -re verbs’ singular forms end in an audibly pronounced consonant (vends, vend) — genuinely more distinguishable by ear than -er verbs’ often-silent endings covered in the previous lesson.
Decision Task
You want to conjugate finir for “nous” (we). Before reading on: does this form include an extra “-iss-” insertion, the way this lesson describes for -ir verbs specifically?
Show Answer
Yes — finissons, with the -iss- insertion characteristic of -ir verbs in the nous/vous/ils forms, genuinely distinct from the simpler pattern of -er verbs covered in the previous lesson.
Common Mistake
Applying -er verb endings to -ir or -re verbs, or forgetting the -ir verb’s distinctive -iss- insertion in the nous/vous/ils forms specifically. Each of the three regular verb families genuinely has its own distinct ending pattern, not one universal set of endings applied everywhere.
Practice Questions
1. Conjugate finir for “je”.
Show Answer
finis
2. Conjugate vendre for “il”.
Show Answer
vend
3. Conjugate finir for “ils” — does it include the -iss- insertion?
Show Answer
finissent — yes, includes -iss-.
4. What genuinely distinguishes -ir verb endings from -er verb endings in the nous/vous/ils forms?
Show Answer
The -iss- insertion characteristic of -ir verbs, absent from -er verbs.
5. Are -re verb singular endings (like vends, vend) typically pronounced or silent?
Show Answer
Pronounced — genuinely more audible than -er verbs’ often-silent endings.
Try It Yourself
Without looking back, fully conjugate vendre across all six subject forms.
Show Answer
vends, vends, vend, vendons, vendez, vendent
Quick Check
1. What are the three regular French verb families?
Show Answer
-er, -ir, -re.
2. What distinctive insertion appears in -ir verbs’ nous/vous/ils forms?
Show Answer
-iss-
3. What is the “je” ending for regular -ir verbs?
Show Answer
-is
4. What is the “je” ending for regular -re verbs?
Show Answer
-s
5. Conjugate finir for “nous”.
Show Answer
finissons