- Some verbs in French do not follow the normal rules. These verbs include some very common and important verbs like avoir (meaning to have), être (meaning to be), faire (meaning to do, to make) and aller (meaning to go). The present tense of these four verbs is given in full below.
- For Verb tables, see supplement.
1 The present tense of avoir
| Pronoun | avoir | Meaning: to have |
| j’ | ai | I have |
| tu | as | you have |
| il elle on | a | he/she/it/one has |
| nous | avons | we have |
| vous | avez | you have |
| ils elles | ont | they have |
| J’ai deux sœurs. | I have two sisters. |
| Il a les yeux bleus. | He has blue eyes. |
| Elle a trois ans. | She’s three. |
| Qu’est-ce qu’il y a? | What’s the matter? |
2 The present tense of être
| Pronoun | être | Meaning: to be |
| je | suis | I am |
| tu | es | you are |
| il elle on | est | he/she/it/one is |
| nous | sommes | we are |
| vous | êtes | you are |
| ils elles | sont | they are |
| Je suis heureux. | I’m happy. |
| Mon père est instituteur. | My father’s a primary school teacher. |
| Il est deux heures. | It’s two o’clock. |
3 The present tense of faire
| Pronoun | faire | Meaning: to do, to make |
| je | fais | I do/make I am doing/making |
| tu | fais | you do/make you are doing/making |
| il elle on | fait | he/she/it/one does/makes he/she/it/one is doing/making |
| nous | faisons | we do/make we are doing/making |
| vous | faites | you do/make you are doing/making |
| ils elles | font | they do/make they are doing/making |
| Je fais un gâteau. | I’m making a cake. |
| Qu’est-ce que tu fais? | What are you doing? |
| Il fait chaud. | It’s hot. |
| Ça ne fait rien. | It doesn’t matter. |
4 The present tense of aller
| Pronoun | aller | Meaning: to go |
| je | vais | I go I am going |
| tu | vas | you go you are going |
| il elle on | va | he/she/it/one goes he/she/it/one is going |
| nous | allons | we go we are going |
| vous | allez | you go you are going |
| ils elles | vont | they go they are going |
| Je vais à Londres. | I’m going to London. |
| ‘Comment allez-vous?’ – ‘Je vais bien.’ | ‘How are you?’ – ‘I’m fine.’ |
| ‘Comment ça va?’ – ‘Ça va bien.’ | ‘How are you?’ – ‘I’m fine.’ |
5 Irregular -ir verbs
- Many irregular verbs that end in -ir, such as partir (meaning to go) and tenir (meaning to hold), have a common pattern in the singular. The je and tu forms often end in -s, and the il/elle/on form often ends in -t.
| Pronoun | partir | tenir |
| je | pars | tiens |
| tu | pars | tiens |
| il/elle/on | part | tient |
| Je pars demain. | I’m leaving tomorrow. |
| Elle tient le bébé. | She is holding the baby. |
- For Verb tables, see supplement.
Key points
- Some very important French verbs are irregular, including avoir, être, faire and aller. They are worth learning in full.
- The -s, -s, -t pattern occurs frequently in irregular -ir verbs.