- If an infinitive ends in -ir, it means the verb belongs to the second conjugation, for example, finir, choisir, remplir.
- The stem of -ir verbs in the present tense is formed by taking the infinitive and chopping off -ir.
| Infinitive | Stem (without -ir) |
| finir (to finish) | fin- |
| choisir (to choose) | chois- |
| remplir (to fill, to fill in) | rempl- |
- Now add the correct ending, depending on whether you are referring to je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils or elles.
- Here are the present tense endings for -ir verbs:
| Pronoun | Ending | Add to stem, e.g. fin- | Meanings |
| je (j’) | -is | je finis | I finish I am finishing |
| tu | -is | tu finis | you finish you are finishing |
| il elle on | -it | il finit elle finit on finit | he/she/it/one finishes he/she/it/one is finishing |
| nous | -issons | nous finissons | we finish we are finishing |
| vous | -issez | vous finissez | you finish you are finishing |
| ils elles | -issent | ils finissent elles finissent | they finish they are finishing |
| Le cours finit à onze heures. | The lesson finishes at eleven o’clock. |
| Je finis mes devoirs. | I’m finishing my homework. |
Tipje changes to j’ in front of a word starting with a vowel, most words starting with h, and the French word y.
- The nous and vous forms of -ir verbs have an extra syllable.
| tu fi|nis | (two syllables) |
| vous fi|ni|ssez | (three syllables) |
Key points
- Verbs ending in -ir belong to the second conjugation and form their present tense stem by losing the -ir from the infinitive.
- The present tense endings for -ir verbs are:-is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent.
- Remember the extra syllable in the nous and vous forms.