Regular -ir Verbs Like Finir
6.8.1. The Main Idea
Some French -ir verbs follow a regular pattern with -iss in the plural forms.
finir | to finish |
choisir | to choose |
réussir | to succeed |
grossir | to gain weight / to get bigger |
maigrir | to lose weight / to get thinner |
These verbs are different from dormir, partir, and sortir.
6.8.2. The Verb Finir
je finis | I finish / I am finishing |
tu finis | you finish / you are finishing |
il finit | he finishes / he is finishing |
elle finit | she finishes / she is finishing |
nous finissons | we finish / we are finishing |
vous finissez | you finish / you are finishing |
ils finissent | they finish / they are finishing |
elles finissent | they finish / they are finishing |
6.8.3. The Regular -ir / -iss Pattern
To conjugate verbs like finir, remove -ir and add the correct endings.
finir | to finish |
fin- | stem |
je | -is |
tu | -is |
il / elle | -it |
nous | -issons |
vous | -issez |
ils / elles | -issent |
The -iss appears in the plural forms: nous, vous, ils, and elles.
6.8.4. Example: Choisir
je choisis | I choose / I am choosing |
tu choisis | you choose / you are choosing |
il choisit | he chooses / he is choosing |
elle choisit | she chooses / she is choosing |
nous choisissons | we choose / we are choosing |
vous choisissez | you choose / you are choosing |
ils choisissent | they choose / they are choosing |
elles choisissent | they choose / they are choosing |
6.8.5. Example: Réussir
je réussis | I succeed / I am succeeding |
tu réussis | you succeed / you are succeeding |
il réussit | he succeeds / he is succeeding |
elle réussit | she succeeds / she is succeeding |
nous réussissons | we succeed / we are succeeding |
vous réussissez | you succeed / you are succeeding |
ils réussissent | they succeed / they are succeeding |
elles réussissent | they succeed / they are succeeding |
6.8.6. Common Regular -ir / -iss Verbs
finir | to finish |
choisir | to choose |
réussir | to succeed |
grossir | to gain weight / to get bigger |
maigrir | to lose weight / to get thinner |
grandir | to grow up / to grow |
rougir | to blush / to turn red |
remplir | to fill |
obéir | to obey |
réfléchir | to think / to reflect |
6.8.7. Examples in Context
Je finis mes devoirs. | I finish my homework. |
Tu choisis un café ? | Are you choosing a coffee? |
Il réussit l’examen. | He passes / succeeds on the exam. |
Elle réfléchit beaucoup. | She thinks a lot. |
Nous finissons le cours. | We are finishing the class. |
Vous choisissez une chemise. | You are choosing a shirt. |
Ils remplissent la bouteille d’eau. | They are filling the water bottle. |
Elles grandissent vite. | They grow quickly. |
6.8.8. Negative Sentences
Place ne… pas around the conjugated verb.
Je finis mes devoirs. | I finish my homework. |
Je ne finis pas mes devoirs. | I do not finish my homework. |
Tu choisis un café. | You choose a coffee. |
Tu ne choisis pas de café. | You do not choose a coffee. |
Il réussit l’examen. | He passes the exam. |
Il ne réussit pas l’examen. | He does not pass the exam. |
6.8.9. Informal Questions
In informal speech, keep the same word order and raise your voice.
Tu finis tes devoirs ? | Are you finishing your homework? |
Tu choisis un café ? | Are you choosing a coffee? |
Tu réussis l’examen ? | Are you passing the exam? |
Vous réfléchissez ? | Are you thinking? formal or plural |
6.8.10. Core Patterns
infinitive ending in -ir | finir |
remove -ir | fin- |
je + stem + is | je finis |
tu + stem + is | tu finis |
il / elle + stem + it | il finit / elle finit |
nous + stem + issons | nous finissons |
vous + stem + issez | vous finissez |
ils / elles + stem + issent | ils finissent / elles finissent |
6.8.11. Practice
I finish my homework. |
You choose a coffee. informal |
He passes the exam. |
She thinks a lot. |
We finish the class. |
You choose a shirt. formal |
They fill the bottle. masculine or mixed |
I do not finish my homework. |
Are you choosing a coffee? informal |
6.8.12. Answers
I finish my homework. | Je finis mes devoirs. |
You choose a coffee. informal | Tu choisis un café. |
He passes the exam. | Il réussit l’examen. |
She thinks a lot. | Elle réfléchit beaucoup. |
We finish the class. | Nous finissons le cours. |
You choose a shirt. formal | Vous choisissez une chemise. |
They fill the bottle. masculine or mixed | Ils remplissent la bouteille. |
I do not finish my homework. | Je ne finis pas mes devoirs. |
Are you choosing a coffee? informal | Tu choisis un café ? |
6.8.13. Short Dialogue
A : Tu finis tes devoirs ? | A: Are you finishing your homework? |
B : Oui, je finis mes devoirs. Et toi ? | B: Yes, I am finishing my homework. And you? |
A : Je choisis une chemise pour ce soir. | A: I am choosing a shirt for tonight. |
B : Tu réfléchis beaucoup ! | B: You think a lot! |
6.8.14. Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to recognize regular -ir verbs like finir, form them with -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, and -issent, and understand that these verbs are different from -ir verbs like dormir, partir, and sortir.
6.8.15. Try It Out
Try saying this in French:
I finish my homework.
I choose a coffee.
Possible answer:
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