French Present Tense: -IR Verbs (finir)

Level: A1. After the big -ER group, the next regular family is the -IR verbs built on finir (“to finish”). They are fewer, but very common, and they add one memorable twist: an extra -iss- appears in all three plural forms. Once you hear that -iss-, you have spotted the group.

The rule

A verb is a word for an action or state; its infinitive is the dictionary form (here ending in -ir). To conjugate a regular -IR verb in the present, take two steps:

1. Find the stem. Drop the -ir from the infinitive. From finir the stem is fin-.
2. Add the present ending for the subject: -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent.

So finir becomes je finis, tu finis, il/elle finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils/elles finissent. The singular endings are short; the plural endings all carry the sound -iss-, which you actually hear.

The forms (finir, “to finish”)

How to say it

French spelling hides some of these endings; mind the sounds:

Example sentences

1. Je finis mes devoirs.
   I finish my homework.
2. Tu finis à quelle heure ?
   What time do you finish?
3. Il finit son café.
   He finishes his coffee.
   -it is silent: 'fee-NEE'
4. Nous finissons le travail.
   We finish the work.
   plural -iss- is heard
5. Vous finissez tôt aujourd'hui.
   You finish early today.
6. Ils finissent le match.
   They finish the match.
   'fee-NEES'
7. Je choisis un dessert.
   I choose a dessert.
   choisir, same pattern
8. Elle grandit vite.
   She is growing fast.
   grandir = to grow
9. Les enfants grandissent.
   The children are growing.
10. Nous réussissons l'examen.
    We pass the exam.
    réussir = to succeed
11. Tu obéis à tes parents.
    You obey your parents.
    obéir à
12. Vous choisissez le menu.
    You choose the menu.
13. Je réfléchis à la question.
    I'm thinking about the question.
    réfléchir = to think over
14. On finit dans dix minutes.
    We finish in ten minutes.
    on takes the il/elle form
15. Elles rougissent un peu.
    They blush a little.
16. Le gâteau refroidit.
    The cake is cooling down.
    refroidir
17. Nous remplissons le formulaire.
    We fill in the form.
    remplir = to fill

Common mistakes

• ❌ nous finons → ✅ nous finissons. The plural keeps the -iss-; dropping it is the classic -IR error.
• ❌ ils finent → ✅ ils finissent. Third-person plural is -issent, said “fee-NEES”, not “finn”.
• ❌ je finisse → ✅ je finis. The -isse spelling is the subjunctive; the plain present “I finish” is je finis.
• ❌ je partis for “I leave” → ✅ je pars. partir ends in -ir but is irregular; it does not take -iss-.
• ❌ pronouncing the -s/-t of finis / finit → ✅ keep them silent (“fee-NEE”). Only the plural -iss- is sounded.

A short conversation

A: Tu finis à quelle heure ? — What time do you finish? B: Je finis à six heures. Et après, nous choisissons un film. — I finish at six. And after, we choose a film. A: D’accord, on réfléchit et on décide. — OK, we’ll think it over and decide.

Usage notes

• The present covers “I finish” and “I am finishing”. French has one present tense: je finis is both.
• on = “we” in speech. On finit takes the il/elle ending -it, even though it means “we finish”.
• Many -IR regulars describe change. grandir (grow), vieillir (age), maigrir/grossir (lose/gain weight), rougir (blush), refroidir (cool) — all follow finir.
• Watch the preposition. Some take one: obéir à (to obey), réfléchir à (to think about), réussir à (to succeed in).

Compared with…

• -ER verbs (the parler group) add -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent and have no -iss-. If you are unsure which family a verb is in, start by reviewing regular -ER verbs.
• -RE verbs (like vendre) are the third regular family, dropping -re and adding -s, -s, —, -ons, -ez, -ent. They are covered separately in the French grammar section.

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Practice

French -IR verbs present practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Which is correct: 'Nous ___ le travail' (finir)?

finons finissons finissez finit

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finissons — nous takes -issons: nous finissons.

2 Fill in (choisir): Je ____ un dessert.

Check

Hint: je form, singular -is

Show answer

choisis — je choisis: stem chois- + -is.

3 Fill in (grandir): Les enfants ____ vite.

Check

Hint: ils/elles ending, with -iss-

Show answer

grandissent — ils/elles grandissent: plural keeps -iss-.

4 Order the words: 'They finish the match.'

le matchIlsfinissent

CheckReset

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Ils finissent le match — Ils finissent le match. The -iss- is heard, the -ent is silent.

5 Match each subject to the ending of a regular -IR verb.

• je Match for je — choose — -is-issent-issons-it
• il / elle / on Match for il / elle / on — choose — -is-issent-issons-it
• nous Match for nous — choose — -is-issent-issons-it
• ils / elles Match for ils / elles — choose — -is-issent-issons-it

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• je → -is
• il / elle / on → -it
• nous → -issons
• ils / elles → -issent

je -is, tu -is, il -it, nous -issons, vous -issez, ils -issent.

6 Which verb looks like -IR but is IRREGULAR (no -iss-)?

finir choisir partir grandir

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partir — partir is irregular: je pars, nous partons — no -iss-.

Quiz

Check yourself

French -IR verbs present quiz

11 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/11 0 answered

1. 1To conjugate a regular -IR verb, you first…

   A add -ing B drop -ir to get the stem C change the vowel D add an accent
   Show answer

   drop -ir to get the stem — Drop -ir from the infinitive (finir → fin-).

2. 2The six present endings for regular -IR verbs are…

   A -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent B -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent C -s, -s, -t, -ons, -ez, -ent D -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont
   Show answer

   -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent — Regular -IR verbs take -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent.

3. 3'Nous ___' (finir):

   A finons B finissons C finissez D finit
   Show answer

   finissons — nous → -issons: nous finissons.

4. 4'Il ___ son café' (finir):

   A finis B finit C finissent D finisse
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   finit — il/elle → -it: il finit (said 'fee-NEE').

5. 5Which three forms sound identical?

   A je finis, tu finis, il finit B nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent C je finis, nous finissons, vous finissez D il finit, nous finissons, ils finissent
   Show answer

   je finis, tu finis, il finit — The singular -is, -is, -it are all silent at the end: 'fee-NEE'.

6. 6How is the -issent of 'ils finissent' pronounced?

   A 'fee-nee-SONT' B 'fee-NEES' (the -iss- is heard, -ent silent) C 'finn' D 'fee-nee-SAY'
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   'fee-NEES' (the -iss- is heard, -ent silent) — Say the -iss- and drop the -ent: 'fee-NEES'.

7. 7Which verb is a regular -IR verb like finir?

   A partir B dormir C choisir D sortir
   Show answer

   choisir — choisir follows finir: je choisis, nous choisissons. partir/dormir/sortir are irregular.

8. 8'Je ___ à la question' (réfléchir):

   A réfléchis B réfléchit C réfléchissons D réfléchent
   Show answer

   réfléchis — je → -is: je réfléchis.

9. 9'Vous ___ le menu' (choisir):

   A choisis B choisit C choisissez D choisissent
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   choisissez — vous → -issez: vous choisissez.

10. 10Why is 'nous finons' wrong?

    A wrong subject B the plural must keep the -iss-: nous finissons C it needs an accent D finir is irregular
    Show answer

    the plural must keep the -iss-: nous finissons — Regular -IR plurals add -iss-: nous finissons.

11. 11Fill in (réussir): Nous ____ l'examen.
    Check
    Show answer

    réussissons — nous → -issons: nous réussissons.

Recap cheat-sheet

Next

• Compare the biggest group: regular -ER verbs
• Learn the key irregulars: être in the present and avoir in the present
• Back to the French grammar section