In French, most verbs ending in -ir conjugate as follows in Le Présent (Indicatif).
Learn how to conjugate most verbs ending in -ir in Le Présent (Indicatif) in French
| new ending | finir (to finish) | choisir (to choose) | |
| Je | -is | finis | choisis |
| Tu | -is | finis | choisis |
| Il/elle/on | -it | finit | choisit |
| Nous | -issons | finissons | choisissons |
| Vous | -issez | finissez | choisissez |
| Ils/elles | -issent | finissent | choisissent |
Listen to these examples with finir:
Je finis mes devoirs.I finish my homework.
Tu finis ton assiette ou pas de dessert.You finish your plate or no dessert.
Miranda finit de faire sa valise.Miranda is finishing packing her suitcase.
Nous finissons de décorer la pièce.We're finishing decorating the room.
Vous finissez quand ?When do you finish?
Les enfants finissent l'école dans une heure.The children finish school in an hour.
Nous répartissons les bonbons entre nous quatre.We're dividing the sweets between the four of us.
Note that the verb répartir is NOT a derivative of partir, but shares its root with the word repartition, and does follow the regular -IR conjugation.
Pronunciation guide
In the singular forms, the -s and -t of finis and finit are silent.
All three persons endings are pronounced [ee].
In the plural, the -ent part of the -issent ending is silent. You pronounce [eess].
Grammar jargon
The infinitive of the verb is the unconjugated verb e.g. finir (to finish) as opposed to a conjugated form like je finis (I finish).
The stem of the infinitive is the part before the -er, -ir, or -re ending.
Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
