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Les verbes en -ir, -re et les modaux — The Final Pieces
🧩 Les verbes en -ir, -re et les modaux — The Final Pieces
Once you know être, avoir, aller, faire, and regular -er verbs, you have covered the vast majority of French. The -ir and -re verb patterns fill the remaining gaps — verbs like finir (to finish), choisir (to choose), and vendre (to sell) follow predictable endings. Add the three modal verbs pouvoir, vouloir, and devoir (which you already know from T1), and your present-tense toolkit is complete.
Les conjugaisons — -ir, -re et modaux
Remove -ir to get the stem, then add the endings below. Note the distinctive -iss- in the nous, vous, and ils/elles forms.
Earn the mark scheme marks
💡 Exam Tips & Common Errors
- In writing tasks, using devoir + infinitif or pouvoir + infinitif gives you an instantly complex sentence with minimal effort — great for AO2.
- If you are unsure whether a verb is -ir or -re, look at the ils/elles form: -issent = regular -ir; -ent (with bare stem) = -re.
- Remember: répondre à (to reply to) takes the preposition à — je réponds à la question — not a direct object.
- Use je voudrais (I would like) rather than je veux (I want) in formal or polite contexts, such as a role-play in a shop or restaurant — it earns credit for register awareness.
❌ Common error: Je peux. / Elle doit. (used as a complete sentence with no infinitive)
✓ Correct: Je peux sortir. / Elle doit finir ses devoirs.
Why it costs marks: In French, modal verbs (pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, savoir) require a following infinitive to be grammatically complete and meaningful. "Je peux" on its own means nothing — it is an incomplete verb phrase. In both writing (AO3) and speaking (AO3), an incomplete modal structure is penalised for grammar. Always ask yourself: can what? want to what? must do what? Then add the infinitive.