19 French Verbs: Meanings and Present-Tense Forms
A selection of 19 French verbs beyond être and avoir: meanings, selected present-tense forms, and the impersonal verb falloir. Not a frequency ranking.
Beyond être and avoir, this selection includes pouvoir (can), vouloir (want), devoir (must), faire (do/make), aller (go), voir (see), dire (say), prendre (take) and mettre (put) - each irregular in the present tense.
Quick answer
Beyond être and avoir, this selection includes pouvoir (can), vouloir (want), devoir (must), faire (do/make), aller (go), voir (see), dire (say), prendre (take) and mettre (put) - each irregular in the present tense.
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For être and avoir specifically, see être conjugation and avoir conjugation.
The modal-ish essentials (pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, savoir)
| Verb | je | tu | il | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pouvoir | peux | peux | peut | can, to be able to |
| vouloir | veux | veux | veut | want |
| devoir | dois | dois | doit | must, have to |
| savoir | sais | sais | sait | know |
These four take a verb infinitive directly after them: je peux venir, je veux partir.
The movement and action verbs (aller, venir, faire, prendre, mettre)
| Verb | je | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| aller | vais | go |
| venir | viens | come |
| faire | fais | do/make |
| prendre | prends | take |
| mettre | mets | put |
The perception and communication verbs (voir, dire, croire, parler, donner)
voir (je vois), dire (je dis), croire (je crois), parler (je parle - regular), donner (je donne - regular).
The everyday extras (trouver, passer, arriver, aimer, falloir)
trouver (find), passer (pass/spend time), arriver (arrive), aimer (like/love), and falloir, which is impersonal: il faut (it’s necessary) in the present indicative. Other tenses include il fallait and il faudra.
Using this list
Learn conjugated forms inside context sentences, not as isolated lists - see spaced repetition for French vocabulary.
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Questions about this note
Which French verbs can I start with?
One starting selection is être, avoir, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, faire and aller. This is a learning suggestion, not a frequency ranking.
How is pouvoir conjugated in the present?
je peux, tu peux, il peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils peuvent.
What's the difference between vouloir and devoir?
vouloir = want, devoir = must/have to - both take an infinitive directly.
How do you conjugate faire in the present?
je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font.
Is falloir only used in one form?
No. Falloir is impersonal, with il as its subject, but changes tense and mood: il faut, il fallait, il faudra, il faudrait, and qu'il faille.