Third-group French verbs are the irregular verbs of French: the ones that do not follow the regular patterns of the first group (-er verbs like parler) or the second group (-ir verbs like finir). This group gathers verbs ending in -oir and -re, irregular verbs ending in -ir, and the irregular -er verb aller. Because it holds most of the language's irregularities, it also contains some of the most useful verbs in daily French, from faire and aller to pouvoir and vouloir. In this guide, SPRACHCAFFE explains what defines these irregular French verbs, how the key ones conjugate in the present tense, and how to practise them, with clear tables, examples, and an exercise with answers.

French verbs fall into three groups. The third group is the irregular group: it gathers every verb that does not conjugate like the regular first group (-er verbs such as parler) or the regular second group (-ir verbs such as finir).

The clearest way to tell the second and third groups apart is the stem. Second-group verbs add -iss- in the plural and in the present participle: finir gives nous finissons and the participle finissant. Third-group -ir verbs do not: partir gives nous partons and the participle partant. That single test separates the two -ir families.

Because the third group is defined by what it is not, it is the most varied and the richest in irregularities. Its verbs often use several stems. Savoir (to know) draws on sai-, sav-, sach-, and saur- across its forms. For that reason, irregular French verbs are best learned form by form.

Common third-group French verbs

Many of the most frequent verbs in daily French belong to this group:

• prendre → to take
• croire → to believe
• faire → to do, to make
• aller → to go
• vendre → to sell
• voir → to see
• pouvoir → to be able to, can
• vouloir → to want
• devoir → to have to, must
• partir → to leave, to depart
• naître → to be born
• mentir → to lie
• courir → to run

How to conjugate third-group verbs in the present tense

Third-group verbs are irregular, so each is best learned individually. A few tendencies still help: many shift their stem during conjugation (prendre: nous prenons, ils prennent), and some share a pattern (vouloir and pouvoir behave alike). Below are the present-tense (indicatif présent) forms of the most common ones.

ALLER (to go)

ALLER is the only irregular -er verb. It uses one stem in vais, vas, va, vont and another in allons, allez.

PRENDRE (to take)

VOULOIR (to want)

POUVOIR (to be able to, can)

Vouloir and pouvoir follow the same pattern, so learn them together.

SAVOIR (to know)

PARTIR (to leave)

Partir shows the typical irregular -ir pattern: unlike second-group finir (nous finissons), it keeps a short stem (nous partons) with no -iss-.