French Regular Verb: the -ir Verb "Finir" (To Finish)

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Hello! Today, we'll delve into mastering the conjugation of French regular verbs ending in '-ir', focusing on the verb 'finir' (to finish). We'll explore various tenses, negative, interrogative, and imperative forms, and enhance your French skills through abundant examples!

 

1. How to Conjugate -ir Verbs?

 

'-ir' verbs are a type of regular French verb that follows a consistent conjugation pattern. Essentially, you remove '-ir' from the infinitive form and add the appropriate ending for each subject pronoun. It's not difficult, right?

 

2. Conjugating 'Finir' in Different Tenses

 

Let's conjugate the verb 'finir' in various tenses:

 

1. Present Tense (Présent)

 

The present tense is used to describe actions happening now or habitual actions.

 

Subject	Ending	Example (finir)
Je	-is	Je finis (I finish)
Tu	-is	Tu finis (You finish)
Il/Elle/On	-it	Il/Elle/On finit (He/She/One finishes)
Nous	-issons	Nous finissons (We finish)
Vous	-issez	Vous finissez (You (plural) finish)
Ils/Elles	-issent	Ils/Elles finissent (They finish)

• Je finis mon travail. (I finish my work.)
• Nous finissons tôt aujourd'hui. (We finish early today.)

 

2. Compound Past Tense (Passé composé)

 

The passé composé describes completed actions in the past and uses the auxiliary verb 'avoir' or 'être' with the past participle. The past participle of 'finir' is 'fini'.

 

Subject	Auxiliary (avoir)	Past Participle (fini)	Example (finir)
Je	ai	fini	J'ai fini (I finished)
Tu	as	fini	Tu as fini (You finished)
Il/Elle/On	a	fini	Il/Elle/On a fini (He/She/One finished)
Nous	avons	fini	Nous avons fini (We finished)
Vous	avez	fini	Vous avez fini (You (plural) finished)
Ils/Elles	ont	fini	Ils/Elles ont fini (They finished)

• J'ai fini mon livre hier. (I finished my book yesterday.)
• Ils ont fini leurs études. (They finished their studies.)

 

3. Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

 

The imperfect tense describes ongoing actions or habitual actions in the past.

 

Subject	Ending	Example (finir)
Je	-issais	Je finissais (I was finishing)
Tu	-issais	Tu finissais (You were finishing)
Il/Elle/On	-issait	Il/Elle/On finissait (He/She/One was finishing)
Nous	-issions	Nous finissions (We were finishing)
Vous	-issiez	Vous finissiez (You (plural) were finishing)
Ils/Elles	-issaient	Ils/Elles finissaient (They were finishing)

• Je finissais mes devoirs quand tu as appelé. (I was finishing my homework when you called.)
• Nous finissions toujours tard le vendredi. (We always finished late on Fridays.)

 

4. Simple Future Tense (Futur simple)

 

The simple future tense describes actions that will happen in the future.

 

Subject	Ending	Example (finir)
Je	-irai	Je finirai (I will finish)
Tu	-iras	Tu finiras (You will finish)
Il/Elle/On	-ira	Il/Elle/On finira (He/She/One will finish)
Nous	-irons	Nous finirons (We will finish)
Vous	-irez	Vous finirez (You (plural) will finish)
Ils/Elles	-iront	Ils/Elles finiront (They will finish)

• Je finirai ce projet demain. (I will finish this project tomorrow.)
• Vous finirez par réussir. (You will eventually succeed.)

5. Near Future Tense (Futur proche)

 

The near future tense describes actions that will happen in the near future and uses the auxiliary verb 'aller' with the infinitive form of the verb.

• Je vais finir ce rapport bientôt. (I will finish this report soon.)
• Nous allons finir cette bouteille de vin. (We are going to finish this bottle of wine.)

3. How to Use Negative, Interrogative, and Imperative Forms?

 

How do you use the verb 'finir' in negative, interrogative, and imperative sentences?

 

Negative (Négation)

• Je ne finis pas mon travail. (I don't finish my work.)
• Nous n'avons pas fini notre dîner. (We haven't finished our dinner.)

 

Interrogative (Interrogation)

• As-tu fini tes devoirs ? (Have you finished your homework?)
• Finissons-nous tôt aujourd'hui ? (Are we finishing early today?)

 

Imperative (Impératif)

• Finis ton travail ! (Finish your work!)
• Finissons cette discussion. (Let's finish this discussion.)

 

4. In Conclusion

 

Today, we've explored the conjugation of the French '-ir' verb 'finir' in various tenses and sentence structures. With consistent practice and the help of these examples, you'll soon become a master of French verb conjugation!

If you have any questions or would like to learn more, feel free to leave a comment below. We'll be back with more informative and enjoyable French learning content. À bientôt!