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FRENCH VERB

boire

to drink

  • #64 most used
  • Irregular -re verb
  • Past participle: bu
  • Present participle: buvant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I drink
  2. tu you drink
  3. il, elle, on he/she drinks
  4. nous we drink
  5. vous you drink
  6. ils, elles they drink

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I drank
  2. tu you drank
  3. il, elle, on he/she drank
  4. nous we drank
  5. vous you drank
  6. ils, elles they drank

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to drink
  2. tu you used to drink
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to drink
  4. nous we used to drink
  5. vous you used to drink
  6. ils, elles they used to drink

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will drink
  2. tu you will drink
  3. il, elle, on he/she will drink
  4. nous we will drink
  5. vous you will drink
  6. ils, elles they will drink

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would drink
  2. tu you would drink
  3. il, elle, on he/she would drink
  4. nous we would drink
  5. vous you would drink
  6. ils, elles they would drink

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I drink
  2. tu (that) you drink
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she drink
  4. nous (that) we drink
  5. vous (that) you drink
  6. ils, elles (that) they drink

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu drink!
  2. nous drink! (let’s)
  3. vous drink! (plural, or formal)

How to use boire

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Je bois trop de café, je le sais.

    I drink too much coffee, I know.

  2. Past

    On a bu un verre avec des collègues après le travail.

    We had a drink with colleagues after work.

  3. Imperfect

    Ma grand-mère buvait un chocolat chaud tous les soirs.

    My grandmother drank a hot chocolate every evening.

  4. Future

    Je boirai de l'eau, je conduis.

    I'll drink water, I'm driving.

  5. Conditional

    Vous boiriez quelque chose ? Un jus, un thé ?

    Would you like something to drink? A juice, a tea?

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que tu boives plus d'eau avec cette chaleur.

    You need to drink more water in this heat.

  7. Imperative

    Bois ça, tu te sentiras mieux.

    Drink this, you'll feel better.

Good to know

  • Boire un verre is to have a drink, with or without alcohol.

Where you hear boire

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

French · Beginner Level 1

  • Je bois beaucoup d'eau. I drink a lot of water.
  • Hier, j'ai bu un verre de vin. Yesterday I drank a glass of wine.
  • Je vais boire un café au lait. I'm going to drink a coffee with milk.

French · Beginner Level 2

  • Je bois beaucoup d'eau. I drink a lot of water.
  • Hier, j'ai bu un verre de vin. Yesterday I drank a glass of wine.
  • Je vais boire un café au lait. I'm going to drink a coffee with milk.
7
I'm Hungry

Beginner Level 1 · à boire

Needs a subscription 19
At the Pharmacy

Beginner Level 1 · boire

Needs a subscription 10
The Housewarming

Beginner Level 2 · on a bu

Needs a subscription 9
A Neighbour in Bed

Beginner Level 3 · buvez

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -re verb.