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FRENCH VERB

finir

to finish

  • #41 most used
  • Regular -ir verb
  • Past participle: fini
  • Present participle: finissant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use finir

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

  1. Present

    Je finis à dix-huit heures ce soir.

    I finish at six tonight.

  2. Past

    Vous avez fini ? Je peux débarrasser ?

    Have you finished? Can I clear the table?

  3. Imperfect

    Avant, elle finissait toujours la première.

    She always used to finish first.

  4. Future

    On finira les travaux avant l'été, promis.

    We'll finish the work before summer, promise.

  5. Conditional

    Je finirais plus tôt si tu m'aidais un peu.

    I'd finish earlier if you helped me a bit.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que tu finisses ton assiette avant le dessert.

    You have to finish your plate before dessert.

  7. Imperative

    Finissez vos devoirs, après on sort.

    Finish your homework, then we'll go out.

Good to know

  • Finir de + infinitive is to finish doing; finir par is to end up doing : il a fini par accepter.

Where you hear finir

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

French · Beginner Level 3

  • Je finis à dix-huit heures. I finish at six o'clock.
  • Tu as fini ta valise ? Have you finished your suitcase?
  • Je vais finir mes devoirs. I'm going to finish my homework.
11
Packing for Brittany

Beginner Level 3 · fini

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -ir verb.