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FRENCH VERB

lire

to read

  • #60 most used
  • Irregular -re verb
  • Past participle: lu
  • Present participle: lisant

Conjugation

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

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

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

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

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

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

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

Present subjunctive

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

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

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

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

How to use lire

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

  1. Present

    Je lis le journal tous les matins au café.

    I read the paper every morning at the café.

  2. Past

    Tu as lu le message de Nathalie ?

    Did you read Nathalie's message?

  3. Imperfect

    Ma mère nous lisait une histoire chaque soir.

    My mother read us a story every evening.

  4. Future

    Je lirai ton rapport dans le train.

    I'll read your report on the train.

  5. Conditional

    Je lirais plus si je regardais moins la télé.

    I'd read more if I watched less TV.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que tu lises le contrat avant de signer.

    You need to read the contract before signing.

  7. Imperative

    Lisez bien la notice avant de prendre le médicament.

    Read the leaflet carefully before taking the medicine.

Where you hear lire

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

French · Beginner Level 2

  • Je lis souvent le soir. I often read in the evening.
  • J'ai lu un livre en français ! I read a book in French!
  • Je vais lire dans le train. I'm going to read on the train.

French · Beginner Level 3

  • Je lis souvent le soir. I often read in the evening.
  • J'ai lu un livre en français ! I read a book in French!
  • Je vais lire dans le train. I'm going to read on the train.
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How Often?

Beginner Level 2 · lire · je lis

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The Tide

Beginner Level 3 · je lisais

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Verbs like this one

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