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Present Tense: -ir Verbs (choisir, partir, venir, ouvrir)

FoundationHigherAQA

Practise Present Tense: -ir Verbs (choisir, partir, venir, ouvrir) for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). High-frequency -ir verbs follow one of four anchor patterns: choisir, partir, venir and ouvrir.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

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Higher

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Topic overview

Verbs ending in -ir do not all behave the same way, and four distinct patterns must be recognised.

Regular -ir verbs such as choisir and finir add -iss- in the plural: je choisis, nous choisissons, ils choisissent. This extra syllable is the marker of the regular group.

Verbs like partir, sortir and dormir do not add -iss-. They drop the final consonant of the stem in the singular: je pars, tu pars, il part, nous partons. Venir and tenir change their stem to vien- and tien- in the singular and third person plural. Ouvrir and offrir take -er endings entirely: j'ouvre, not j'ouvris.

Revision notes

Regular -ir verbs

Choisir, finir, réussir, remplir.

Singular: je choisis, tu choisis, il choisit. Plural adds -iss-: nous choisissons, vous choisissez, ils choisissent. The -iss- is the marker of this group.

Partir-type verbs

Partir, sortir, dormir, servir.

No -iss- at all. The final stem consonant drops in the singular: je pars, tu pars, il part. It returns in the plural: nous partons, vous partez, ils partent.

Venir and ouvrir types

Venir and tenir change the stem to vien- and tien-: je viens, il vient, ils viennent, but nous venons.

Ouvrir and offrir take -er endings completely: j'ouvre, tu ouvres, il ouvre. They look like -ir verbs but behave like -er verbs.

Key points

  • Regular -ir verbs add -iss- in the plural.
  • Choisir and finir follow this pattern.
  • Partir-type verbs do not add -iss-.
  • They drop the stem consonant in the singular.
  • Venir and tenir change their stem.
  • Ouvrir and offrir take -er endings.

Worked examples

Example 1

Give the nous form of choisir. [2 marks]

Working

nous choisissonsadd -iss- before the nous ending
Regular -ir verbs insert -iss- in the plural formsexplain the pattern

Example 2

Give the je form of partir. [2 marks]

Working

je parsdrop the final stem consonant
Partir-type verbs drop the t in the singular and add no -iss-explain the pattern

Example 3

Give the je form of ouvrir. [2 marks]

Working

j'ouvreuse the -er endings
Ouvrir takes -er endings despite ending in -irexplain the irregularity

Common mistakes

  • Adding -iss- to partir-type verbs.

    Nous partons, not nous partissons.

  • Using -ir endings for ouvrir.

    It takes -er endings: j'ouvre, not j'ouvris.

  • Forgetting the stem change in venir.

    Je viens, not je vens.

  • Assuming all -ir verbs behave alike.

    There are four distinct patterns.

Exam tips

  • Identify which -ir group a verb belongs to first.
  • Look for -iss- as the regular marker.
  • Learn partir, sortir and dormir together.
  • Treat ouvrir and offrir as -er verbs.

Key terms

Regular -ir verb
A verb adding -iss- in the plural, such as choisir.
Partir-type
An -ir verb dropping its stem consonant in the singular.
Stem change
A change such as venir becoming vien-.
Irregular
Not following the expected pattern.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.