Finir, prendre, and faire
Use several useful verb patterns beyond regular -er verbs.
What you’ll work on
- Recognize finir-type -ir verbs.
- Use common forms of prendre.
- Describe everyday activities with faire.
A short conversation
Google voice when available; device voice as a fallback. Read along, then try each line aloud.
Tu finis à quelle heure ?
What time do you finish?
Je finis à six heures. Après, je prends le bus.
I finish at six. Afterward, I take the bus.
Vous faites quoi le soir ?
What do you do in the evening?
Nous faisons la cuisine et nous regardons un film.
We cook and watch a film.
A common -ir pattern
Finir follows je finis, tu finis, il finit, nous finissons, vous finissez, ils finissent. Choisir follows the same pattern: nous choisissons.
Not every -ir verb follows finir. Partir and venir have different patterns. Use the verb reference when you meet a new infinitive instead of guessing solely from its last two letters.
Take transport or a drink
Prendre means to take and is also used for choosing food or drink: je prends un café. Its present forms are prends, prends, prend, prenons, prenez, prennent.
Notice the stem in nous prenons and the doubled n in ils prennent. Learn je prends and nous prenons first as useful phrases, then return to the full table.
Use faire in everyday expressions
Faire means to do or to make. Its present forms are je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font. Vous faites is an irregular form worth learning as a whole.
Faire la cuisine means to cook, and faire du sport means to exercise or play sports. Keep the article or partitive inside the expression rather than translating word by word.
Lesson vocabulary
Listen once, say it aloud, and try to recall the French before looking.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| finir | to finish | |
| choisir | to choose | |
| prendre | to take | |
| faire | to do / make | |
| le bus | the bus | |
| le soir | in the evening / the evening | |
| faire la cuisine | to cook | |
| un film | a film |
Practice questions
Try every question, then check your answers. Capital letters and punctuation do not affect your score. Accents and ç do matter.
Showing an answer makes that question a practice item worth zero for this attempt. Retry with the answers hidden when you’re ready. If audio cannot play, use Show answer / text to practice by reading.
Independent practice
These are independent practice tasks. The site does not record your voice, save your writing, or grade open-ended answers. Ask a teacher or conversation partner for feedback when you can.
Speaking practice
Describe when you finish an activity, your transport, and what you do afterward.
Writing practice
Write two sentences with finir, two with prendre, and two with faire.
Review the lesson objectives
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