French Essential Verbs: 250 Verbs With Conjugation Notes

The infinitive is the easy half. This deck carries the pattern that goes with it.

250 cardsLast updated 2026-08-17

Add every card on the free plan. Importing runs no AI generation and spends no AI credits. You'll need a Memly account.

Knowing that prendre means to take gets you nowhere mid-sentence, because French almost never leaves a verb in the infinitive. What you need at the moment of speaking is the pattern: whether the nous form doubles a consonant, whether the verb takes être in the perfect, whether it needs à or de before the next infinitive, whether it is one of the fixed avoir phrases where English uses to be. A word list that gives only the meaning leaves out exactly that half, and it is the half that stops you. This deck covers 250 verbs, and every card carries three things: the English meaning, the conjugation pattern in one line, and an original French sentence with its translation. Cards are tagged by pattern — regular -er, regular -ir, regular -re, irregular, reflexive — and by theme, so you can drill only reflexives, or only the verbs a trip needs. Import it and the deck joins your spaced-repetition schedule: the verbs whose pattern you can produce stretch out and disappear, and what stays in front of you is the set you still have to think about.

What happens when you add it

1
The button opens Memly and the whole deck lands in your account.
2
Each card gets its own schedule, based on how well you actually recall it.
3
They are your cards afterwards — rewrite, delete or reorganize them freely.

What's inside

Showing 100 representative cards from the full 250-card deck.

Front	Back
être	to be. Conjugation: Irregular: je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont. Example: Elle est professeure de musique. — She is a music teacher.
aller	to go. Conjugation: Irregular: je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont. Example: Je vais au marché le samedi. — I go to the market on Saturdays.
faire	to do, to make. Conjugation: Irregular: je fais, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font. Example: Je fais la cuisine tous les soirs. — I cook every evening.
dire	to say, to tell. Conjugation: Irregular: je dis, nous disons, vous dites, ils disent. Example: Il dit toujours la vérité. — He always tells the truth.
vouloir	to want. Conjugation: Irregular: je veux, tu veux, il veut, ils veulent. Example: Je veux apprendre le français. — I want to learn French.
savoir	to know (facts, how to). Conjugation: Irregular: je sais, tu sais, il sait, nous savons. Example: Je sais conduire depuis dix ans. — I have known how to drive for ten years.
venir	to come. Conjugation: Irregular: je viens, nous venons, ils viennent. Example: Ils viennent dîner ce soir. — They are coming to dinner tonight.
partir	to leave. Conjugation: Irregular -ir: je pars, nous partons. Example: Nous partons demain matin. — We are leaving tomorrow morning.
servir	to serve. Conjugation: Irregular -ir: je sers, nous servons. Example: On sert le dîner à vingt heures. — Dinner is served at eight.
tenir	to hold. Conjugation: Irregular like venir: je tiens, ils tiennent. Example: Tiens ce sac une seconde. — Hold this bag for a second.
boire	to drink. Conjugation: Irregular: je bois, nous buvons, ils boivent. Example: Je bois de l'eau pendant le repas. — I drink water with my meal.
devenir	to become. Conjugation: Irregular like venir: je deviens. Example: Il est devenu médecin à trente ans. — He became a doctor at thirty.
offrir	to offer, to give as a gift. Conjugation: Irregular -ir with -er endings: j'offre. Example: Je lui ai offert un livre. — I gave him a book as a present.
souffrir	to suffer. Conjugation: Irregular -ir with -er endings: je souffre. Example: Il souffre du dos depuis un an. — He has had back pain for a year.
mourir	to die. Conjugation: Irregular: je meurs, nous mourons. Example: Les plantes sont mortes sans eau. — The plants died without water.
vivre	to live. Conjugation: Irregular: je vis, nous vivons. Example: Je vis dans un petit village. — I live in a small village.
conduire	to drive. Conjugation: Irregular: je conduis, nous conduisons. Example: Je conduis très prudemment. — I drive very carefully.
traduire	to translate. Conjugation: Irregular like conduire: je traduis. Example: J'ai traduit le document en anglais. — I translated the document into English.
falloir	to be necessary. Conjugation: Impersonal: il faut only. Example: Il faut réserver à l'avance. — You have to book in advance.
valoir	to be worth. Conjugation: Irregular: il vaut, ils valent. Example: Ce tableau vaut très cher. — This painting is worth a great deal.
aimer	to like, to love. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: J'aime beaucoup cette ville. — I like this city very much.
travailler	to work. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Je travaille dans un petit bureau. — I work in a small office.
regarder	to look at, to watch. Conjugation: Regular -er verb; no preposition after it. Example: Je regarde les photos du voyage. — I am looking at the photos from the trip.
trouver	to find. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: J'ai trouvé les clés sous le canapé. — I found the keys under the sofa.
demander	to ask for. Conjugation: Regular -er verb; demander quelque chose à quelqu'un. Example: Je demande l'heure à un passant. — I ask a passer-by the time.
apporter	to bring. Conjugation: Regular -er verb; for things, not people. Example: J'apporte le pain de la boulangerie. — I am bringing the bread from the bakery.
entrer	to enter. Conjugation: Regular -er verb; takes être in the perfect. Example: Nous sommes entrés à dix heures. — We went in at ten.
rester	to stay. Conjugation: Regular -er verb; takes être in the perfect. Example: Nous restons deux nuits de plus. — We are staying two more nights.
arriver	to arrive, to happen. Conjugation: Regular -er verb; takes être in the perfect. Example: Nous sommes arrivés en retard. — We arrived late.
marcher	to walk, to work (of a machine). Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: L'ascenseur ne marche pas. — The lift is not working.
commencer	to begin. Conjugation: Regular -er; c becomes ç before a and o. Example: Le film commence à vingt heures. — The film starts at eight.
acheter	to buy. Conjugation: Regular -er with an accent change: j'achète. Example: J'achète des fruits au marché. — I buy fruit at the market.
répéter	to repeat. Conjugation: Accent change é to è: je répète. Example: Pouvez-vous répéter la question? — Could you repeat the question?
appeler	to call. Conjugation: Doubles the l: j'appelle. Example: J'appelle ma mère le dimanche. — I call my mother on Sundays.
payer	to pay. Conjugation: y may become i: je paie or je paye. Example: J'ai payé par carte. — I paid by card.
envoyer	to send. Conjugation: y becomes i: j'envoie; future j'enverrai. Example: J'envoie le colis demain. — I am sending the parcel tomorrow.
finir	to finish. Conjugation: Regular -ir: je finis, nous finissons. Example: J'ai fini le rapport à minuit. — I finished the report at midnight.
remplir	to fill, to fill in. Conjugation: Regular -ir verb. Example: Remplissez ce formulaire, s'il vous plaît. — Please fill in this form.
réfléchir	to think, to reflect. Conjugation: Regular -ir; takes à. Example: Je réfléchis à ta proposition. — I am thinking about your proposal.
punir	to punish. Conjugation: Regular -ir verb. Example: On ne punit plus les élèves ainsi. — Pupils are no longer punished that way.
ralentir	to slow down. Conjugation: Regular -ir verb. Example: Ralentis, la route est glissante. — Slow down, the road is slippery.
établir	to establish. Conjugation: Regular -ir verb. Example: Ils ont établi l'entreprise en 1990. — They established the company in 1990.
vendre	to sell. Conjugation: Regular -re: je vends, nous vendons. Example: Ils vendent des fruits très bon marché. — They sell very cheap fruit.
entendre	to hear. Conjugation: Regular -re verb. Example: J'entends un bruit dans la cuisine. — I hear a noise in the kitchen.
perdre	to lose. Conjugation: Regular -re verb. Example: J'ai perdu le train de sept heures. — I missed the seven o'clock train.
dépendre	to depend. Conjugation: Regular -re; takes de. Example: Ça dépend du temps qu'il fera. — It depends on the weather.
se coucher	to go to bed. Conjugation: Reflexive; regular -er. Example: Je me couche vers onze heures. — I go to bed around eleven.
se laver	to wash oneself. Conjugation: Reflexive; regular -er. Example: Je me lave les mains avant de manger. — I wash my hands before eating.
se souvenir	to remember. Conjugation: Reflexive like venir; takes de. Example: Je ne me souviens pas de son nom. — I do not remember his name.
s'inquiéter	to worry. Conjugation: Reflexive with an accent change; takes pour or de. Example: Ne t'inquiète pas pour l'examen. — Do not worry about the exam.
se promener	to go for a walk. Conjugation: Reflexive with an accent change: je me promène. Example: Nous nous promenons au bord du fleuve. — We walk along the river.
s'ennuyer	to be bored. Conjugation: Reflexive; y becomes i: je m'ennuie. Example: Je m'ennuie dans les longues réunions. — I get bored in long meetings.
se marier	to get married. Conjugation: Reflexive; takes avec. Example: Elle s'est mariée avec un collègue. — She married a colleague.
se tromper	to be mistaken. Conjugation: Reflexive; takes de for the thing got wrong. Example: Je me suis trompé de train. — I took the wrong train.
s'intéresser	to be interested. Conjugation: Reflexive; takes à. Example: Je m'intéresse à l'architecture. — I am interested in architecture.
se sentir	to feel. Conjugation: Reflexive; irregular -ir. Example: Je me sens mieux aujourd'hui. — I feel better today.
s'installer	to settle in, to move in. Conjugation: Reflexive; regular -er. Example: Ils se sont installés à Nantes. — They settled in Nantes.
aider	to help. Conjugation: Regular -er; aider quelqu'un à faire. Example: J'aide mon père au jardin. — I help my father in the garden.
remercier	to thank. Conjugation: Regular -er; remercier quelqu'un de or pour. Example: Je vous remercie de votre aide. — Thank you for your help.
saluer	to greet. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Je salue les voisins dans l'ascenseur. — I greet the neighbours in the lift.
raconter	to tell (a story). Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Raconte-moi ce qui s'est passé. — Tell me what happened.
proposer	to suggest, to offer. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Il a proposé une solution simple. — He suggested a simple solution.
refuser	to refuse. Conjugation: Regular -er; takes de before an infinitive. Example: Il a refusé de signer. — He refused to sign.
penser	to think. Conjugation: Regular -er; penser à for about, penser de for an opinion. Example: Je pense souvent à cet été-là. — I often think about that summer.
préparer	to prepare. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Je prépare ma valise la veille. — I pack my case the day before.
changer	to change. Conjugation: Regular -er; keeps the e before a and o. Example: J'ai changé d'avis à la fin. — I changed my mind in the end.
oser	to dare. Conjugation: Regular -er; followed directly by an infinitive. Example: Je n'ose pas lui demander. — I do not dare ask him.
garder	to keep. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Je garde les photos dans une boîte. — I keep the photos in a box.
ajouter	to add. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Ajoute du sel petit à petit. — Add salt little by little.
allumer	to turn on, to light. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Allume la lumière, s'il te plaît. — Turn on the light, please.
utiliser	to use. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: J'utilise l'ordinateur pour travailler. — I use the computer for work.
louer	to rent, to hire. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Nous louons un appartement au centre. — We rent a flat in the centre.
visiter	to visit (a place). Conjugation: Regular -er; use rendre visite à for people. Example: Nous avons visité le musée dimanche. — We visited the museum on Sunday.
dépenser	to spend money. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Je dépense peu en vêtements. — I spend little on clothes.
prêter	to lend. Conjugation: Regular -er; prêter quelque chose à quelqu'un. Example: Je lui ai prêté mon vélo. — I lent him my bicycle.
économiser	to save money. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: J'économise pour un long voyage. — I am saving for a long trip.
baisser	to lower, to go down. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Les prix ont baissé cet hiver. — Prices went down this winter.
retourner	to go back, to return. Conjugation: Regular -er; takes être in the perfect when intransitive. Example: Je retourne dans ma ville natale. — I am going back to my home town.
tourner	to turn. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Tournez à droite au feu. — Turn right at the lights.
danser	to dance. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Nous avons dansé jusqu'à très tard. — We danced until very late.
jouer	to play. Conjugation: Regular -er; jouer à for games, jouer de for instruments. Example: Il joue de la guitare depuis l'enfance. — He has played the guitar since childhood.
cuisiner	to cook. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Je cuisine du riz aux légumes. — I cook rice with vegetables.
dîner	to have dinner. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Nous dînons vers vingt heures. — We have dinner around eight.
apprendre	to learn. Conjugation: Irregular like prendre; apprendre à faire. Example: J'apprends des mots nouveaux chaque jour. — I learn new words every day.
surprendre	to surprise. Conjugation: Irregular like prendre. Example: La nouvelle a surpris tout le monde. — The news surprised everyone.
remettre	to hand in, to postpone. Conjugation: Irregular like mettre. Example: J'ai remis le devoir vendredi. — I handed the assignment in on Friday.
appartenir	to belong. Conjugation: Irregular like tenir; takes à. Example: Ce tableau appartient au musée. — This painting belongs to the museum.
paraître	to seem. Conjugation: Irregular like connaître. Example: Il paraît qu'il va neiger. — Apparently it is going to snow.
craindre	to fear. Conjugation: Irregular: je crains, nous craignons. Example: Il craint de perdre son emploi. — He fears losing his job.
résoudre	to solve. Conjugation: Irregular: je résous, nous résolvons. Example: Nous avons résolu le problème ensemble. — We solved the problem together.
suffire	to be enough. Conjugation: Irregular; often impersonal: il suffit de. Example: Il suffit d'appuyer sur ce bouton. — You just have to press this button.
cueillir	to pick. Conjugation: Irregular -ir with -er endings: je cueille. Example: Nous cueillons des fraises en juin. — We pick strawberries in June.
manquer	to miss, to be lacking. Conjugation: Regular -er; manquer à someone means they miss you. Example: Tu me manques beaucoup. — I miss you a lot.
souhaiter	to wish. Conjugation: Regular -er verb. Example: Je te souhaite un bon voyage. — I wish you a good trip.
avoir besoin	to need. Conjugation: Fixed phrase with avoir; takes de. Example: J'ai besoin d'une signature. — I need a signature.
avoir peur	to be afraid. Conjugation: Fixed phrase with avoir; takes de. Example: J'ai peur des chiens. — I am afraid of dogs.
avoir chaud	to be hot. Conjugation: Fixed phrase with avoir for people. Example: J'ai chaud, sortons dehors. — I am hot, let us go outside.
faire du sport	to do sport. Conjugation: Fixed phrase with faire. Example: Je fais du sport trois fois par semaine. — I do sport three times a week.
se mettre à	to start doing. Conjugation: Reflexive form of mettre; takes à. Example: Il s'est mis à pleuvoir. — It started to rain.
se taire	to be quiet. Conjugation: Reflexive and irregular: je me tais. Example: Tais-toi une minute. — Be quiet for a minute.

Frequently asked

Does importing this deck use AI credits?

No. Importing uses the saved deck as published; it does not run AI generation or use AI credits. The complete deck can therefore be imported on the free plan.

What happens if I import the deck twice?

Nothing is duplicated. Cards you already have are skipped and only newly added cards come across. Including re-imports after deleting, each official deck can be imported three times per account.

Can I use it on the web app and the phone app?

Yes. The deck is added to your account, so the same cards and the same progress are available in the web app, the iOS app and the Android app.

Can I edit the cards after importing?

Yes. Imported cards are yours: you can edit both sides, delete cards you do not need, change tags, and move cards to another deck.

What is in the deck?

94 regular -er verbs, 17 regular -ir verbs, 11 regular -re verbs, 96 irregular verbs and 32 reflexive verbs, 250 in total. One verb per card, so no verb appears twice.

Are full conjugation tables included?

No, and that is deliberate. A table of six forms across every tense is something you look up, not something a flashcard can drill. Each card gives the pattern instead — which stem breaks, whether the perfect takes être, which preposition follows — because that is the part you have to recall while speaking. Keep a conjugator open for the tables.

Does it cover the avoir expressions?

Yes. Avoir faim, avoir raison, avoir envie and the rest are included as their own cards, because they are exactly where English speakers reach for être and get it wrong. The same goes for the faire phrases and for venir de, which is how French says you have just done something.

Is this enough on its own?

It covers the verb layer, which is the part most learners are missing when they stall. Import it and open it daily, and the only verbs that come up are the ones whose pattern you cannot yet produce. Spend the time that frees up on speaking practice and on reading real French.