Verb drill
Finir or partir? Practise two French -ir present patterns
Compare finir and partir in a six-person table, then practise -iss- forms, short singular stems and infinitives in a two-part drill.
- A2
- 12 answers
- Checked all at once
- Accents count
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Finir adds -iss- in its plural present forms: nous finissons. Partir uses nous partons, with no -iss-. Compare je finis / nous finissons with je pars / nous partons before trying the drill.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
| Subject | finir — to finish | partir — to leave |
|---|---|---|
| je | finis | pars |
| tu | finis | pars |
| il / elle / on | finit | part |
| nous | finissons | partons |
| vous | finissez | partez |
| ils / elles | finissent | partent |
choisir → nous choisissonsto choose → we choose
Focus: the finir family
-is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent
Nous choisissons une date pour le voyage.
We are choosing a date for the trip.
sortir → nous sortonsto go out → we go out
Focus: the partir family
a short singular stem, then the longer plural stem
Elle sort après le cours.
She goes out after class.
Nous dormons bien ici.
We sleep well here.
In the partir family, the singular drops the last consonant of the longer stem: part- → pars, sort- → sors, dorm- → dors. With il, elle or on, check the final letter: il part, elle sort, on dort. The finir family keeps -i- in the singular and adds -ss- in the plural.
Two rounds: forms, then sentences
Type only the missing verb. In the second round, the hint gives the infinitive. For the last two rows, notice whether the sentence already has a conjugated verb: after vouloir or aller in a plan, the action stays in the infinitive.
1 · Change the subject
- finir · tu
- partir · elle
- finir · nous
- partir · vous
- choisir · elles
- dormir · je
2 · Finish, choose or leave
- Nous le travail à dix-huit heures. (finir)
- Tu après la réunion ? (partir)
- Les élèves cet exercice. (réussir)
- Vous ce soir ? (sortir)
- Je veux avant midi. (finir)
- Elles vont demain matin. (partir)
Which -ir verbs follow neither finir nor partir?
Je viens demain. Nous venons ensemble.
I’m coming tomorrow. We’re coming together.
Venir has its own pattern: viens / venons.
J’ouvre à neuf heures. Nous ouvrons à neuf heures.
I open at nine. We open at nine.
Ouvrir uses endings like a regular -er verb in the present. The infinitive ending alone cannot choose the model.