Il vaut mieux que vous partiez... Irregular -oir verbs Il vaut mieux que vous partiez... © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

Irregular -oir verbs French verbs that end in -oir are irregular. They do not all follow the same pattern. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

Irregular -oir verbs The verbs vouloir and pouvoir follow a similar pattern. Note the stem change in the nous and vous forms. pouvoir (to be able) vouloir (to want) je peux tu peux il/elle peut nous pouvons vous pouvez ils/elles peuvent je veux tu veux il/elle veut nous voulons vous voulez ils/elles veulent past participle: pu past participle: voulu © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

Irregular -oir verbs Like pouvoir and vouloir, the singular forms of valoir end in -x, -x, and -t. Note the stem in the plural forms. valoir (to be worth) je vaux tu vaux il/elle vaut nous valons vous valez ils/elles valent past participle: valu Ces bijoux valent beaucoup d’argent. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

ATTENTION! Irregular -oir verbs Because the verb valoir means to be worth (money, effort, etc.), its subject is most often an inanimate object rather than a human being. The most common forms encountered are the third-person singular and plural forms. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

devoir (to have to, must; to owe) Irregular -oir verbs The verbs voir and devoir follow similar patterns. They also have stem changes in the nous and vous forms. voir (to see) devoir (to have to, must; to owe) je vois tu vois il/elle voit nous voyons vous voyez ils/elles voient je dois tu dois il/elle doit nous devons vous devez ils/elles doivent past participle: vu past participle: dû © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

ATTENTION! Irregular -oir verbs The prefix re- usually means to do something again. For example, the verb revoir means to see again. Revoir is conjugated like voir. J’ai revu le film. I saw the film again. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

Irregular -oir verbs Like voir and devoir, the singular forms of savoir end in -s, -s, and -t. Note the different stems in the singular and plural forms. savoir (to know) je sais tu sais il/elle sait nous savons vous savez ils/elles savent past participle: su Ils savent danser. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

apercevoir (to perceive) Irregular -oir verbs The verbs recevoir, apercevoir, and percevoir follow the same pattern. Note the ç in all forms except for nous and vous. recevoir (to receive) apercevoir (to perceive) je reçois tu reçois il/elle reçoit nous recevons vous recevez ils/elles reçoivent j’aperçois tu aperçois il/elle aperçoit nous apercevons vous apercevez ils/elles aperçoivent past participle: reçu past participle: aperçu © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

ATTENTION! Irregular -oir verbs The verbs apercevoir and percevoir both mean to perceive, but they are not interchangeable. Apercevoir usually refers to visual perception, as in to see or to notice. Percevoir usually refers to more general perception, as in to detect or to sense. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

Irregular -oir verbs Due to their meanings, the verbs pleuvoir and falloir have only third-person singular forms. pleuvoir (to rain) falloir (to be necessary, to have to, must) il pleut il faut past participle: plu past participle: fallu Il pleut souvent au printemps. It often rains in the spring. Il faut prendre le train. It’s necessary to take the train. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

ATTENTION! Irregular -oir verbs You can use il faut to refer to a variety of subjects. Depending upon the context, it can mean I must, you must, one must, they must, and so on. Regardless of meaning, the subject is always il. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.

Irregular -oir verbs The verb s’asseoir is very irregular. Like other reflexive verbs, it is accompanied by a reflexive pronoun and takes the helping verb être in the passé composé. s’asseoir (to sit) je m’assieds tu t’assieds il/elle s’assied nous nous asseyons vous vous asseyez ils/elles s’asseyent past participle: assis(e/es) Ils se sont assis par terre. © and ® 2011 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.