Irregular verbs do not follow the patterns for -er, -re, and -ir verbs. Instead, they have their own patterns that you must memorize for each verb.

Avoir, Être, Faire, and Aller

Two of the most used irregular verbs, avoir and Être, are an integral part of the French language, as they often get used in conjunction with other verbs when complex sentences are formed. Avoir means “to have” and tÊre means “to be.” Faire (to do, to make) and aller (to go) are also common irregular verbs.

Table 6-16

The Verb Avoir

Table 6-17

The Verb Être (to Be)

Another commonly used irregular verb, faire, means “to make” or “to do.”

Table 6-18

The Verb Faire (to Make, to Do)

The verb faire can be used with the infinitive form of another verb to indicate the sense of “to have something done” or even “make something happen.” This is often used when you are having something done by someone else, especially when the person doing it isn't important to the meaning. The someone is inferred. Whenever you aren't doing something yourself, you can use this phrase.

The verb faire is used in many expressions in French, such as the following: