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French · Verb · #50 most common

lire

to read


Irregular3rd ending

In the tables below, the stem is shown in black and the ending in purple.

1.

Présent

Current actions, habits, and general truths.

jelis
tulis
il/ellelit
nouslisons
vouslisez
ils/elleslisent

Je lis un livre intéressant.

I am reading an interesting book.

Elle lit le journal tous les matins.

She reads the newspaper every morning.

2.

Passé Composé

Completed past actions with present relevance.

jeai lu
tuas lu
il/ellea lu
nousavons lu
vousavez lu
ils/ellesont lu

Nous avons lu ce roman l'année dernière.

We read that novel last year.

Ils ont lu les instructions avant de commencer.

They read the instructions before starting.

3.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.

jelisais
tulisais
il/ellelisait
nouslisions
vouslisiez
ils/elleslisaient

Quand j'étais jeune, je lisais beaucoup de contes.

When I was young, I read a lot of fairy tales.

Elle lisait souvent dans le parc.

She often read in the park.

4.

Futur Simple

Future events, promises, and formal predictions.

jelirai
tuliras
il/ellelira
nouslirons
vouslirez
ils/ellesliront

Demain, je lirai un nouveau livre.

Tomorrow, I will read a new book.

Ils liront le rapport avant la réunion.

They will read the report before the meeting.

5.

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.

jelirais
tulirais
il/ellelirait
nouslirions
vousliriez
ils/ellesliraient

Je lirais ce livre si j'avais le temps.

I would read this book if I had the time.

Elle lirait plus souvent si elle n'était pas si occupée.

She would read more often if she weren't so busy.

6.

Subjonctif Présent

Doubt, desire, necessity, and emotion in subordinate clauses.

jelise
tulises
il/ellelise
nouslisions
vouslisiez
ils/elleslisent

Il faut que je lise ce livre avant la fin du mois.

I need to read this book before the end of the month.

Il est important qu'elle lise les documents.

It is important that she reads the documents.

7.

Plus-que-parfait

Actions completed before another past action.

jeavais lu
tuavais lu
il/elleavait lu
nousavions lu
vousaviez lu
ils/ellesavaient lu

Avant de partir, j'avais lu tous les chapitres.

Before leaving, I had read all the chapters.

Ils avaient déjà lu le livre avant de voir le film.

They had already read the book before watching the movie.

"lire" in other languages

Related verbs

Common questions
Is "lire" regular or irregular in French?
"lire" is an irregular French verb. It does not follow the standard 3rd conjugation pattern and must be memorized.
How do you conjugate "lire" in the present tense?
In the Présent, "lire" conjugates as: lis, lis, lisons, and more. See the full table above.
What is the past tense of "lire" in French?
In the Passé Composé, "lire" conjugates as: ai lu, as lu, avons lu, and more. See the full table above.
How common is "lire" in French?
"lire" (to read) is one of the most commonly used verbs in French.