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French · Verb · #47 most common

servir

to serve


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.

jesers
tusers
il/ellesert
nousservons
vousservez
ils/ellesservent

Je sers le café à mes invités.

I serve coffee to my guests.

Ils servent toujours un bon repas.

They always serve a good meal.

2.

Passé Composé

Completed past actions with present relevance.

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

Nous avons servi le dîner à six heures.

We served dinner at six o'clock.

Elle a servi des desserts délicieux.

She served delicious desserts.

3.

Imparfait

Ongoing or habitual past actions, descriptions, and background.

jeservais
tuservais
il/elleservait
nousservions
vousserviez
ils/ellesservaient

Quand j'étais jeune, je servais souvent à la maison.

When I was young, I often served at home.

Ils servaient des boissons pendant la fête.

They were serving drinks during the party.

4.

Futur Simple

Future events, promises, and formal predictions.

jeservirai
tuserviras
il/elleservira
nousservirons
vousservirez
ils/ellesserviront

Demain, je servirai le petit déjeuner à 8 heures.

Tomorrow, I will serve breakfast at 8 o'clock.

Nous servirons le repas dans quelques minutes.

We will serve the meal in a few minutes.

5.

Conditionnel Présent

Hypothetical outcomes, polite requests, and reported future.

jeservirais
tuservirais
il/elleservirait
nousservirions
vousserviriez
ils/ellesserviraient

Je servirais plus souvent si j'avais le temps.

I would serve more often if I had the time.

Ils serviraient des plats végétariens si cela plaisait aux invités.

They would serve vegetarian dishes if the guests liked it.

6.

Subjonctif Présent

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

jeserve
tuserves
il/elleserve
nousservions
vousserviez
ils/ellesservent

Il faut que je serve le dessert avant le café.

It is necessary that I serve the dessert before the coffee.

Bien qu'ils soient fatigués, qu'ils servent encore les clients.

Although they are tired, let them still serve the customers.

7.

Plus-que-parfait

Actions completed before another past action.

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

Avant de partir, j'avais servi tous les invités.

Before leaving, I had served all the guests.

Ils avaient servi le repas avant que nous arrivions.

They had served the meal before we arrived.

"servir" in other languages

Related verbs

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