Finir Conjugation in French: Complete Tense Charts and Guide

The verb finir (meaning to finish or to end) is one of the most vital verbs to learn in the French language. It serves as the model verb for the second group of regular French verbs—those ending in -ir whose present participle ends in -issant.

Once you master the conjugation of finir, you can accurately conjugate dozens of other essential regular -ir verbs, such as choisir (to choose), réussir (to succeed), grandir (to grow), and réfléchir (to reflect).

In this guide from the linguistic experts at my-french.com, you will find full conjugation tables, stem patterns, common idiomatic uses, and key grammatical traps to avoid.

What Makes Finir a Regular Second-Group Verb?

  • Second-group verbs (regular -ir): characterized by the infix -iss- in plural present stems and throughout the imperfect tense (e.g., finir -> nous finissons).
  • Third-group verbs (irregular -ir): verbs like partir (nous partons), dormir (nous dormons), or venir (nous venons) which do not contain -iss-.

    • Not all French verbs ending in -ir behave the same way. French distinguishes between:

Knowing this single distinction prevents the common learner mistake of applying irregular patterns to regular verbs.

1. Indicative Mood (L'Indicatif)

The indicative mood states facts, certainties, and real-life occurrences across past, present, and future.

Present Tense (Présent)

  • Je finis (I finish / I am finishing)
  • Tu finis (You finish)
  • Il / Elle / On finit (He / She / One finishes)
  • Nous finissons (We finish)
  • Vous finissez (You finish - formal/plural)
  • Ils / Elles finissent (They finish)

Rule to remember: The singular endings are -s, -s, -t, and the plural forms carry the iconic -ss- infix.

Compound Past (Passé Composé)

Finir takes the auxiliary verb avoir in compound tenses. The past participle is fini.

  • J'ai fini (I finished / I have finished)
  • Tu as fini (You finished)
  • Il / Elle / On a fini (He / She finished)
  • Nous avons fini (We finished)
  • Vous avez fini (You finished)
  • Ils / Elles ont fini (They finished)

Example: Nous avons fini nos examens. (We finished our exams.)

Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

Used for descriptions, ongoing actions, or habitual events in the past.

  • Je finissais (I used to finish / was finishing)
  • Tu finissais
  • Il / Elle / On finissait
  • Nous finissions
  • Vous finissiez
  • Ils / Elles finissaient

    • Simple Future (Futur Simple)

Formed by taking the infinitive finir and adding the future endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont).

  • Je finirai (I will finish)
  • Tu finiras
  • Il / Elle / On finira
  • Nous finirons
  • Vous finirez
  • Ils / Elles finiront

    • Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait)

  • J'avais fini (I had finished)
  • Tu avais fini
  • Il / Elle / On avait fini
  • Nous avions fini
  • Vous aviez fini
  • Ils / Elles avaient fini

    • 2. Conditional Mood (Le Conditionnel)

Used for polite requests, wishes, or hypothetical events dependent on conditions.

Present Conditional

  • Je finirais (I would finish)
  • Tu finirais
  • Il / Elle / On finirait
  • Nous finirions
  • Vous finiriez
  • Ils / Elles finiraient

    • Past Conditional

  • J'aurais fini (I would have finished)
  • Tu aurais fini
  • Il / Elle / On aurait fini
  • Nous aurions fini
  • Vous auriez fini
  • Ils / Elles auraient fini

    • 3. Subjunctive Mood (Le Subjonctif)

Used to communicate doubts, necessities, feelings, or wishes following specific trigger phrases.

Present Subjunctive

  • Que je finisse (That I finish)
  • Que tu finisses
  • Qu'il / elle / on finisse
  • Que nous finissions
  • Que vous finissiez
  • Qu'ils / elles finissent

Example: Il est important que vous finissiez à l'heure. (It is important that you finish on time.)

4. Imperative Mood (L'Impératif)

Used for commands and direct instructions without subject pronouns.

  • Finis ! (Finish! - singular informal)
  • Finissons ! (Let's finish!)
  • Finissez ! (Finish! - plural or formal)

Key Grammar Tip: Unlike regular -er verbs which drop the final s in the tu command (Parle !), 2nd group verbs keep the s (Finis !).

Non-Finite Forms

  • Present Infinitive: finir
  • Past Infinitive: avoir fini
  • Present Participle: finissant
  • Past Participle: fini
  • Gerund: en finissant (by/while finishing)

    • Essential Idioms & Prepositional Structures

1. Finir de + infinitive: To finish doing something.

  • J'ai fini de lire ce livre. (I finished reading this book.)

2. Finir par + infinitive: To end up doing something / to eventually do something.

  • Elle a fini par accepter l'offre. (She eventually accepted the offer.)

3. En finir avec: To be done with / put an end to something troublesome.

  • Finissons-en ! (Let's get this over with!)

    • Summary

By practicing the stem shifts and auxiliary combinations of finir, your foundation in intermediate French conjugation becomes substantially stronger. Apply these patterns to other 2nd-group verbs to dramatically expand your French fluency!