finir Present Tense Conjugation in French

The present of finir — finish — is the form you need for habits, facts and things happening now. finir is the verb for talking about finishing work: it comes up whenever you talk about describing homework or ending a book. This page gives you the complete present table for finir, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Je finis le travail.” — “I finish the work.”

Present conjugation of finir

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for finir. finir is regular (regular in the present), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Present — finir

Person Form
je finis
tu finis
il/elle finit
nous finissons
vous finissez
ils/elles finissent

The gerund of finir is en finissant and the past participle is fini. The participle matters here because the present is often confused with the other past tenses — keep them apart.

How the present of finir is formed

The present of finir is formed from its stem with the present endings. The six forms are finis, finis, finit, finissons, finissez and finissent. Copy them from the table above exactly as written — do not guess a form from the infinitive.

A note on spelling: the forms in the table are the verified forms. If a form carries an accent, the accent is part of the spelling — for example finis — so always write it exactly as shown.

The present is the tense to learn first for finir: every other tense in the full table is built from patterns you meet here, and the present is the form you will use most often in conversation.

When to use the present of finir

Habits and routines

Use the present for something you do regularly. For example: “Je finis le travail.” — “I finish the work.”

Facts and general truths

Use the present for facts that are true in general. For example: “Il finit mes devoirs.” — “He finishes my homework.”

Things happening now

Use the present for what is happening at this moment. For example: “Nous finissons le livre.” — “We finish the book.”

Near future plans

French often uses the present with a time word for a plan that is already fixed. For example: “Je finis à temps.” — “I finish on time.”

Present vs passé composé: finir finished, finir in progress

The present and the passé composé are the two tenses learners confuse most with finir. The present is for habits, facts and things happening now; the passé composé is for recent past actions and life experience; this is the everyday spoken past tense, the passé composé. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the passé composé form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present: “Je finis le travail.” — “I finish the work.”

  • Passé composé: “J'ai fini le travail cette semaine.” — “I have finished the work this week.”

  • Present: “Il finit mes devoirs.” — “He finishes my homework.”

  • Passé composé: “Il a fini mes devoirs cette semaine.” — “He has finished my homework this week.”

  • Present: “Nous finissons le livre.” — “We finish the book.”

  • Passé composé: “Nous avons fini le livre cette semaine.” — “We have finished the book this week.”

Example sentences: finir in the present

Six sentences using only the present of finir, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Je finis le travail.” — “I finish the work.”
  • “Tu finis mes devoirs.” — “You finish my homework.”
  • “Il finit le livre.” — “He finishes the book.”
  • “Nous finissons à temps.” — “We finish on time.”
  • “Vous finissez le travail.” — “You finish the work.”
  • “Ils finissent mes devoirs.” — “They finish my homework.”

Common mistakes in the present of finir

1. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je finissons le travail.”

✓ Right: “Je finis le travail.”

finissons is the nous form. With je the present form is finis.

2. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je finir mes devoirs.”

✓ Right: “Je finis mes devoirs.”

The infinitive finir never takes a subject. After je you need finis.

3. Using the passé composé for a habit

✗ Wrong: “Tous les jours, j'ai fini le livre.”

✓ Right: “Tous les jours, je finis le livre.”

A habit needs the present finis, not the passé composé.

4. Using the present where the imperfect belongs

✗ Wrong: “Avant, je finis à temps tous les jours.” (said of a repeated habit)

✓ Right: “Avant, je finissais à temps tous les jours.”

For something you did regularly in the past, use the imperfect finissais.

5. Mixing up tu and je

✗ Wrong: “Tu finis le travail.”

✓ Right: “Tu finis le travail.”

With tu the present form is finis, not finis. Copy the form for the right person from the table.

Quiz: test yourself on the present of finir

Ten questions on finir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the je form of finir in the Present indicative?

    • A) finit
    • B) finissez
    • C) finis
    • D) finissons

  2. What is the tu form of finir in the Present indicative?

    • A) finis
    • B) finissent
    • C) finissons
    • D) finit

  3. What is the il/elle form of finir in the Present indicative?

    • A) finit
    • B) finis
    • C) finissent
    • D) finissez

  4. What is the nous form of finir in the Present indicative?

    • A) finissent
    • B) finissez
    • C) finis
    • D) finissons

  5. What is the vous form of finir in the Present indicative?

    • A) finissent
    • B) finit
    • C) finissez
    • D) finissons

  6. What is the ils/elles form of finir in the Present indicative?

    • A) finit
    • B) finissent
    • C) finissons
    • D) finissez

  7. What is the je form of finir in the Present perfect?

    • A) ai fini
    • B) avons fini
    • C) a fini
    • D) as fini

  8. What is the gerund of finir?

    • A) finissant
    • B) dormant
    • C) buvant

  9. What is the past participle of finir?

    • A) bu
    • B) fini
    • C) dormi

  10. What does finir mean in English?

  • A) drink
  • B) open
  • C) sleep
  • D) finish

Answer key

  1. C) finis — The je form of finir in the present indicative is finis.
  2. A) finis — The tu form of finir in the present indicative is finis.
  3. A) finit — The il/elle form of finir in the present indicative is finit.
  4. D) finissons — The nous form of finir in the present indicative is finissons.
  5. C) finissez — The vous form of finir in the present indicative is finissez.
  6. B) finissent — The ils/elles form of finir in the present indicative is finissent.
  7. A) ai fini — The je form of finir in the present perfect is ai fini.
  8. A) finissant — The gerund of finir is en finissant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
  9. B) fini — The past participle of finir is fini; perfect tenses use avoir + fini.
  10. D) finish — finir means “finish” in English.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the present of finir?

Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. For finir that covers talking about finishing work, describing homework and ending a book.

Is the present of finir regular?

finir is regular. In the present it is regular — copy the forms from the table on this page.

What is the past participle of finir?

The past participle is fini. You need it for the passé composé, which uses avoir + fini.

How do I say “I finish” in the present?

Say “Je finis le travail.” — “I finish the work.” The je form is finis.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for finir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Related pages