Overview
Lire is a common French verb meaning to read. It is an irregular verb and belongs to the third group of French verbs. This verb is regularly used when talking about reading books, newspapers, emails, or any written material.
Usage
You use lire when describing the act of interpreting written symbols or words. It can be applied in different tenses and moods to express reading in past, present, future, or conditional forms. For example, "Je lis un livre" means "I am reading a book."
Present Tense Conjugation
The present tense of lire is irregular. Below is the conjugation table showing how lire changes depending on the subject pronoun, along with example sentences:
| French Pronoun | French Conjugation | English Conjugation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | lis | I read / I am reading | Je lis un article intéressant. | I am reading an interesting article. |
| Tu | lis | You read / You are reading | Tu lis le journal chaque matin. | You read the newspaper every morning. |
| Il/Elle/On | lit | He/She/One reads | Elle lit un roman français. | She is reading a French novel. |
| Nous | lisons | We read / We are reading | Nous lisons ensemble en classe. | We are reading together in class. |
| Vous | lisez | You read / You are reading | Vous lisez ce livre pour l’école. | You are reading this book for school. |
| Ils/Elles | lisent | They read / They are reading | Ils lisent beaucoup de poésie. | They read a lot of poetry. |
Past Tense (Passe Compose)
The past tense of lire is formed with the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle lu. Here is how it looks:
- J'ai lu - I read (have read)
- Tu as lu - You read (have read)
- Il/Elle/On a lu - He/She/One read (has read)
- Nous avons lu - We read (have read)
- Vous avez lu - You read (have read)
- Ils/Elles ont lu - They read (have read)
Example: J'ai lu ce livre hier means I read this book yesterday.
Future Tense
The future tense of lire follows a regular pattern by adding future endings to the stem lir-:
- Je lirai - I will read
- Tu liras - You will read
- Il/Elle/On lira - He/She/One will read
- Nous lirons - We will read
- Vous lirez - You will read
- Ils/Elles liront - They will read
Example: Nous lirons ce roman demain means We will read this novel tomorrow.
Tips for Learning
Because lire is irregular, it is useful to memorize its various forms and practice them in different contexts. Try reading simple French texts and identifying the verb form. Combining reading and speaking will improve your fluency with this verb.
Related Verbs
- Écrire – to write
- Comprendre – to understand
- Dire – to say/to tell
These verbs often appear together with lire in language learning and daily use.
