Usage
Voir can be used in a variety of contexts, including:
- Physically seeing something or someone
- Meeting or visiting someone
- Understanding or considering a situation (similar to "seeing" something in a figurative sense)
Examples:
- Je vois un oiseau. — I see a bird.
- Nous voyons nos amis ce soir. — We are seeing our friends tonight.
- Je vois ce que tu veux dire. — I see what you mean.
Conjugation
Present Tense
| Je | vois | I see |
|---|---|---|
| Tu | vois | You see |
| Il/Elle/On | voit | He/She/One sees |
| Nous | voyons | We see |
| Vous | voyez | You see |
| Ils/Elles | voient | They see |
Passé Composé
Formed with avoir + vu
| Person | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je | ai vu | I saw |
| Tu | as vu | You saw |
| Il/Elle | a vu | He/She saw |
| Nous | avons vu | We saw |
| Vous | avez vu | You saw |
| Ils/Elles | ont vu | They saw |
Imperfect (Imparfait)
| Je | voyais | I was seeing / I used to see |
|---|---|---|
| Tu | voyais | You were seeing / used to see |
| Il/Elle/On | voyait | He/She/One was seeing / used to see |
| Nous | voyions | We were seeing / used to see |
| Vous | voyiez | You were seeing / used to see |
| Ils/Elles | voyaient | They were seeing / used to see |
Choose the correct imperfect conjugation form for "I was seeing the stars".
Je voyais les étoiles.
The imperfect form for "je" is **voyais**, using the stem **voy–** with the imperfect ending **-ais**.
Future Tense
| Je | verrai | I will see |
|---|---|---|
| Tu | verras | You will see |
| Il/Elle/On | verra | He/She/One will see |
| Nous | verrons | We will see |
| Vous | verrez | You will see |
| Ils/Elles | verront | They will see |
Conditional
| Je | verrais | I would see |
|---|---|---|
| Tu | verrais | You would see |
| Il/Elle/On | verrait | He/She/One would see |
| Nous | verrions | We would see |
| Vous | verriez | You would see |
| Ils/Elles | verraient | They would see |
Subjunctive Present (used in dependent clauses)
| Que je | voie | that I see |
|---|---|---|
| Que tu | voies | that you see |
| Qu’il/elle/on | voie | that he/she/one sees |
| Que nous | voyions | that we see |
| Que vous | voyiez | that you see |
| Qu’ils/elles | voient | that they see |
Imperative
| — | vois | See (you) |
|---|---|---|
| — | voyons | Let’s see |
| — | voyez | See (you all) |
Key Expressions with Voir
- voir quelqu’un — to see someone (meet or visit)
- avoir vu — to have seen
- on verra — we’ll see (used to express uncertainty)
- voir clair — to see clearly / understand
- faire voir — to show (something to someone)
Summary
- Voir means “to see” and is irregular.
- It can be used literally (to see) or figuratively (to understand, to meet).
- Key past participle: vu.
- Commonly appears in compound tenses with avoir.
What is the most important irregular past participle form to remember for the verb voir?
vu
The past participle of **voir** is **vu**, which is used in all compound tenses.
In addition to literal seeing, what are two other common figurative uses of voir?
to understand, to meet
**Voir** can also mean figuratively 'to understand' (voir clair, je vois ce que tu veux dire) and 'to meet' (voir quelqu’un).
Flashcards (1 of 6)
- Person: Je
- Conjugation: ai vu
- English: I saw
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
