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 |
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) |
Choose the correct imperative form to suggest, "Let's see what happens!"
Voyons ce qui se passe !
The imperative "nous" form is **voyons**, used here to mean "Let's see."
Choose the correct imperative form for the command "See the doctor!" (tu form).
Vois le médecin !
The imperative for "tu" is the same as the present tense without the subject pronoun: **Vois le médecin !**
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)
What does the French expression "faire voir" mean in English?
to show (something to someone)
"Faire voir" literally means "to make see," and is used to mean "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.
Flashcards (1 of 6)
- Person: Je
- Conjugation: ai vu
- English: I saw
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
