Rire is the French verb for “to laugh,” capturing moments of joy and amusement. It is an important, irregular verb (verbe irrégulier) used when expressing laughter in all moods and tenses, making it essential for vibrant, emotional conversation.
- Verb: rire — to laugh
- Meaning: to laugh; to express laughter
- Verb type: irregular—unique forms, not like regular -er verbs
- Root: ri- (used in most tenses)
- Usage: for laughter, amusement, joy—both literally and figuratively
*rire* means 'to laugh.'
'rire' is an irregular verb.
*rire* expresses laughter, amusement, and joy.
Full Conjugation: Present, Passé Composé, Imparfait, Futur Simple
Present: (je) ris, (tu) ris, (il/elle) rit, (nous) rions, (vous) riez, (ils/elles) rient
Roots: ri- (used in all forms except imparfait)
Use: I laugh / I am laughing / We laugh every day.
- je ris — I laugh
- tu ris — you laugh (informal)
- il/elle/on rit — he/she/one laughs
- nous rions — we laugh
- vous riez — you laugh (formal/plural)
- ils/elles rient — they laugh
Passé Composé: (avoir) + ri
- J'ai ri — I laughed
- Tu as ri — You laughed
- Il/elle/on a ri — He/she/one laughed
- Nous avons ri — We laughed
- Vous avez ri — You laughed
- Ils/elles ont ri — They laughed
Imparfait: (je) riais, (tu) riais, (il/elle) riait, (nous) riions, (vous) riiez, (ils/elles) riaient
Use: to laugh (habitually/continuously) in the past
- je riais — I was laughing / I used to laugh
- tu riais — you were laughing / used to laugh
- il/elle/on riait — he/she/one was laughing
- nous riions — we were laughing
- vous riiez — you were laughing
- ils/elles riaient — they were laughing
Futur Simple: (je) rirai, (tu) riras, (il/elle) rira, (nous) rirons, (vous) rirez, (ils/elles) riront
Use: to laugh (in the future)
- je rirai — I will laugh
- tu riras — you will laugh
- il/elle/on rira — he/she/one will laugh
- nous rirons — we will laugh
- vous rirez — you will laugh
- ils/elles riront — they will laugh
The auxiliary verb 'avoir' is used with 'rire' in the passé composé.
Nous rions and vous riez are correct.
'They used to laugh' is 'ils riaient' in the imparfait.
Usage Notes
- Rire is almost always used with its root ri-; only the imparfait adds “a” for smoothness (riais).
- You rarely see rire in imperative besides “Rions!” / “Riez!” (Let’s laugh! / Laugh!).
- It can be used literally (to laugh) or for laughter in stories/jokes (rire = to express amusement).
Conclusion
rire is the essential French verb for laughter—an irregular verb with unique forms—and is indispensable for expressing joy and amusement in all tenses.
- Core meaning: to laugh (express joy/amusement)
- Root: ri- (declines irregularly)
- Forms learned: Présent, Imparfait, Passé Composé, Futur