Rire Conjugation in French: The Complete Guide & Tense Charts

Mastering the conjugation of the French verb rire (to laugh) is essential for everyday conversations, storytelling, and mastering advanced grammar nuances. Although rire is a short, three-letter verb, it belongs to the irregular 3rd group (troisième groupe) and features a few spelling quirks that often trip up English speakers.

In this comprehensive guide from my-french.com, you will find complete conjugation tables for every tense, pronunciation insights, the golden rule of the double "i", and practical French idioms featuring rire.

1. Quick Overview of "Rire"

  • Meaning: To laugh
  • Group: 3rd group (irregular)
  • Auxiliary Verb: Avoir (j'ai ri — I laughed)
  • Past Participle: ri (invariable)
  • Present Participle: riant (laughing)
  • Twin Verb: Sourire (to smile) follows the exact same pattern.

    • 2. Indicative Mood (L'indicatif)

    Present Tense (Présent)

The present tense takes the regular third-group endings: -s, -s, -t, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Pronoun French Form Pronunciation (IPA) English Translation
:--- :--- :--- :---
Je ris /ʁi/ I laugh / I am laughing
Tu ris /ʁi/ You laugh
Il / Elle / On rit /ʁi/ He / She / One laughs
Nous rions /ʁjɔ̃/ We laugh
Vous riez /ʁje/ You laugh (formal/plural)
Ils / Elles rient /ʁi/ They laugh

> Pronunciation Tip: The forms ris, rit, and rient sound completely identical (/ʁi/). The silent letters (-s, -t, -ent) only matter in writing.

Compound Past (Passé Composé)

To express an action completed in the past, combine the present tense of avoir with the past participle ri:

  • J'ai ri — I laughed / I have 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

    • Imperfect Tense (Imparfait)

Used for continuous past actions or habitual laughing in the past:

  • Je riais — I was laughing
  • Tu riais — You were laughing
  • Il / Elle / On riait — He / She was laughing
  • Nous riions — We were laughing (note the double "i")
  • Vous riiez — You were laughing (note the double "i")
  • Ils / Elles riaient — They were laughing

    • Future Tense (Futur Simple)

The stem for the future tense is rir-:

  • Je rirai — I will laugh
  • Tu riras — You will laugh
  • Il / Elle / On rira — He / She will laugh
  • Nous rirons — We will laugh
  • Vous rirez — You will laugh
  • Ils / Elles riront — They will laugh

    • Literary Past (Passé Simple)

Common in novels and formal French literature:

  • Je ris
  • Tu ris
  • Il / Elle rit
  • Nous rîmes
  • Vous rîtes
  • Ils / Elles rirent

    • 3. Subjunctive & Conditional Moods

    Subjunctive Present (Subjonctif Présent)

Used after expressions of necessity, emotion, or doubt:

  • Que je rie — That I laugh
  • Que tu ries — That you laugh
  • Qu'il / elle / on rie — That he / she laugh
  • Que nous riions — That we laugh
  • Que vous riiez — That you laugh
  • Qu'ils / elles rient — That they laugh

    • Conditional Present (Conditionnel Présent)

Used for polite requests, hypotheticals, or wishes:

  • Je rirais — I would laugh
  • Tu rirais — You would laugh
  • Il / Elle / On rirait — He / She would laugh
  • Nous ririons — We would laugh
  • Vous ririez — You would laugh
  • Ils / Elles riraient — They would laugh

    • 4. Imperative Mood (Impératif)

When commanding someone to laugh:

  • Ris ! — Laugh! (informal singular)
  • Rions ! — Let's laugh!
  • Riez ! — Laugh! (formal or plural)

    • 5. Critical Traps & Common Mistakes

    1. The Double "i" in Imparfait and Subjonctif

  • Incorrect: Nous rions hier soir.
  • Correct: Nous riions hier soir. (Imperfect: We were laughing yesterday evening).

    • Many non-native writers make the mistake of omitting the second "i" with nous and vous in the imperfect and subjunctive. The stem ends with i- (ri-) and the endings start with i- (-ions, -iez).

    2. Agreement of Past Participle "ri"

  • Elles ont ri. (Never ries).
  • Ils se sont ri de ses menaces. (Never ris).

    • Because rire is an intransitive verb (you laugh at someone or something using the preposition de), its past participle never agrees in gender or number, even in pronominal constructions like se rire de (to mock):

    6. Popular French Idioms with Rire

  • Mourir de rire : To die of laughter (abbreviated as MDR, the French equivalent of LOL).
  • Rire jaune : To give a forced or bitter laugh.
  • Rire au nez de quelqu'un : To laugh in someone's face.
  • Histoire à dormir debout / histoire pour rire : A joke or tall tale.
  • Pour rire : Just for fun / as a joke (C'était juste pour rire !).