Languages › French Conjugate the Irregular French Verb 'Servir' Share Flipboard Email Print Thomas Barwick / Getty Images French Grammar Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Team Updated on January 05, 2020 Servir ("to serve," "to be useful") is an irregular French -ir verb. Below are the simple conjugations of the verb servir. They do not include the compound tenses, which consist of a form of the auxiliary verb with the past participle. Within irregular -ir verb conjugations, there are some patterns. Two groups exhibit similar characteristics and conjugation patterns. Then there is a final, large category of extremely irregular -ir verbs that follow no pattern. Servir Is Irregular Servir lies in the first group of irregular -ir verbs that display a pattern. It includes dormir, mentir, partir, sentir, servir, sortir, and all of their derivatives, such as repartir. All of these verbs share this characteristic: They all drop the last letter of the stem in the singular conjugations. For instance, the first-person singular of servir is je sers (no v) and the first-person plural is nous servons (retains the v from the stem). The more you recognize these patterns, the easier it will be to remember conjugations. Conjugation Generally speaking, most French verbs ending in -mir, -tir, or -vir are conjugated this way. Such verbs include: dormir: to sleep endormir: to put / send to sleep redormir: to sleep some more rendormir: to put back to sleep départir: to accord partir: to leave repartir: to restart, set off again consentir: to consent pressentir: to have a premonition ressentir: to feel, sense sentir: to feel, to smell mentir: to lie se repentir: to repent sortir: to go out servir: to serve, to be useful Expressions and Usage Servir quelqu'un de / en quelque chose.: To serve somebody with something / To serve something to somebody. C'est difficile de se faire servir ici.: It's difficult to get served here. Sers le café.: Pour the coffee. Puis-je te servir du poulet?: Can I serve you some chicken? Le dîner est servi!: Dinner is ready / Served! Sers-moi à boire.: Give / pour me a drink. Ils nous servent toujours les mêmes histoires aux informations.: They always dish out the same old stories on the news. Servir la patrie / une cause: To serve country or a cause On n'est jamais si bien servi que par soi-même. (proverb): If you want something done right, do it yourself. Servir les intérêts d'une dette: To service a debt servir la messe: To say / hold mass Il a servi, ce manteau!: I got a lot of use out of this coat! Ça n'a jamais servi.: It's never been used. À toi de servir. (tennis): Your serve. servir à: To be used for Ça ne sert à rien de lui en parler.: It's useless to talk to him / It's no use talking to him about it. Crier ne sert à rien.: There's no point in shouting. servir de: to act as, to be Je lui ai servi d'interprète.: I acted as his interpreter. se servir [pronominal reflexive]: to help oneself Servez-vous de / en légumes.: Help yourself to vegetables. Je me suis servi un verre de lait.: I poured myself a glass of milk. se servir [pronominal passive]: to be served Le vin rouge se sert chambré.: Red wine should be served at room temperature. se servir de quelque chose: to use something Il ne peut plus se servir de son bras droit.: He can't use his right arm anymore. C'est une arme dont on ne se sert plus.: It's a weapon that is no longer used / in use. se servir de quelque chose comme: to use something as se servir de quelqu'un: to make use of / to use somebody Conjugations Tables Present Future Imperfect Present participle je sers servirai servais servant tu sers serviras servais il sert servira servait nous servons servirons servions vous servez servirez serviez ils servent serviront servaient Passé composé Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle servi Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Team, ThoughtCo. "Conjugate the Irregular French Verb 'Servir'." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/servir-to-be-useful-1370890. Team, ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). Conjugate the Irregular French Verb 'Servir'. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/servir-to-be-useful-1370890 Team, ThoughtCo. "Conjugate the Irregular French Verb 'Servir'." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/servir-to-be-useful-1370890 (accessed June 4, 2023). copy citation By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies