Conjugate acquérir and other irregular -QUÉRIR verbs in the present tense in French (Le Présent)

Written by qualified French expert Céline Pickard PGCE, BA

Last updated: 2024-08-08

The verb acquérir (to acquire) and other derivatives with -quérir* are irregular in Le Présent (Indicatif), meaning that they don't follow the same pattern as regular -IR verbs.

Learn how to conjugate ACQUÉRIR (to purchase/gain/acquire) in Le Présent (Indicatif) in French

j'acquiers	I acquire
tu acquiers	You acquire (one person you know well)
il/elle/on acquiert	He/she/one acquires - we/people acquire
nous acquérons	We acquire
vous acquérez	You acquire (more than 1 person or formal)
ils/elles acquièrent	They acquire

Listen to these examples:

J'acquiers un immeuble à Paris avec mon héritage.I am buying an apartment block in Paris with my inheritance.

Aujourd'hui, tu acquiers la nationalité française.Today, you are obtaining French citizenship.

Luca acquiert régulièrement de nouvelles connaissances à l'école.Luca regularly acquires new knowledge at school.

Chaque jour, nous acquérons de nouveaux droits.Every day, we acquire new rights.

Petit à petit, vous acquérez votre indépendance financière.Little by little, you're achieving your financial independence.

Les inspecteurs de police acquièrent des preuves grâce à l'enquête.The police detectives obtain proof thanks to the investigation.

*Other irregular verbs ending in -quérir that follow the same conjugation pattern in Le Présent (Indicatif) are:

conquérir (to conquer)
reconquérir (to recapture/recover)
s'enquérir (to enquire)
quérir (to find/seek) - rarely used nowadays
requérir (to require/call for [something])

Here are more examples:

Avec chaque album, je reconquiers mes fans.With every album, I win back my fans.

Qu'est-ce que tu requiers pour ce projet ?What do you require for this project?

Ce paysage conquiert mon cœur à chaque fois que je viens.This landscape wins my heart every time I come.

Nous requérons votre présence à cet événement.We're requesting your presence at this event.

Vous vous enquérez de son bien-être ?Do you ask about his wellbeing?

Ces plantes requièrent beaucoup d'eau et d'attention.These plants require a lot of water and attention.

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