Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| finir | /fi.niʁ/ |
| terminer | /tɛʁ.mi.ne/ |
In its intransitive form, these verbs describe something being finished or terminated. You can use the expression en finir idiomatically to mean wanting to get something over with or to finish a difficult or long-standing situation once and for all.
Which one should you use?
While both mean to end, finir is more commonly used for completing a task or a process. In contrast, terminer often implies a more formal or definitive conclusion of a specific period or action. If you are referring to the 'end' as a noun (such as the end of a movie, a story or a period of time), use the noun fin instead of the verb finir.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of finir is fini, which is used as an adjective to mean 'finished' or 'done'.
How do you pronounce it?
/fi.niʁ/
Did you know?
- The phrase en finir can be a euphemism for suicide in certain literary or dramatic contexts, meaning to put an end to one's own suffering.
- The French word finir is the prototype for the second conjugation group of verbs, meaning any verb that ends in -ir and follows its specific pattern is called a finir verb.
- Both finir and terminer share roots with the Latin 'finis' and 'terminus', which are the same roots that give English 'finish' and 'terminal' their meanings.
Examples in context
- Ça va mal finir.It'll end badly.This sentence uses finir to show a potential negative outcome.Tatoeba #10054052 by lbdx, translation #8503688 by sundown
- Il finira en prison.He will end up in jail.This sentence uses finir to describe a future state of being in a specific place.Tatoeba #431318 by qdii, translation #1744356 by belgavox
- Tu finiras en prison.You'll end up in jail.Tatoeba #7801516 by theachaean, translation #3439625 by CK
- Nous devons terminer le projet avant la réunionWe have to finish the project before the meeting
- La fin de l'année approcheThe end of the year is approaching
- Je conclus mon discours par ces motsI conclude my speech with these words
- Vous devez cesser de fumerYou must stop smoking
- On finit le travail et on partWe finish the work and leave
- 92 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are talking about a movie they are watching.
- HugoLe film va bientôt finir.The movie is going to end soon.
- ChloéC'est dommage, j'adore l'histoire.That's a shame, I love the story.
- HugoOui, mais ça finit bien.Yes, but it ends well.
- ChloéTant mieux pour les personnages !Good for the characters!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “end” translations and entries finir, terminer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries finir, terminer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
