Servir, meaning “to serve”, is an irregular IR French verb with a wide range of usages.
servir
to serve
Servir – to serve
Word origin
The Modern French verb servir comes from servire (to be a slave, to serve) and servus (slave, servant) in Latin.
Present tense conjugation
Je sers I serve
Tu sers You serve (singular, informal)
Il, elle sert He, she serves
Nous servons We serve
Vous servez You serve (plural, formal)
Ils, elles servent They serve
Example sentences
Le serveur sert le repas.
The waiter serves the meal.
Servir can translate to “to help” or “to assist”.
Je suis toujours prêt a servir les autres.
I’m always ready to help others.
Servir à means “to be used for” or “to be used to”
Cette scie sert à couper le bois.
This saw is used to cut wood.
A quoi sert-il ce club de golf ?
What is this golf club used for?
In the reflexive form, se servir + noun means “to help yourself to” or to take.
Je me sers un peu de glace pendant la nuit.
I help myself to some ice cream during the night.
Se servir de de means “to use”.
Est-ce que tu te sers de cet outil ?
Are you using this tool?
Related lessons
References
Word of the Day | Lessons by David Issokson
