courir

Courir is a French verb that primarily means to run, to move rapidly on foot. It is used in physical contexts, as well as in metaphoric expressions such as courir un danger (to run a danger) or courir un risque (to take a risk). The verb also appears in idioms like courir après quelqu’un (to chase someone) and courir à toute vitesse (to run at full speed).

Conjugation and usage are irregular. In the present tense the forms are: je cours, tu cours, il court, nous courons, vous courez, ils courent. The passé composé is formed with the auxiliary avoir: j’ai couru. Other tenses follow standard patterns for irregular -ir verbs, including imparfait: je courais; futur simple: je courrai; conditionnel présent: je courrais. The subjunctive present is: que je cours, que tu coures, qu’il court, que nous courions, que vous couriez, qu’ils courent. The participe présent is courant and the participe passé is couru. The infinitive is courir.

Etymology traces courir to Latin currere (to run), passing through Old French forms such as courir or corer. Related forms and expressions appear across Romance languages, reflecting a core meaning of rapid movement. Courir is commonly used with sports, daily movement, and a broad range of figurative senses. In noun form, the related noun is course, while the act of running is expressed by the verb courir in various tenses and moods.