French Verb Tenses

contributed by Annalaura Brown

French Verb Tenses

1. Present

Same as in English but no -ing form. Use to express actions which:

You are currently doing, Je parle français.

You do every day, Je mange une pomme tous les jours.

Are generally true, Sarah aime la pizza.

2. Le Passé Composé

In English: I ate an apple.

Use to express an action which:

Happened one time and is not still occurring: Je suis allé au magasin.

Happened on a specific date, or gives an indicator of a specific day in the past. Nous avons nagé dans la mer hier. Nous sommes allés à la plage lundi matin.

3. L'Imparfait

In English: I was singing.

Use to express an action which:

Was already happening when another action occurred. Je parlais avec mon ami quand le téléphone a sonné.

Happened several times. J'allais à l'école tous les jours.

Uses an emotion, physical characteristic or feeling which implies the past, Je voulais parler avec mon père. Elle était belle quand elle avait huit ans.

Often used with the verbs savoir, vouloir, pouvoir, être, and avoir.

4. Le Futur

In English and in French implies an action you will do in the future. I will study tomorrow. J'étudierai demain.

5. Le Conditionnel

In English and in French to express:

Politeness: Je voudrais du café s'il vous plait.

An Action you would do if something else were possible. Si j'étais riche, j'irais en France.

An obligation or duty: je devrais préparer mes devoirs. Can also be used in the past tense to express something you would have done if something else had been possible. J'aurais fait le travail, si j'avais étudié. (no future conditional exists.)

6. Le Subjonctif

This is a mood not a tense, it does not express what happened in time.

English rules are too different from French. Use to express a mood, a feeling, a doubt, an opinion, a necessity or with other special phrases.

Il faut que vous soyez à l'heure.

Je suis content que tu apprennes le français.

(can be used in the past but not in the future)

7. Le Plus que parfait

Used in French and in English to explain a past action, which happened before another past action. J'avais étudié la leçon que le professeur a enseigné.

About the Author:

AnnaLaura Brown is a successful team leader in an international marketing comapny. To contact her and to learn more go to http://www.scentedcandlesclub.com She also has a BA and MA in French and offers free French lessons at http://www.frenchlessonsforyou.com

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