Difference between revisions of "Language/French/Grammar/The-past"
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{{French-Grammar-Course-Menu}} | {{French-Grammar-Course-Menu}} | ||
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==Other Lessons== | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Formation-of-the-passive-in-French|Formation of the passive in French]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Use-of-the-neutral-pronoun-le|Use of the neutral pronoun le]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/An-adjective-agreeing-with-nouns-linked-by-et,-ou-or-ni|An adjective agreeing with nouns linked by et, ou or ni]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Direct-Object-Pronoun|Direct Object Pronoun]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Masculine-and-feminine-forms-of-adjectives-—-A-change-in-the-final-consonant-or-syllable|Masculine and feminine forms of adjectives — A change in the final consonant or syllable]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Indefinite-article|Indefinite article]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Reflexive-and-reciprocal-verbs|Reflexive and reciprocal verbs]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Past-Tense|Past Tense]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Quantifiers-—-tout-and-chaque|Quantifiers — tout and chaque]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Pronouns|Pronouns]] |
Latest revision as of 21:38, 2 April 2023
The past tense (le passé) is used to describe actions that have already happened in the past. In French, there are several different past tenses, including the passé composé, the imparfait, the passé simple, and the plus-que-parfait.
The passé composé[edit | edit source]
The passé composé is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the present tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. The choice of auxiliary verb depends on the verb itself, as some verbs require être instead of avoir. Here is a conjugation table for the passé composé of the regular -ER verb parler (to speak):
Subject Pronoun | Auxiliary Verb | Past Participle | Verb Form |
---|---|---|---|
j'ai | avoir | parlé | j'ai parlé |
tu as | avoir | parlé | tu as parlé |
il/elle/on a | avoir | parlé | il/elle/on a parlé |
nous avons | avoir | parlé | nous avons parlé |
vous avez | avoir | parlé | vous avez parlé |
ils/elles ont | avoir | parlé | ils/elles ont parlé |
And here is a similar table for the regular -IR verb finir (to finish):
Subject Pronoun | Auxiliary Verb | Past Participle | Verb Form |
---|---|---|---|
j'ai | avoir | fini | j'ai fini |
tu as | avoir | fini | tu as fini |
il/elle/on a | avoir | fini | il/elle/on a fini |
nous avons | avoir | fini | nous avons fini |
vous avez | avoir | fini | vous avez fini |
ils/elles ont | avoir | fini | ils/elles ont fini |
And finally, a table for the regular -RE verb vendre (to sell):
Subject Pronoun | Auxiliary Verb | Past Participle | Verb Form |
---|---|---|---|
j'ai | avoir | vendu | j'ai vendu |
tu as | avoir | vendu | tu as vendu |
il/elle/on a | avoir | vendu | il/elle/on a vendu |
nous avons | avoir | vendu | nous avons vendu |
vous avez | avoir | vendu | vous avez vendu |
ils/elles ont | avoir | vendu | ils/elles ont vendu |
Keep in mind that there are many irregular verbs in the passé composé, which means they do not follow the regular avoir or être + past participle pattern. Some examples of irregular verbs in the passé composé include être (to be), avoir (to have), aller (to go), and faire (to do/make).
Here are some examples of sentences in the passé composé:
- J'ai parlé avec mon ami hier soir. (I spoke with my friend last night.)
- Tu as fini tes devoirs avant de sortir. (You finished your homework before going out.)
- Il a vendu sa maison l'année dernière. (He sold his house last year.)
- Nous avons voyagé en Europe l'été dernier. (We traveled in Europe last summer.)
- Vous avez pris un café ce matin? (Did you have a coffee this morning?)
- Elles ont été surprises par la nouvelle. (They were surprised by the news.)
In addition to the passé composé, there are three other common past tenses in French: the imparfait, the passé simple, and the plus-que-parfait. Each of these past tenses has its own specific uses.
Imparfait[edit | edit source]
The imparfait is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past. It is formed by taking the present tense stem of the verb and adding the appropriate imparfait endings. Here is a conjugation table for the imparfait of the regular -ER verb parler (to speak):
Subject Pronoun | Verb Stem | Ending | Verb Form |
---|---|---|---|
je | parl- | -ais | je parlais |
tu | parl- | -ais | tu parlais |
il/elle/on | parl- | -ait | il/elle/on parlait |
nous | parl- | -ions | nous parlions |
vous | parl- | -iez | vous parliez |
ils/elles | parl- | -aient | ils/elles parlaient |
And here is a similar table for the regular -IR verb finir (to finish):
Subject Pronoun | Verb Stem | Ending | Verb Form |
---|---|---|---|
je | finiss- | -ais | je finissais |
tu | finiss- | -ais | tu finissais |
il/elle/on | finiss- | -ait | il/elle/on finissait |
nous | finiss- | -ions | nous finissions |
vous | finiss- | -iez | vous finissiez |
ils/elles | finiss- | -aient | ils/elles finissaient |
And finally, a table for the regular -RE verb vendre (to sell):
Subject Pronoun | Verb Stem | Ending | Verb Form |
---|---|---|---|
je | vend- | -ais | je vendais |
tu | vend- | -ais | tu vendais |
il/elle/on | vend- | -ait | il/elle/on vendait |
nous | vend- | -ions | nous vendions |
vous | vend- | -iez | vous vendiez |
ils/elles | vend- | -aient | ils/elles vendaient |
Here are some examples of sentences in the imparfait:
- Je parlais souvent avec mon ami. (I used to speak often with my friend.)
- Tu finissais tes devoirs avant de jouer. (You used to finish your homework before playing.)
- Il vendait des fruits au marché. (He used to sell fruits at the market.)
- Nous voyagions en train tous les étés. (We used to travel by train every summer.)
- Vous preniez un café chaque matin. (You used to have a coffee every morning.)
- Elles étaient toujours en retard. (They were always late.)
Passé simple[edit | edit source]
The passé simple is used in written French to describe a completed action that took place in the past. It is formed differently for each verb group and often has irregular conjugations. Here is a conjugation table for the passé simple of the regular -
ER verb parler (to speak):
Subject Pronoun | Verb Form |
---|---|
je | parlai |
tu | parlas |
il/elle/on | parla |
nous | parlâmes |
vous | parlâtes |
ils/elles | parlèrent |
And here is a similar table for the regular -IR verb finir (to finish):
Subject Pronoun | Verb Form |
---|---|
je | finis |
tu | finis |
il/elle/on | finit |
nous | finîmes |
vous | finîtes |
ils/elles | finirent |
And finally, a table for the regular -RE verb vendre (to sell):
Subject Pronoun | Verb Form |
---|---|
je | vendis |
tu | vendis |
il/elle/on | vendit |
nous | vendîmes |
vous | vendîtes |
ils/elles | vendirent |
Keep in mind that the passé simple is less commonly used in spoken French and is mostly used in literature, journalism, and historical writing.
Here are some examples of sentences in the passé simple:
- Je parlai avec mon ami hier soir. (I spoke with my friend last night.)
- Tu finis tes devoirs avant de sortir. (You finished your homework before going out.)
- Il vendit sa maison l'année dernière. (He sold his house last year.)
- Nous voyagèrent en Europe l'été dernier. (We traveled in Europe last summer.)
- Vous priâtes pour un café? (Did you ask for a coffee?)
- Elles furent surprises par la nouvelle. (They were surprised by the news.)
Plus-que-parfait[edit | edit source]
The plus-que-parfait is used to describe an action that occurred before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here is a conjugation table for the plus-que-parfait of the regular -ER verb parler (to speak):
Subject Pronoun | Auxiliary Verb | Past Participle | Verb Form |
---|---|---|---|
j'avais | avoir | parlé | j'avais parlé |
tu avais | avoir | parlé | tu avais parlé |
il/elle/on avait | avoir | parlé | il/elle/on avait parlé |
nous avions | avoir | parlé | nous avions parlé |
vous aviez | avoir | parlé | vous aviez parlé |
ils/elles avaient | avoir | parlé | ils/elles avaient parlé |
And here is a similar table for the regular -IR verb finir (to finish):
Subject Pronoun | Auxiliary Verb | Past Participle | Verb Form |
---|---|---|---|
j'avais | avoir | fini | j'avais fini |
tu avais | avoir | fini | tu avais fini |
il/elle/on avait | avoir | fini | il/elle/on avait fini |
nous avions | avoir | fini | nous avions fini |
vous aviez | avoir | fini | vous aviez fini |
ils/elles avaient | avoir | fini | ils/elles avaient fini |
And finally, a table for the regular -RE verb vendre (to sell):
Subject Pronoun | Auxiliary Verb | Past Participle | Verb Form |
---|---|---|---|
j'avais | avoir | vendu | j'avais vendu |
tu avais | avoir | vendu | tu avais vendu |
il/elle/on avait | avoir | vendu | il/elle/on avait vendu |
nous avions | avoir | vendu | nous avions vendu |
vous aviez | avoir | vendu | vous aviez vendu |
ils/elles avaient | avoir | vendu | ils/elles avaient vendu |
Here are some examples of sentences in the plus-que-parfait:
- J'avais parlé avec mon ami avant de partir. (I had spoken with my friend before leaving.)
- Tu avais fini tes devoirs avant que je rentre à la maison. (You had finished your homework before I came back home.)
- Il avait vendu sa maison avant de partir à l'étranger. (He had sold his house before leaving abroad.)
- Nous avions voyagé en Europe avant de commencer nos études. (We had traveled in Europe before starting our studies.)
- Vous aviez pris un café avant la réunion. (You had had a coffee before the meeting.)
- Elles avaient été surprises par la nouvelle avant que je leur en parle. (They had been surprised by the news before I told them.)
In summary, there are several different forms of the past tense in French, each with its own specific uses. The passé composé is the most commonly used past tense and is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the present tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. The imparfait is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past and is formed by taking the present tense stem of the verb and adding the appropriate imparfait endings. The passé simple is used in written French to describe a completed action that took place in the past and has irregular conjugations. The plus-que-parfait is used to describe an action that occurred before another past action and is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Formation of the passive in French
- Use of the neutral pronoun le
- An adjective agreeing with nouns linked by et, ou or ni
- Direct Object Pronoun
- Masculine and feminine forms of adjectives — A change in the final consonant or syllable
- Indefinite article
- Reflexive and reciprocal verbs
- Past Tense
- Quantifiers — tout and chaque
- Pronouns