Difference between revisions of "Language/French/Grammar/Past-Tense"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| (2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
This page is concerned with the usage of the different forms of past tenses in French. | This page is concerned with the usage of the different forms of past tenses in French. | ||
== The perfect == | == The perfect == | ||
The French past perfect is used to indicate an action in the past that occurred before another action in the past. | The French past perfect is used to indicate an action in the past that occurred before another action in the past. | ||
| Line 39: | Line 38: | ||
==Videos== | ==Videos== | ||
<youtube>n1vhPJktoog</youtube> | <youtube>n1vhPJktoog</youtube> | ||
{{#seo: | {{#seo: | ||
|title=How to use the past | |title=How to use the past tenses in French? | ||
|keywords=passé composé, imparfait, preterite, perfect, conjugate, yesterday | |keywords=passé composé, imparfait, preterite, perfect, conjugate, yesterday | ||
|description=In this article, we will explain how to use the past tenses in French. From "passé composé" to "passé simple" or "imparfait". | |description=In this article, we will explain how to use the past tenses in French. From "passé composé" to "passé simple" or "imparfait". | ||
|og:image=http://polyglotclub.com/wiki/images/ | |og:image=http://polyglotclub.com/wiki/images/2/25/Past_tense_french.jpg | ||
}} | }} | ||
Revision as of 18:22, 15 May 2019
This page is concerned with the usage of the different forms of past tenses in French.
The perfect
The French past perfect is used to indicate an action in the past that occurred before another action in the past. This is the tense which is most commonly used for describing events in the past in modern spoken French.
Sample verbs
- être: j'ai été, tu as été, il a été, nous avons été, vous avez été, ils ont été,
- avoir: j'ai eu, tu as eu etc.
- pouvoir: j'ai pu, tu as pu, etc
- devoir: j'ai dû, tu as dû, etc
- porter: J'ai porté, tu as porté, etc.
Examples
- Il n'avait pas mangé (avant de faire ses devoirs): He hadn't eaten (before doing his homework).
- J'ai fait du shopping ce matin ; j'avais déjà fait la lessive: I went shopping this morning; I had already done the laundry.
- J'étais déjà sorti (quand tu as téléphoné): I had already left (when you called).
The preterite
The past historic or "passé simple" in French is also referred to as the preterite.
This is the classic formal narrative tense, used for describing events in the past. Except in some fixed expressions, it has fallen out of use in conversational French.
Sample verbs
- être: je fus, tu fus, il fut, nous fûmes, vous fûtes, ils furent,
- avoir: j'eus, tu eus, il eut, nous eûmes, vous eûtes, ils eurent,
- pouvoir: je pus, tu pus, il put, nous pûmes, vous pûtes, ils purent,
- devoir: je dus, tu dus, il dut, nous dûmes, vous dûtes, ils durent,
- porter: Je portai, tu portas, il porta, nous portâmes, vous portâtes, ils portèrent
- finir: je finis, tu finis, il finit, nous finîmes, vous finîtes, ils finirent
Examples
- Nous fûmes très heureux: We were very happy
- Ils rendirent les porte-feuilles qu’ils avaient volés: They returned the wallets that they had stolen