French tenses

What is ‘the mood/le mode’?

Tells you the kind of statement you’re making - how it’s being presented.

• Indicatif

• Subjonctif

• Conditionnel

What is the ‘indicatif mood’?

Used to talk about facts, things that happen, and things that are or were real.

What is the ‘subjonctif mood’?

Used to express things like wishes, necessity, doubt or emotion.

What is the ‘conditionnel mood’?

Used to express what would happen/hypothetical situations.

What is‘the tenses/le temps’?

Tells you when something happens or how it relates to another event.

• Présent

• Imparfait

• Futur simple

• Passé composé

• Plus-que parfait

What is the présent tense?

Happening right now.

• Habits, actions, events, routines etc.

What is the imparfait tense?

Ongoing actions in the past, habits or things you used to do.

• Descriptions, feeling and situations in the past (used to do, was doing, what things were like)

What is the futur simple tense?

Actions or events that will happen in the future.

What is the passé composé/perfect tense?

Describes events or actions that happened in the past, often presented as completed.

What is the plus-que parfait/pluperfect tense?

Describes an action that had already happened before another event or point in the past.

• english translation - had done something