French Grammar: Simple Tenses of the Indicative

Flashcards on French grammar focusing on the simple tenses of the indicative mood from 2nd year middle school course material.

Simple Tense (Temps simple)

A conjugated verb form with a single ending that indicates both the moment of action (present, future simple, imperfect, passé simple, present conditional) and the person acting (singular or plural).

Present Indicative (First Group Verbs)

Verbs ending in -er (except aller) that take the endings -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent (e.g., je chante, tu chantes, il chante, nous chantons, vous chantez, ils chantent).

Present Indicative (Third Group Verbs in -ir like ouvrir)

Certain third-group verbs in -ir (such as ouvrir, cueillir, offrir, couvrir) that take the same endings as -er verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Present Indicative (-ir, -tre, -oir, -indre, -soudre Verbs)

Verbs such as finir, mettre, recevoir, craindre, and résoudre that take the endings -s, -s, -t, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Present Indicative (-dre Verbs)

Verbs ending in -dre (other than those in -indre and -soudre, such as prendre) that take the endings -ds, -ds, -d, -ons, -ez, -ent.

Present Indicative (Pouvoir, Vouloir, Valoir)

Verbs that take the specific endings -x, -x, -t, -ons, -ez, -ent in the present tense (e.g., je veux, tu veux, il veut).

Spelling Rule for -eler and -eter Verbs in Present Tense

Verbs ending in -eler and -eter double the -l or -t before a silent -e (e.g., appeler → j'appelle; jeter → je jette), except verbs like peler (je pèle) and acheter (j'achète).

Imperfect Tense (L'imparfait)

A simple tense where all verbs without exception take the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient (e.g., je dansais, nous dansions).

Imperfect Spelling Rule for -g and -c Verbs

Verbs whose stem ends in -g or -c (like nager or placer) take an e or a cedilla (ç) before the letter -a (e.g., je nageais, tu plaçais).

Imperfect Spelling Rule for -y and -i Verbs

Verbs whose stem ends in -y or -i (like essayer or rire) keep the -i at the first and second person plural forms (e.g., nous essayions, nous riions).

Passé Simple (First Group Verbs)

First group verbs taking the endings -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent in the passé simple (e.g., je dessinai, nous dessinâmes).

Passé Simple (-is Endings)

Endings -is, -is, -it, -îmes, -îtes, -irent used by second group verbs and several third group verbs such as faire, dire, prendre, entendre, and craindre.

Passé Simple (-us Endings)

Endings -us, -us, -ut, -ûmes, -ûtes, -urent used by third group verbs such as boire, croire, vouloir, vivre, and savoir (e.g., je bus, nous bûmes).

Passé Simple (Tenir, Venir, and Compounds)

Verbs taking the endings -ins, -ins, -int, -înmes, -întes, -inrent in the passé simple (e.g., je vins, nous vînmes).

Passé Simple of Auxiliary Être

The conjugated forms of être in the passé simple: je fus, tu fus, il fut, nous fûmes, vous fûtes, ils furent.

Passé Simple of Auxiliary Avoir

The conjugated forms of avoir in the passé simple: j'eus, tu eus, il eut, nous eûmes, vous eûtes, ils eurent.

Future Simple (Le futur simple)

A tense formed by adding the mark -r to the verb stem followed by the endings -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont (e.g., je marcherai).

Present Conditional (Le conditionnel présent)

A tense formed using the future simple stem (-r) followed by the imperfect endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient (e.g., je marcherais).

Future/Conditional Doubled 'r' Rule

The verbs courir, mourir, voir, and pouvoir double the -r in their future simple and present conditional stems (e.g., je courrai, je mourrai, je verrai, je pourrai).

Future/Conditional Rule for -ayer, -oyer, -uyer Verbs

Verbs ending in -ayer, -oyer, and -uyer change the -y to an -i before a silent -e in the future and conditional (e.g., balayer → je balaierai; nettoyer → je nettoierai; essuyer → j'essuierai).