PC versus Imperfect
---
# 🟦 SECTION 1: AUXILIARIES & PAST PARTICIPLES
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 1
FRONT:
Auxiliaries in French
BACK:
* avoir and être are used to form the passé composé
They are *only used with past participles**
* Never used with infinitives or present tense
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### 🟦 FLASHCARD 2
FRONT:
Past participle rule
BACK:
Only the past participle uses an auxiliary
avoir / être + *past participle** = past
Example:
J’*ai mangé**
Je *suis allé(e)**
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### 🟦 FLASHCARD 3
FRONT:
Verbs that use être in the past
BACK:
Mostly movement or change verbs
Examples:
* aller → allé
* venir → venu
* sortir → sorti
Example sentence:
Je *suis venu(e)** hier.
---
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 4
FRONT:
Agreement with être
BACK:
Past participle agrees with subject
Elle est allé*e**
Ils sont sorti*s**
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# 🟦 SECTION 2: IRREGULAR VERBS (KEY SET)
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 5
FRONT:
être
BACK:
Infinitive: *être** (to be)
Past participle: *été**
Uses *avoir** in the past
Example:
Il *est** malade.
Il *a été** malade.
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### 🟦 FLASHCARD 6
FRONT:
avoir
BACK:
Infinitive: *avoir** (to have)
Past participle: *eu**
Example:
J’*ai** un chien.
J’*ai eu** peur.
---
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 7
FRONT:
aller
BACK:
Infinitive: *aller**
Past participle: *allé**
Uses *être**
Example:
Je *vais aller** au parc.
Je *suis allé(e)** au parc.
---
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 8
FRONT:
faire
BACK:
Infinitive: *faire**
Past participle: *fait**
Example:
Je *fais** mes devoirs.
J’*ai fait** mes devoirs.
---
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 9
FRONT:
venir / prendre
BACK:
venir → *venu** (être)
prendre → *pris** (avoir)
Examples:
Il *est venu** hier.
J’*ai pris** le bus.
---
# 🟦 SECTION 3: NEAR FUTURE (FUTUR PROCHE)
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 10
FRONT:
Near future rule
BACK:
aller (present) + infinitive
Used for things about to happen
Example:
Je *vais manger**.
Elle *va sortir**.
❌ Never followed by a past participle
---
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 11
FRONT:
Compare near future vs past
BACK:
Je *vais partir** → future
Je *suis parti(e)** → past
Rule:
* va + infinitive = future
* a / est + past participle = past
---
# 🟦 SECTION 4: IMPERFECT (L’IMPARFAIT)
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 12
FRONT:
What is the imperfect?
BACK:
Used for:
* Ongoing actions in the past
* Habits in the past
* Descriptions (weather, feelings, age, time)
English clue words:
* was, used to, were
---
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 13
FRONT:
How to form the imperfect
BACK:
1. Take nous form of present
2. Remove -ons
3. Add endings
Example:
* nous parlons → parl-
---
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 14
FRONT:
Imperfect endings
BACK:
-ais
-ais
-ait
-ions
-iez
-aient
Example:
* je parlais
* il finissait
nous étions (irregular stem)*
---
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 15
FRONT:
Irregular imperfect stem
BACK:
Only one: être → ét-
Examples:
j’*étais**
il *était**
nous *étions**
---
# 🟦 SECTION 5: IMPERFECT vs PASSÉ COMPOSÉ
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 16
FRONT:
Passé composé vs imperfect (idea)
BACK:
* Passé composé = completed action
* Imperfect = ongoing/background
---
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 17
FRONT:
Comparison example
BACK:
Je *regardais** la télé
quand il *est arrivé**
(Imperfect = background, Passé composé = interruption)
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### 🟦 FLASHCARD 18
FRONT:
Common imperfect verbs
BACK:
* être → était
* avoir → avait
* faire → faisait
* aller → allait
Used for descriptions and habits
---
# 🟦 SECTION 6: SENTENCE STRUCTURE & DECISION RULES
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 19
FRONT:
How to choose the tense quickly
BACK:
Ask:
1. Is it finished? → passé composé
2. Ongoing / habit / description? → imperfect
3. About to happen? → aller + infinitive
---
### 🟦 FLASHCARD 20
FRONT:
Master rule summary
BACK:
* No past participle → no auxiliary
* Auxiliary → always past participle
* va + infinitive → future
* was / used to → imperfect