French Tenses Study Guide

French Tenses: Study Guide

Forming Tenses

  • Generally, to form tenses:
    1. Remove the last two letters ($-er$, $-ir$, or $-re$) from the infinitive verb.
    2. Add the appropriate ending based on the personal pronoun and tense.

Subjunctive

  • Definition: The subjunctive mood is used when a sentence has two subjects or an impersonal phrase, a subject, and the word "que" (q u e).
  • Formation:
    1. Take the ils form of the present tense and remove the ent ending.
      • Example: deviennent → devien
    2. Add the following endings:
      • Je: $-e$
      • Tu: $-es$
      • Il/Elle/On: $-e$
      • Nous: $-ions$
      • Vous: $-iez$
      • Ils/Elles: $-ent$
      • Example: devien + e = devienne
  • Irregular Verb Examples (Subjunctive):
    • Être (to be): sois, sois, soit, soyons, soyez, soient
    • Avoir (to have): aie, aies, ait, ayons, ayez, aient
    • Aller (to go): aille, ailles, aille, allions, alliez, aillent
    • Faire (to do/make): fasse, fasses, fasse, fassions, fassiez, fassent
    • Pouvoir (to be able): puisse, puisses, puisse, puissions, puissiez, puissent
    • Vouloir (to want): veuille, veuilles, veuille, voulions, vouliez, veuille
    • Savoir (to know): sache, saches, sache, sachions, sachiez, sachent
    • Venir (to come): vienne, viennes, vienne, venions, veniez, viennent
  • Usage:
    • The subjunctive is often used when a sentence starts with an impersonal phrase and indicates what someone else needs, ought, should, or wants to do.
    • Examples of Impersonal Phrases:
      • Il faut que (it is necessary that)
      • Il est essentiel que (it is essential that)
      • Il serait nécessaire de/que (it would be necessary to/that)
      • Il est important que (it is important that)
  • The acronym WEIRDOS helps to remember the triggers for using the subjunctive:
    • Wishes
    • Emotions
    • Impersonal expressions
    • Relative clauses
    • Doubts
    • Orders
    • Superlatives

Imperfect Tense

  • Regular ER Verbs:
    • Je: $-ais$
    • Tu: $-ais$
    • Il/Elle/On: $-ait$
    • Nous: $-ions$
    • Vous: $-iez$
    • Ils/Elles: $-aient$
  • IR Verbs:
    • Je: $-issais$
    • Tu: $-issais$
    • Il/Elle/On: $-issait$
    • Nous: $-issions$
    • Vous: $-issiez$
    • Ils/Elles: $-issaient$
  • RE Verbs:
    • Je: $-ais$
    • Tu: $-ais$
    • Il/Elle/On: $-ait$
    • Nous: $-ions$
    • Vous: $-iez$
    • Ils/Elles: $-aient$
  • Irregular Verbs (Imperfect):
    • Être (to be): étais, étais, était, étions, étiez, étaient
    • Faire (to do/make):
    • Venir (to come):

Passé Composé

  • Formation: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (present tense of être or avoir) + Past Participle of the verb.
  • When the auxiliary verb is avoir, the past participle generally does not change (no agreement).
  • Regular Verbs (Passé Composé with Avoir):
    • Regarder (to watch): regardé
  • Irregular Verbs (Passé Composé with Avoir):
    • Faire (to do/make): fait
    • Avoir (to have): eu
    • Lire (to read): lu
    • Être (to be): été
    • Écrire (to write): écrit
    • Vouloir (to want): voulu
    • Dire (to say): dit
    • Voir (to see): vu
    • Devoir (to must): du
    • Boire (to drink): bu
    • Pouvoir (to be able): pu
    • Offrir (to offer): offert
  • When the verb is used with the auxiliary verb être, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.
    • Feminine: Add $-e$
    • Masculine: No Changes
    • Entreé: (entré, entrée, entrés, entrées)
  • Usage:
    1. Marks an event or action completed in the past.
    2. Interrupts another continuous action.

Usages of Imparfait

  • Describes and frames the past.
  • Expresses a habitual or repeated action in the past.
  • Expresses a situation that can be interrupted by a specific action.

Tips for Choosing Between Passé Composé and Imparfait

  • If the statement sets a scene or describes how things were, it is likely imparfait.
  • If the action moves the story forward, happens once, or interrupts another, it is probably passé composé.