Tenses
1. Indicatif (the indicative) — facts and reality
This is the "normal" verb mood. You use it for things you consider true or real.
Present (présent)
Je mange.
I eat / I am eating.
Past (passé composé)
J'ai mangé.
I ate / I have eaten.
Imperfect (imparfait)
Je mangeais.
I was eating / I used to eat.
Future (futur simple)
Je mangerai.
I will eat.
Conditional (conditionnel)(technically its own mood)
Je mangerais.
I would eat.
2. Subjonctif (the subjunctive) — feelings, wishes, doubt, necessity
You already saw this.
Present subjunctive
Il faut que tu viennes.
You have to come.
Past subjunctive
Je suis content que tu sois venu.
I'm happy you came.
3. Impératif (the imperative) — commands
Used for telling someone to do something.
Only uses tu, nous, vous.
Regular examples:
parler
Parle ! → Speak!
Parlons ! → Let's speak!
Parlez ! → Speak! (formal/plural)
finir
Finis !
Finissons !
Finissez !
prendre
Prends !
Prenons !
Prenez !
Common examples:
Viens ici !
Come here!
Écoute-moi !
Listen to me!
Faites attention !
Be careful!
4. Infinitif (the infinitive) — the "to + verb" form
The dictionary form.
Examples:
être → to be
avoir → to have
faire → to do/make
aller → to go
Used after another verb:
Je veux partir.
I want to leave.
J'aime manger.
I like eating/to eat.
5. Participe (participles)A. Participe présent
Usually equivalent to English "-ing" in certain structures.
Examples:
en parlant
while speaking
en travaillant
while working
From:
parler → parlant
finir → finissant
prendre → prenant
Example:
Il apprend en travaillant.
He learns by working.
Note: French usually does not use this as much as English uses "-ing".
B. Participe passé (past participle)
Used for compound tenses.
Examples:
parlé → spoken
fini → finished
vendu → sold
fait → done
pris → taken
With avoir:
J'ai mangé.
I ate.
With être:
Je suis parti.
I left.
6. Conditionnel (would / could / should)
Very important in polite conversation.
Present conditional
Je voudrais un café.
I would like a coffee.
J'aimerais venir.
I would like to come.
Je pourrais t'aider.
I could help you.
Past conditional
J'aurais aimé venir.
I would have liked to come.
J'aurais dû travailler.
I should have worked.
7. Plus-que-parfait (past before another past)
"I had done..."
Structure:
imperfect auxiliary + past participle
Examples:
J'avais mangé.
I had eaten.
J'étais parti.
I had left.
Example:
Quand je suis arrivé, il avait déjà mangé.
When I arrived, he had already eaten.
The "survival list" for spoken French
If your goal is conversation, prioritize these:
Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
Present | je parle | I speak |
Passé composé | j'ai parlé | I spoke |
Imperfect | je parlais | I was speaking / used to speak |
Future | je parlerai | I will speak |
Conditional | je parlerais | I would speak |
Subjunctive | il faut que je parle | I have to speak |
Imperative | parle ! | speak! |
Infinitive | parler | to speak |
You can have fluent everyday conversations with these forms. The passé simple, subjonctif imparfait, and other literary forms exist, but native speakers almost never use them in normal conversation.