Les Temps Verbaux (French Verb Tenses)
A verb is an action word that represents either a physical action, occurrence, or a state of being. There are three principal tenses in French: past, present and future.
French uses a Subject + Verb + Object sentence structure for all verb tenses.
To use a verb in a sentence, you must conjugate it in a corresponding tense. A verb that has not been conjugated is called an infinitive and has a definition that begins with “to”.
EX: parler to speak
LE PRÉSENT (PRESENT TENSE)
The present tense expresses actions that are currently happening or actions that habitually happen. In French, the present tense can express sentiments such as these:
Marie is eating an apple. (Currently happening)
For lunch, Marie eats an apple. (Habitually)
Marie eats apples. (Generally speaking)
LES VERBES RÉGULIERS (REGULAR VERBS)
There are two categories of verbs in French: regular and irregular.
Regular verbs follow the same pattern of conjugation in the present tense, while irregular verbs do not. In French, regular verbs have infinitives that end in -er, -ir and -re. They conjugate like this in the present tense:
| Subject | -ER verbs (parler) | -IR verbs (grandir) | -RE verbs (attendre) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je (J’) | parle | grandis | attends |
| Tu | parles | grandis | attends |
| Il / Elle / On | parle | grandit | attend |
| Nous | parlons | grandissons | attendons |
| Vous | parlez | grandissez | attendez |
| Ils / Elles | parlent | grandissent | attendent |
This is how you would use these verbs in a sentence:
Tu parles très bien le français!
Il attend le train de 18h.
Elles grandissent plus vite que les garçons.
LES VERBES IRRÉGULIERS (IRREGULAR VERBS)
Many verbs in French are irregular and do not follow a pattern of conjugation. Their present-tense forms must be memorized. Être, avoir, faire and aller are four of the most common irregular verbs.
| Subject | être (to be) | avoir (to have) | faire (to do/to make) | aller (to go) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je (J’) | suis | ai | fais | vais |
| Tu | es | as | fais | vas |
| Il / Elle / On | est | a | fait | va |
| Nous | sommes | avons | faisons | allons |
| Vous | êtes | avez | faites | allez |
| Ils / Elles | sont | ont | font | vont |
Célia est une fille intelligente.
Vous avez le numéro de téléphone à Jean?
Éric et moi, nous faisons des gâteaux pour la fête demain.
Je vais à la piscine mardi.
STEM-CHANGING VERBS
Some verbs have stems that change slightly when they are conjugated in the present tense. This usually involves the addition of an accent or an extra letter for all but the nous and vous conjugations. The verb endings remain the same.
All verbs that end in é_er, like espérer, change the é to è for singular and third person plural conjugations
| J’espère | Nous espérons |
| Tu espère | Vous espérez |
| Il/Elle/On espère | Ils/Elles espèrent |
Other verbs that follow the same pattern as espérer include célébrer, compléter, préférer, répéter and suggérer.
Verbs that end in e_er, like acheter, change the first e to è.
| J’achète | Nous achetons |
| Tu achètes | Vous achetez |
| Il/Elle/On achète | Ils/Elles achètent |
Other verbs that follow the same pattern as acheter include amener, emmener, lever, and promener.
Verbs that end in -yer, like essayer, stem-change the Y to an I.
| J’essaie | Nous essayons |
| Tu essaies | Vous essayez |
| Il/Elle/On essaie | Ils/Elles essaient |
Other verbs that follow this pattern include employer, envoyer, nettoyer, ennuyer, and payer.
Verbs that end in -eler and -eter, like appeler or jeter, double the L and the T.
| J’appelle | Nous jetons |
| Tu jettes | Vous appelez |
| Il/Elle/On appelle | Ils/Elles jettent |
Other verbs that follow this pattern include rappeler, renouveler, projeter and rejeter.
SPELLING CHANGE VERBS
Verbs that end in -ger and -cer have minor spelling changes in some of their present tense conjugations, in order to maintain certain pronunciations.
Verbs that end in -ger, like manger or nager, keep their e in the nous conjugation, in order to maintain a soft “g” sound.
| Je mange | Nous mangeons |
| Tu manges | Vous mangez |
| Il/Elle/On mange | Ils/Elles mangent |
Verbs that end in -cer, like commencer, have to add an accent cédille [ç] to the c in the nous form, to keep the letter sounding like [s] instead of a hard c.
| Je commence | Nous commençons |
| Tu commences | Vous commencez |
| Il/Elle/On commence | Ils/Elles commencent |
LE FUTUR PROCHE (THE NEAR FUTURE)
To form the future tense, you will need a combination of the verb aller (to go) and the infinitive of another verb. Aller should be conjugated to match its corresponding subject. In English, this would translate to what you are going to do.
Je vais manger au restaurant samedi soir.
Tu vas étudier pour les examens?
Elle va sortir avec lui la semaine prochaine.
Demain, nous allons faire le ménage.
Vous allez acheter de nouvelles bottes pour l’hiver?
Elles vont attendre jusqu’à 18h avant de partir.
LE FUTUR SIMPLE (THE SIMPLE FUTURE)
Another way to form the future tense is to use a non-conjugated verb (the infinitive) and add the conjugated form of the verb avoir to the end of it. The meaning changes slightly in this instance, from what one is going to do to what one will do.
If the infinitive of the verb ends in -re, drop the -e before adding the appropriate ending.
Cet été, je visiterai la Tour Eiffel à Paris.
Quand elle finira ses études, elle travaillera en tant que vétérinaire.
Nous vendrons la voiture l’année prochaine.
LE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ (THE PRESENT PERFECT)
The passé composé is used to describe completed actions that have happened in the past. It is formed with the help of an auxiliary verb (either avoir or être) and a past participle, or the past tense version of the verb that expresses the completed action.
Most verbs in French use avoir as their helping verb, and it is conjugated as it normally would be. Regular verbs ending in -er, -re and -ir change to -é, -u and -I in the passé composé
| Subject | Auxiliary (avoir) | -ER (regarder) | -RE (vendre) | -IR (finir) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je (J’) | ai | regardé | vendu | fini |
| Tu | as | |||
| Il/Elle | a | |||
| Nous | avons | |||
| Vous | avez | |||
| Ils/Elles | ont |
J’ai mangé à ce restaurant le week-end dernier.
Elle a visité Rome avec sa famille pendant les vacances.
Nous avons fini le film à 22h30.
Ils ont vendu leur maison il y a 3 ans.
Irregular verbs have their own past participles that do not follow the above pattern and must be memorized. Faire, être, avoir become fait, été and eu in the passé composé and also use avoir as their auxiliary verbs.
Tu as fait les courses hier, n’est-ce pas?
Il a été très deçu quand le concert a été annulé.
Vous avez eu raison ; le film n’était pas bon!
Certain verbs use être as their auxiliary in the passé composé rather than avoir. These verbs, and their past participles, are outlined in the list below.
| devenir (to become) | devenu |
| revenir (to come back) | revenu |
| monter (to go up) | monté |
| rester (to stay) | resté |
| sortir (to go out) | sorti |
| venir (to come) | venu |
| arriver (to arrive) | arrivé |
| naître (to be born) | né |
| descendre (to descend) | descendu |
| entrer (to enter) | entré |
| rentrer (to re-enter/return) | rentré |
| tomber (to fall) | tombé |
| retourner (to return) | retourné |
| aller (to go) | allé |
| mourir (to die) | mort |
| partir (to leave) | parti |
| passer par (to go by) | passé par |
Reflexive and reciprocal verbs like se laver, s’habiller and se rencontrer also use être as their auxiliary verb in the passé composé.
Unlike verbs that use the auxiliary avoir, when using a verb that requires être in the passé composé, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. If the subject who performed the action is feminine, add an -e, and for plural add an -s.
Je suis allé au cinéma vendredi dernier.
Hélène, quand es-tu rentrée aux Etats-Unis?
Matthieu, es-tu monté à la Tour Eiffel?
Nous sommes descendus les escaliers.
Elles sont revenues le jour après Noël.
Ils sont arrivés à l’heure.
L’IMPARFAIT (THE IMPERFECT)
The imparfait is another version of the past tense. It is used to describe repeated, habitual actions, to give background information (including time and weather) or to describe an action or situation that was ongoing until an interruption by something else
Here are some examples in English to illustrate when the imparfait should be used in French.
When I was little, I would always watch cartoons on Saturday mornings.
You were very talkative as a small child.
Lucas was working on his homework while he watched the movie.
The sun was shining; it was a beautiful day.
The imparfait is formed by removing the -ons from a verb conjugated with nous and adding the following endings:
EX: Nous parlons → parl
| Je | parlais | Nous | parlions |
| Tu | parlais | Vous | parliez |
| Il/Elle/On | parlait | Ils/Elles | parlaient |
The only irregular verb in the imparfait is the verb être. Its stem is ét, and you use the same endings as above.
| J’ | étais |
| Tu | étais |
| Il/Elle/On | était |
| Nous | étions |
| Vous | étiez |
| Ils/Elles | étaient |
Quand j’étais petit…
Il allait tous les jours à l’école.
Vous étiez à Paris pendant cette époque-là.
Ils avaient de longs cheveux bruns pendant les années 1980.
LE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ ET L’IMPARFAIT
To effectively narrate in the past tense, you will need to use both the passé composé and the imparfait. In a nutshell, the passé composé is used to talk about completed actions or events in the past, whereas the imparfait is used to provide detail or talk about incomplete or ongoing events.
| Passé composé | Imparfait |
|---|---|
| What event happened What someone else said/did How the event started/ended |
How old you were What you were like or things you used to do Where you were, who you were with & how you were feeling What the weather/day was like What you were doing or what was happening at the time |
J’avais 9 ans et ma famille et moi sommes allés à la plage.
Il faisait beau et il y avait beaucoup de touristes.
Nous nagions quand soudain, mon frère a vu un requin.
J’avais très peur et je suis vite sortie de l’eau.
Le requin est parti mais je ne voulais pas rentrer dans l’océan!
LES MODES DU VERBE (VERB MOODS)
A mood is different than a tense in that a mood is about attitude, whereas a tense is about time. Moods indicate how a speaker feels about what is going on, like whether it’s a fact, an opinion, a possibility or an obligation.
LE CONDITIONNEL
The conditional is a mood that expresses what would or could happen under a particular condition. They are usually introduced by an “if” clause, or a sentence that begins with the word Si (“if”).
Si j’étais riche, j’acheterais une grande maison
Si nous visitions Paris, nous monterions à la Tour Eiffel.
Si elle était célibataire, elle chercherait un petit ami.
To form the conditional, you take the infinitive (the non-conjugated) form of the verb and add the endings of the imparfait to it. If the infinitive ends in -re, remove the -e before adding the appropriate ending.
| Je | voyagerais | Nous | voyagerions |
| Tu | voyagerais | Vous | voyageriez |
| Il/Elle/On | voyagerait | Ils/Elles | voyageraient |
Some verbs have irregular stems in the conditional which must be memorized. For example, the verbs être, avoir, faire and aller become ser-, aur-, fer- and ir- in the conditional. They use the same endings as regular verbs.
LES PHRASES SI (SI CLAUSES)
The conditional is often seen in “Si” clauses, or “If/Then” expressions, to express what could happen, if certain conditions were met. A “si” clause that elicits the conditional will always follow the following formula:
Si + imparfait = conditional
Si j’étais riche, j’acheterais une grande maison.
Elle s’endormirait si elle était fatiguée.
Si nous avions assez d’argent, nous voyagerions autour du monde.
LE SUBJONCTIF (THE SUBJUNCTIVE)
The subjunctive is a mood that is used to express subjective emotions, attitudes or opinions. Usually, the subjunctive is introduced by an expression of emotion, desire, will, opinion or necessity and the relative pronoun que.
Il est important que tu écoutes le professeur.
In the example above, the subjunctive is introduced by Il est important que, which is an expression of necessity. The underlined verb écoutes is the verb that is actually conjugated in the subjunctive.
It is important to note that after the pronoun que, there needs to be a subject that is different from the one in the original expression. A phrase like Je veux que je visite Paris is therefore not possible.
Here are some examples of expressions that elicit the subjunctive:
Expressions of emotion
| être triste que | être content(e) que | être heureux/se que |
| avoir peur que | Il est dommage que | adorer que |
Expressions of desire or will
| vouloir que | désirer que | exiger que | préférer que |
| recommender que | souhaiter que | commander que | suggérer que |
Expressions of opinion/doubt
| Douter que | Il est douteux que | Il est impossible que | Il est possible que |
| ne pas penser que | ne pas croire que | nier que/refuser que | supposer que |
Expressions of necessity
| Il faut que | Il est necessaire que | Il est important que |
| Il est essential que | Il est indispensable que | Il vaut mieux que |
LA CONJUGAISON DES VERBES AU SUBJONCTIF
To conjugate a verb in the subjunctive, begin with the ils form of the verb in the present tense. Remove the -ent, and add the endings -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.
Ils parlent à parl- Ils finissent à ils finiss-
| écouter | choisir | attendre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je | écoute | choisisse | attende |
| Tu | écoutes | choisisses | attendes |
| Il/Elle/On | écoute | choisisse | attende |
| Nous | écoutions | choisissions | attendions |
| Vous | écoutiez | choisissiez | attendiez |
| Ils/Elles | écoutent | choisissent | attendent |
The verbs être, avoir, faire and aller are irregular in the subjunctive and must be memorized.
| être | avoir | faire | aller | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Je | sois | aie | fasse | aille |
| Tu | sois | aies | fasses | ailles |
| Il/Elle/On | soit | ait | fasse | aille |
| Nous | soyons | ayons | fassions | allions |
| Vous | soyez | ayez | fassiez | alliez |
| Ils/Elles | soient | aient | fassent | aillent |
A sentence that uses the subjunctive will generally follow this formula:
Expression of desire/emotion/will/necessity + que + second subject + verb in subjunctive
Il est important que tu fasses les devoirs.
Je doute qu’il vienne à la fête.
Notre mère veut que nous restions chez nous pour Noël.
Je ne pense pas que cela soit vrai.
Suggérez-vous qu’elle aille à ce restaurant?
Vos parents ont peur que vous n’étudiiez pas pour l’examen.