Past Tense

Past Tense in French Grammar

  • In French, there are several past tenses employed to express actions that have occurred at a previous point in time.
  • The past tense used can depend on the duration or completion of the action, and the time frame in which the action has taken place.

Passé Composé

  • The passé composé is used to express actions that have been completed in the past, with a clear beginning and end.
  • This tense is formed using the present tense of the auxiliary verb (“avoir” or “être”) and the past participle of the main verb.
  • The choice between “avoir” or “être” depends on the main verb’s transitivity and directness of action.
  • When “être” is used as the auxiliary, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.
  • Passé composé is often used in spoken French and in narratives to discuss completed actions.

Imparfait

  • The imparfait or imperfect past tense, on the other hand, is used to describe ongoing or repeated past actions.
  • The imparfait is used to describe past situations, states of being or feelings, or background information in a narrative.
  • It is formed by dropping the “-ons” from the present tense “nous” form of the verb and adding the corresponding imperfect endings.
  • Imparfait and passé composé can be used together in a sentence to create a nuanced depiction of past events.

Plus-que-Parfait

  • The plus-que-parfait or past perfect tense is used to describe an action that had happened before another action in the past.
  • It is formed using the imparfait of “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.
  • As with the passé composé, when “être” is used as the auxiliary, the past participle must agree with the subject.

Passé Simple

  • The passé simple is a literary tense used in formal and literary writing.
  • For regular verbs, it is formed using the infinitive root of the verb and the passé simple endings, which differ for -er, -ir, and -re verbs.
  • However, many common verbs are irregular in this tense and must be memorised.

Understanding and practising these past tenses will greatly improve both the comprehension and construction of French sentences, and ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of French language and literature.