Had done' and '-ing'

Had done’ and ‘-ing’

• Understanding the French Perfect Tense: To convey an action that had been done in French, use the perfect tense, known as ‘Le Passé Composé’. This consists of an auxiliary verb (either ‘avoir’ or ‘être’) and the past participle of the verb expressing the performed action.

• ‘Had done’ in French: In most instances, ‘avoir’ is used as the auxiliary verb. For example, “I had done” translates to ‘j’avais fait’. Here, ‘avais’ is the auxiliary verb (the imperfect tense of ‘avoir’) and ‘fait’ is the past participle of ‘faire’ (to do).

• Exceptions in Auxiliary Verbs: Remember the exceptions. Some verbs use ‘être’ as the auxiliary verb. These include all reflexive verbs and some motion verbs. For example, ‘I had arrived’ is ‘j’étais arrivé’.

• Forming the Past Participle: In general, drop the infinitive ending (-er, -ir, -re) and add the corresponding past participle ending (-é, -i, -u). Some verbs have irregular past participles (e.g., ‘faire’ becomes ‘fait’).

• Literal Translation can Mislead: The sentence formation of ‘had done’ in French differs than its English counterpart. While English uses ‘had’, French verb forms already include this sense of pastness. Hence, ‘j’étais allé’ means both ‘I went’ and ‘I had gone’.

• Ing forms in French: To express ‘-ing’ actions in French, ‘en train de’ is used to express the English equivalent of ‘-ing’. For example ‘I am doing’ is translated to ‘je suis en train de faire’ in French.

• Simultaneous Actions: If you want to signify multiple simultaneous actions, use the ‘en’ + present participle construction. For example, ‘Je parle en mangeant’ implies ‘I talk while eating’.

• It is crucial to understand the formation and use of these tenses and their participle forms, as correct usage is often tested in written and oral French assessments. Always practice with a lot of examples and exercises to solidify this grammatical concept.

• As for pronunciation, focusing on liaisons and elisions with auxiliary verbs helps to sound more fluent and natural.

• Lastly, keep in mind that communication is key: following the rules of grammar is crucial but understanding and making oneself understood comes first. Handbooks, flashcards, practice resources, and immersion are potentially beneficial ways of acquiring and reinforcing these grammar skills.