French Key Verb Tenses

The Golden Rule: French vs. English

English often uses helping verbs to create tenses (I am eating, I do eat, I will eat). French, however, often changes the verb ending directly (Je mange, Je vais manger). The one major exception is the most common past tense, the passé composé, which is a compound tense (using a helper verb).

Part 1: Le Présent (The Present Tense)

This is used much like in English: for current actions, habits, and general truths.

How to Form it:
You need to know the verb's infinitive (the "to" form) and find its stem, then add the correct ending. There are three main verb groups.

• Key Takeaway: -ER verbs are the most common and follow the most regular pattern. Learn this one first!

Examples:

• Je parle français. (I speak French. / I am speaking French.)

• Nous finissons notre travail. (We finish our work. / We are finishing our work.)

• Elle vend sa voiture. (She sells her car. / She is selling her car.)

Part 2: Le Passé Composé (The Compound Past)

This is the most common past tense. It's used for completed actions and specific events in the past (like "I ate," "I did," "I went").

How to Form it:
It's a compound tense, meaning it has two parts:
Auxiliary Verb (Avoir or Être) + Past Participle

Step 1: Choose the Auxiliary Verb

Most verbs use AVOIR (to have).

A small but important list of verbs use ÊTRE (to be). These are often verbs of motion or change of state. A common mnemonic is DR & MRS VANDERTRAMP.

Step 2: Form the Past Participle

• For -ER verbs: Replace -er with -é (parler → parlé)

• For -IR verbs: Replace -ir with -i (finir → fini)

• For -RE verbs: Replace -re with -u (vendre → vendu)

Step 3: Put it Together

• AVOIR Verb: J'ai parlé. (I spoke/have spoken.)

• ÊTRE Verb: Il est allé. (He went/has gone.)

💡 CRUCIAL NOTE for ÊTRE verbs: The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.

• Il est allé. (He went.)

• Elle est allée. (She went.)

• Ils sont allés. (They (masc.) went.)

• Elles sont allées. (They (fem.) went.)

Part 3: L'Imparfait (The Imperfect)

This is the other main past tense. It's used for descriptions, habits, and ongoing actions in the past (like "I was eating," "I used to do," "It was sunny").

How to Form it:

1. Take the nous form of the present tense verb.

2. Remove the -ons ending to find the stem.

3. Add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

Examples (and contrast with Passé Composé):

• Il faisait beau. (The weather was nice.) - Description

• Je jouais au foot tous les weekends. (I used to play soccer every weekend.) - Habit

• Il regardait la TV quand le téléphone a sonné. (He was watching TV when the phone rang.) - Ongoing action interrupted by a specific event (passé composé).

Part 4: Le Futur Proche (The Near Future)

This is the easiest way to talk about the future. It's used for something that is going to happen soon.

How to Form it:
It's very similar to the English "to be going to."
Aller (conjugated in present) + Infinitive

Example:

• Je vais faire mes devoirs. (I am going to do my homework.)

Quick Summary: When to Use Which Tense