5.2.4
Comment aider - Grammar
The perfect tense in French
The perfect tense in French
We use the perfect tense in French to talk about an action that has finished. It was a completed action and not an action that was taking place over a longer period of time (like the imperfect tense).
Format
Format
- To form the past tense in French, we need to use an auxiliary verb: either ÊTRE or AVOIR.
- Most regular verbs take AVOIR as their auxiliary verb.
- Some regular, irregular, and reflexive verbs take ÊTRE as their auxiliary verb.
- We then need a past participle for the verb that was completed in the past.
- If your verb is a regular verb, it will take AVOIR as its auxiliary verb.
- So, even though we are forming a past tense, we need to first of all use the present tense of AVOIR.
AVOIR in the present tense
AVOIR in the present tense
- Je/J' ai
- Tu as
- Il/elle/on a
- Nous avons
- Vous avez
- Ils/Elles ont
Format (continued)
Format (continued)
- Once you know which personal pronoun and ‘bit’ of AVOIR you need in the present tense, we then need to add a past participle.
- These 2 bits together then form the past tense (the perfect tense).
- ER verbs : Remove the ER ending and +é
- IR verbs : Remove the IR ending and +i
- RE verbs : Remove the RE ending and +u
- I spoke : J'ai parlé
- I finished : J'ai fini
- I sold : J'ai vendu
Verbs that take ÊTRE as auxiliary
Verbs that take ÊTRE as auxiliary
- Verbs which require ‘movement’ typically take ÊTRE as their auxiliary verb before adding a past participle.
- aller (to go) - arriver (to arrive)
- descendre (to go down) - devenir (to become)
- entrer (to enter into or go into) - monter (to go up)
- mourir (to die) -naitre (to be born)
- partir (to leave) - rentrer (to return home)
- rester (to stay) - retourner (to return)
- revenir (to come back) -sortir (to go out)
- tomber (to fall) -venir (to come)
ÊTRE in the present tense
ÊTRE in the present tense
- Je suis
- Tu es
- Il/elle/on est
- Nous sommes
- Vous êtes
- Ils/Elles sont
- Just like the verbs that take AVOIR in the perfect tense, they all need a past participle to accompany them.
Irregular verbs
Irregular verbs
- However, some past participles are irregular (whether or not you are using AVOIR or ETRE as the auxiliary verb):
- avoir = eu - boire = bu - connaitre = connu
- courir = couru - devoir = dû - dire = dit
- écrire = écrit - être = été - faire = fait
- lire = lu - mettre = mis - mourir = mort
- naitre = né - ouvrir = ouvert - pouvoir = pu
- prendre = pris - recevoir = reçu - savoir = su
- venir = venu - vivre = vécu - voir = vu
- vouloir = voulu
Example
Example
- To say I went, use ÊTRE in the present tense (because it’s a verb of movement) 'je suis' and then add the past participle of to go.
- This is a regular past participle = Je suis allé
- To say I did, use AVOIR in the present tense 'j’ai' and add the past participle of faire which is an irregular past participle, fait.
- J’ai fait
- Verbs that take ÊTRE in the perfect tense must agree with the subject of the sentence.
- For example:
- Il est allé (he went)
- Elle est allée (she went)
1The Changing Nature of Family
1.1Soucis et problèmes de famille
1.2Monoparentalité, homoparentalité etc
2The 'cyber-society'
2.1Qui sont les cybernautes ?
2.2Comment la technologie facilite la vie quotidienne
3The Place of Voluntary Work
3.1Qui sont et que font les bénévoles ?
3.2La valeur du bénévolat
4Diverse Society
4.1L'enrichissement dû à la mixité
4.2Tolérance et respect
5The Marginalised
5.1Qui ils sont
5.2Comment aider
6How Criminals Are Treated
6.1Quelles attitudes envers la criminalité ?
6.2La prison – échec ou succès ?
7A Culture Proud of its Heritage
7.1Le patrimoine - national, régional et local
7.2Comment le patrimoine reflète la culture
7.3Le patrimoine et le tourisme
8Cinema: the 7th Art Form
8.1Pourquoi le septième art?
8.2Le cinéma - une passion nationale ?
9Demonstrations, strikes – who holds the power?
9.1Le pouvoir des syndicats
9.2Manifestations et grèves – sont-elles efficaces ?
10Politics & Immigration
10.1Politiques d'intégration et immigration
10.2L'immigration et les partis politiques
10.3L'engagement politique des immigrés
11Conjugation & Use of Tenses
11.1Present Tense
11.1.1Irregular IR Verbs That End in 'vrir'
11.1.2Irregular RE Verbs
11.1.3RE Present Participle
11.1.4Irregular IR Verbs With No Pattern
11.1.5Irregular IR Verbs That End in 'enir'
11.1.6Regular IR Verbs
11.1.7Reflexive Verbs
11.1.8ER Present Participles
11.1.95 Common IR Verbs
11.1.10Stem-Changing Verbs
11.1.11Irregular Present Participles
11.1.12Irregular IR Verbs Like 'Partir'
11.1.13Regular RE Verbs
11.1.14Irregular ER Verbs - Aller
11.1.15Modal Irregular IR Verbs
11.1.165 Common RE Verbs
11.1.17Irregular RE Verbs With No Pattern
11.1.18Avoir
11.1.19Être
11.1.20Regular ER Verbs
11.1.21IR Present Participle
11.1.225 Common ER Verbs
11.2Perfect Tense
11.3Imperfect Tense
11.4Future Tense
11.5Conditional Tense
11.6Future Perfect Tense
11.7Conditional Perfect Tense
12Extra Grammar
12.2Adjectives
12.3Numerals
12.4Adverbs
12.5Quantifiers & Intensifiers
12.6Pronouns
12.7Passive Voice
12.8Prepositions
12.9Conjunctions
12.10Negation
12.11Questions
Jump to other topics
1The Changing Nature of Family
1.1Soucis et problèmes de famille
1.2Monoparentalité, homoparentalité etc
2The 'cyber-society'
2.1Qui sont les cybernautes ?
2.2Comment la technologie facilite la vie quotidienne
3The Place of Voluntary Work
3.1Qui sont et que font les bénévoles ?
3.2La valeur du bénévolat
4Diverse Society
4.1L'enrichissement dû à la mixité
4.2Tolérance et respect
5The Marginalised
5.1Qui ils sont
5.2Comment aider
6How Criminals Are Treated
6.1Quelles attitudes envers la criminalité ?
6.2La prison – échec ou succès ?
7A Culture Proud of its Heritage
7.1Le patrimoine - national, régional et local
7.2Comment le patrimoine reflète la culture
7.3Le patrimoine et le tourisme
8Cinema: the 7th Art Form
8.1Pourquoi le septième art?
8.2Le cinéma - une passion nationale ?
9Demonstrations, strikes – who holds the power?
9.1Le pouvoir des syndicats
9.2Manifestations et grèves – sont-elles efficaces ?
10Politics & Immigration
10.1Politiques d'intégration et immigration
10.2L'immigration et les partis politiques
10.3L'engagement politique des immigrés
11Conjugation & Use of Tenses
11.1Present Tense
11.1.1Irregular IR Verbs That End in 'vrir'
11.1.2Irregular RE Verbs
11.1.3RE Present Participle
11.1.4Irregular IR Verbs With No Pattern
11.1.5Irregular IR Verbs That End in 'enir'
11.1.6Regular IR Verbs
11.1.7Reflexive Verbs
11.1.8ER Present Participles
11.1.95 Common IR Verbs
11.1.10Stem-Changing Verbs
11.1.11Irregular Present Participles
11.1.12Irregular IR Verbs Like 'Partir'
11.1.13Regular RE Verbs
11.1.14Irregular ER Verbs - Aller
11.1.15Modal Irregular IR Verbs
11.1.165 Common RE Verbs
11.1.17Irregular RE Verbs With No Pattern
11.1.18Avoir
11.1.19Être
11.1.20Regular ER Verbs
11.1.21IR Present Participle
11.1.225 Common ER Verbs
11.2Perfect Tense
11.3Imperfect Tense
11.4Future Tense
11.5Conditional Tense
11.6Future Perfect Tense
11.7Conditional Perfect Tense
12Extra Grammar
12.2Adjectives
12.3Numerals
12.4Adverbs
12.5Quantifiers & Intensifiers
12.6Pronouns
12.7Passive Voice
12.8Prepositions
12.9Conjunctions
12.10Negation
12.11Questions
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