French II – Past Tenses - Quick Guides

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Study GuideFrench II–Past Tenses1.The Passé AntérieurThepassé antérieuris a French verb tense used mainly informal or literary writing. It describes anaction thatwas completed before another past action.This tense usually appearsafter time expressionssuch as:•aussitôt que—as soon as•dès que—as soon as•quand / lorsque—when•après que—afterThe action in thepassé antérieurhappensfirst, and the second action is usually expressed with thepassé simple.How the Passé Antérieur Is FormedThepassé antérieuris acompound tense, meaning it uses ahelping verb.Structure:passé simple of the auxiliary (avoir or être) + past participleJust like in other compound tenses, the auxiliary depends on the verb:•avoirfor most verbs•êtrefor movement and reflexive verbsIn English, the passé antérieur is often translated as:“had + past participle.”Examples•Aussitôt que le président eut signé le document, sa secrétaire l'emporta.As soon as the presidenthad signedthe document, his secretary took it away.

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Study GuideHere, the signing happenedbeforethe secretary took the document.•Dès que ses ennemis eurent envahi la France, Napoléon se retira à Elbe.As soon as his enemieshad invadedFrance, Napoleon withdrew to Elba.In this example, the invasion happenedbeforeNapoleon’s withdrawal.When It Is UsedThepassé antérieuris mainly used in:•literary texts•historical writing•formal narrationIn everyday French conversation, speakers usually replace it with theplus-que-parfait.Key Takeaway•Thepassé antérieurdescribes an action thathappened before another past action.•It is commonly used aftertime conjunctionslikeaussitôt que,dès que,quand, andaprèsque.•It is formed withthe passé simple of avoir or être + the past participle.•In English, it often translates as“had + past participle.”•This tense is mostly found informal and literary French, not everyday speech.2.The Imparfait (Imperfect Tense)Theimparfaitis a French past tense used to describeongoing, repeated, or habitual actions inthe past. It often explainswhat was happening,what used to happen, orthe background of apast situation.In English, it is often translated as:•was / were +-ing•used to + verb•would + verb(when it means “used to”)

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Study GuideTheimparfait is a simple tense, which means itdoes not use a helping verb.When the Imparfait Is UsedThe imparfait describes:•habitual or repeated actions in the past•ongoing actions in the past•background descriptions or situations•actions that were not completedExamples:•Pendant mon enfance, je lisais beaucoup.During my childhood, I used to read a lot.•Je regardais la télé quand le téléphone a sonné.I was watching TV when the phone rang.In the second example,je regardaisdescribes an action already in progress when another actionhappened.How to Form the ImparfaitTo form theimparfait, follow these steps:1.Take thenous form of the present tense.2.Remove the-onsending.3.Add theimparfait endings.Imparfait Endings

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Study GuideExamples with Regular VerbsVerbs Already Ending in–ionsSome verbs already end in–ionsin the present tense, such as:

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Study Guide•étudier(to study)•rire(to laugh)•sourire(to smile)•vérifier(to check)In theimparfait, these verbs keep the extraiin thenousandvousforms.Examples:•Nous étudiions pendant des heures.We were studying for hours.•Vous riiez trop.You were laughing too much.Spelling Changes in the ImparfaitVerbs Ending in–cerThec changes to çbeforeato keep the softcsound.Example:•La voiture avançait lentement.The car was moving forward slowly.•Commenciez-vous à vous inquiéter ?Were you beginning to worry?Verbs Ending in–gerThese verbs add asilent ebeforeato keep the softgsound.Example:•Il mangeait si vite.He was eating so quickly.•Nous mangions toujours dans ce restaurant.We always ate in that restaurant.

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Study GuideIrregular Verbs in the ImparfaitMost irregular verbs still follow thesame rule: use thenous formand drop–ons, then add theimparfait endings.Examples of commonnous forms:•aller→ nous allons•avoir→ nous avons•boire→ nous buvons•conduire→ nous conduisons•connaître→ nous connaissons•courir→ nous courons•devoir→ nous devons•dire→ nous disons•dormir→ nous dormons•écrire→ nous écrivons•faire→ nous faisons•lire→ nous lisons•mettre→ nous mettons•ouvrir→ nous ouvrons•pouvoir→ nous pouvons•prendre→ nous prenons•recevoir→ nous recevons•savoir→ nous savons•venir→ nous venons•voir→ nous voyons•vouloir→ nous voulons

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Study GuideSpecial Verbs Used Only in the Il FormSome verbs are used only in thethird-person singular.Examples:•falloir→il fallait(it was necessary)•pleuvoir→il pleuvait(it was raining)The Only True Irregular VerbTheonly verb that does not follow the usual imparfait formation ruleisêtre (to be).Its stem isét-.•j’–étais•tu–étais•il–était•nous–étions•vous–étiez•ils–étaientExample:•Quand j'étais enfant, je jouais souvent dehors.When I was a child, I often played outside.Key Takeaway•Theimparfaitdescribesongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past.•It often translates aswas/were +-ing,used to, orwould(in the sense of “used to”).•To form it, use thenous present form minus–ons + imparfait endings.•Most verbs follow this rule, including irregular verbs.•Theonly verb with a different stem is être (ét-).•The imparfait is commonly used forbackground descriptions and past habits.

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Study Guide3.The Plus-Que-Parfait (Pluperfect)Theplus-que-parfaitis a French past tense used to describe an action thathad already happenedbefore another action in the past. In other words, it shows thatone past event happened earlierthan another past event.In English, this tense is usually translated as:“had + past participle.”How the Plus-Que-Parfait Is FormedTheplus-que-parfaitis acompound tense, which means it uses a helping verb.Structure:imperfect of the auxiliary (avoir or être) + past participleJust like in other compound tenses:•Most verbs useavoir•Some verbs (movement and reflexive verbs) useêtreExamples•J'avais mal à l'estomac parce que j'avais trop mangé.I had a stomachache because I had eaten too much.Here,having eaten too muchhappened before the stomachache.•Il marchait avec peine parce qu'il était tombé.He walked with difficulty because he had fallen.The fall happenedbeforehe was walking with difficulty.•Elle s'était préparée avant de donner sa présentation.She had prepared herself before giving her presentation.In this sentence, the preparation happenedbeforethe presentation.

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Study GuideAgreement of the Past ParticipleJust like in other compound tenses, thepast participle may need to agreewith the object.When the auxiliaryavoiris used, the past participle agreesonly if the direct object appears beforethe verb.Examples:•Voici les livres que j'avais écrits il y a longtemps.Here are the books I had written a long time ago.•Cette robe ? Elle l'avait achetée quand elle était à Paris.That dress? She had bought it when she was in Paris.In these sentences, the participle agrees withlivresandrobebecause they appearbefore the verb.Key Takeaway•Theplus-que-parfaitdescribes an action thathappened before another past action.•It is formed withthe imperfect of avoir or être + past participle.•In English, it usually translates as“had + past participle.”•Withavoir, the past participle agrees with apreceding direct object.•This tense is commonly used to explainthe cause or background of a past event.4.Using the Correct Form of the Past Tense in FrenchFrench has several past tenses, and each one is used in adifferent situation. Choosing the correcttense depends onwhat kind of action happened in the pastandhow it relates to other events.The main past tenses you will encounter are:•Passé composé•Imparfait•Passé simple

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