501 French Verbs

BARRON’S

FOREIGN

LANGUAGE

GUIDES

FOREIGN LANGUAGE GUIDES

BARRON’S

FOREIGN LANGUAGE GUIDES

SIXTH EDITION

Fully conjugated in all the tenses

in an easy-to-learn format

alphabetically arranged

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VERBS

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Christopher Kendris, Ph.D., and Theodore Kendris, Ph.D.

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The easy-to-use reference book gives you:

• The most common French verbs, alphabetically arranged, one verb per page,

conjugated in all the tenses

• Common idioms and example sentences demonstrating verb usage

• Verbs conjugated with avoir or être to form a compound tense

• Over 2,600 additional verbs conjugated like model verbs among the 501

• Index of common irregular French verb forms identified by their infinitive

• List of Essential 55 Verbs with usage examples and expressions related to the verbs

• A summary of sequence of verb tenses . . . and much more

The bonus CD-ROM gives you:

• Sentence completion exercises • Dialogue exercises

• Word completion exercises • Word seek exercises

• Matching with English • Correct answers given for all exercises

FRENCH VERBS

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7-7983-501FrenVrbs-Fbs 10/23/06 3:46 PM Page 1

SIXTH EDITION

Fully conjugated in all the tenses in a new,

easy-to-learn format, alphabetically arranged

Christopher Kendris

B.S., M.S., Columbia University

M.A., Ph.D., Northwestern University

Diplˆomé, Faculté des Lettres, Sorbonne

Former Chairman,

Department of Foreign Languages

Farmingdale High School,

Farmingdale, New York

and

Theodore Kendris

B.A., Union College

M.A., Northwestern University

Ph.D., Université Laval

Former Chargé de cours

Université Laval, Québec, Canada

BARRON’S

FOREIGN LANGUAGE GUIDES

FRENCH

VERBS

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kendris, Christopher.

501 French verbs fully conjugated in all the tenses and moods in a new easy-to-learn

format, alphabetically arranged / by Christopher Kendris and Theodore Kendris.—6th ed.

p. cm.

Spine title: 501 French verbs

ISBN-13: 978-0-7641-3554-5

ISBN-10: 0-7641-3554-6

1. French language—Verb—Tables. I. Kendris, Theodore. II. Title. III. Title: Five

hundred and one French verbs fully conjugated in all the tenses and moods in a new

easy-to-learn format, alphabetically arranged. IV. Title: Five hundred and one French

verbs fully conjugated in all the tenses and moods in a new easy-to-learn format,

alphabetically arranged. V. Title: 501 French verbs.

PC2271.K378 2007

448.2¢421—dc22 2006047715

PRINTED IN CANADA

9876543

7_3554_01_FM 6/12/07 3:33 PM Page ii

About the authors iv

Preface to the sixth edition v

Introduction 1

Present and past participles in French—Formation 3

Derivation of tenses: Verbs conjugated with avoir and être 4

Verbs conjugated with avoir or être to form a compound tense 6

Principal parts of some important verbs (Les Temps primitifs) 7

Sample English verb conjugation 8

A summary of French verb tenses and moods 10

Formation of the tenses 22

A summary of sequence of verb tenses—Si clauses 26

The subjunctive 26

Orthographically changing verbs (Spelling changes) 32

Definitions of basic grammatical terms with examples 35

Verb drills and tests 50

Answers to verb tests with explanations 81

Essential 55 verb list 103

Subject pronouns 103

Abbreviations 103

Alphabetical listing of 501 French verbs

fully conjugated in all tenses and moods

107

Appendixes 663

Defective and impersonal verbs 665

Guide to French pronunciation 686

Verbs used in weather expressions 688

Verbs with prepositions 690

Index of common irregular French verb forms 701

English-French verb index 705

Index of 2,600 additional verbs keyed to listing of 501 French verbs 733

Contents

To St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church

of Albany, New York, our parish

and

to the eternal memory of our beloved

YOLANDA FENYO KENDRIS

who is always by our side

With love

About the Authors

Dr. Christopher Kendris has worked as interpreter and translator of French for the

U.S. State Department at the American Embassy in Paris. He earned his B.S. and M.S.

degrees at Columbia University in the City of New York, where he held a New York State

Scholarship, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Northwestern University in Evanston,

Illinois, where he held a Teaching Assistantship and Tutorial Fellowship during four years.

He also earned two diplomas with Mention très Honorable at the Université de Paris (en

Sorbonne), Faculté des Lettres, École Supérieure de Préparation et de Perfectionnement

des Professeurs de Français à l’Étranger, and at the Institut de Phonétique, Paris. In

1986 he was one of 95 teachers in the United States awarded a Rockefeller Foundation

Fellowship for Teachers of Foreign Languages in American High Schools. He has taught

French at the College of the University of Chicago as visiting summer lecturer, at Colby

College, Duke University, Rutgers—The State University of New Jersey, and the State

University of New York at Albany. He was Chairman of the Department of Foreign

Languages and Supervisor of 16 foreign language teachers on the secondary level at

Farmingdale High School, Farmingdale, New York, where he was also a teacher of all

levels of French and Spanish, and prepared students for the New York State French and

Spanish Regents, SAT exams, and AP tests. Dr. Kendris is the author of 22 school and

college books, workbooks, and other language guides of French and Spanish. He is

listed in Contemporary Authors and the Directory of American Scholars.

Dr. Theodore Kendris earned his B.A. degree in Modern Languages at Union College,

Schenectady, New York, where he received the Thomas J. Judson Memorial Award for

modern language study. He went on to earn his M.A. degree in French Language and

Literature at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, where he held a Teaching

Assistantship. He earned his Ph.D. degree in French Literature at Université Laval in

Quebec City, where he studied the Middle Ages and Renaissance. While at Université

Laval he taught French writing skills as a chargé de cours in the French as a Second

Language program and, in 1997, he was awarded a doctoral scholarship by the Fondation

de l’Université Laval. He has also taught in the Department of English and Foreign Lan-

guages at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois, as well as the Hazleton Campus

of Penn State University.

Preface to the Sixth Edition

This new edition of 501 French Verbs has been completely rearranged to help you find

the information that you need more quickly. We have also updated the verb lists to

account for the ever-changing technological advances in our modern world. We have

therefore added to both the French-English and English-French lists of verbs conjugated

like model verbs. The model verbs themselves have been revised and include extra mate-

rial for certain Essential Verbs. These are verbs that we believe will be helpful to students

because they represent an important conjugation group or because they are useful in many

everyday situations and idiomatic expressions. If you have used 501 French Verbs in the

past, you will notice that you can now find all the learning material before the list of 501

fully conjugated verbs. We have also placed the defective and impersonal verbs in a sepa-

rate section immediately following the 501 fully conjugated verbs. The numerous verb

lists can be found in the back part of the book with handy tabs to help you save time as

you study. Don’t forget to take advantage of the verb drills and tests with answers

explained, beginning on page 50. You will need a lot of practice in French verb forms and

tenses in a variety of tests to determine your strengths and weaknesses and to make some

things clearer in your mind. You should also review the section on definitions of basic

grammatical terms. Many students who study a foreign language are at a disadvantage

because they do not understand certain grammatical terms. If you understand these terms

you will be able to communicate better in French.

If you can’t remember the French verb you need to use, don’t forget to refer to the

English-French verb index, which starts on page 705. We have made it more comprehen-

sive so that you will rarely need to look elsewhere for what you need.

We are very pleased to offer our new 501 French Verb CD-ROM activities, which

you will find in the back of the book. Have some fun while you practice conjugating

French verbs!

We hope that you will make full use of all the features of this new edition and that you

will enjoy your exploration of French language and culture.

C.K. and T.K.

Introduction

This self-teaching book of 501 commonly used French verbs for students and travelers

provides fingertip access to correct verb forms.

Verb conjugations are usually found scattered in French grammar books and they are

difficult to find quickly when needed. Verbs have always been a major problem for stu-

dents no matter what system or approach the teacher uses. You will master French verb

forms if you study this book a few minutes every day.

This book has been compiled in order to help make your work easier and at the same

time to teach you French verb forms systematically. It is a useful book because it provides

a quick and easy way to find the full conjugation of many French verbs.

The 501 verbs included here are arranged alphabetically by infinitive at the top of

each page. The book contains many common verbs of high frequency, both reflexive and

non-reflexive, which you need to know. It also contains many other frequently used verbs

which are irregular in some way. Beginning on page 733 you can find an additional 2,600

French verbs that are conjugated in the same way as model verbs among the 501. If the

verb you have in mind is not given among the 501, consult this list.

The subject pronouns have been omitted from the conjugations in order to emphasize

the verb forms. You can find the subject pronouns on page 103. Turn to that page now

and become acquainted with them.

The first thing to do when you use this book is to become familiar with it from cover

to cover—in particular, the front and back pages where you will find valuable and useful

information to make your work easier and more enjoyable. Take a minute right now and

familiarize yourself with the following features:

(a) On page 6 there is an explanation of which verbs are conjugated with avoir or

être to form a compound tense. Study page 6 and refer to it frequently until you master

those verbs.

(b) On page 3 you will find how to form a present participle regularly in French and

we give you examples. We also give you the common irregular present participles.

past participles of each verb are at the top of the page where verb forms are given for a

particular verb.

(d) On page 7 you will find the principal parts of some important verbs, which, in

French, are called Les Temps primitifs. This is useful because if you know these you can

easily form all the tenses and moods from them.

(e) On pages 4 and 5 there are two tables showing the derivation of tenses of a

typical verb conjugated with avoir and another conjugated with être. These are presented

as in a picture so that you can see what tenses are derived from the principal parts.

(f) On pages 8 and 9 a sample English verb conjugation gives you an idea of the

way a verb is expressed in the English tenses. Many people do not know one tense from

another because they have never learned the use of verb tenses in a systematic and organ-

ized way—not even in English! How can you know, for example, that you need the con-

ditional form of a verb in French when you want to say “I would go to the movies if...”

or the pluperfect tense in French if you want to say “I had gone . . .”? The sample English

verb conjugation with the names of the tenses and their numerical ranking will help you

to distinguish one tense from another so that you will know what tense you need to

express a verb in French.

(g) Beginning on page 10 is a summary of meanings and uses of French verb tenses

and moods as related to English verb tenses and moods. That section is very important

and useful because the seven simple tenses are separated from the seven compound

tenses. The name of each tense is given in French and English starting with the present

indicative, which is called tense No. 1, because it is the tense most frequently used. A

number is assigned to each tense name so that you can fix each one in your mind and

associate the tense names and numbers in their logical order. There is a brief explanation

of what each tense is and when you use it, and there are examples using verbs in sen-

tences in French and English.

(h) On page 21 is a summary of all the fourteen tenses in French with English equiv-

alents, which have been divided into the seven simple tenses and the seven compound

tenses. After referring to that summary frequently, you will soon know that tense No. 1 is

the present indicative, tense No. 2 is the imperfect indicative, and so on.

(i) On page 22 you are shown how to form the seven simple tenses for regular verbs

and here, again, the same number has been assigned to each tense name. We also explain

how each compound tense is based on each simple tense in the table on page 23 and on

page 24. Try to see these two divisions as two frames, two pictures, with the seven simple

tenses in one frame and the seven compound tenses in another frame. Place them side by

side in your mind, and you will see how tense No. 8 is related to tense No. 1, tense No. 9

to tense No. 2, and so on. If you study the numerical arrangement of each of the seven

simple tenses and associate the tense number with the tense name, you will find it very

easy to learn the names of the seven compound tenses, how they rank numerically accord-

ing to use, how they are formed, and when they are used. Spend at least ten minutes every

day studying these preliminary pages to help you understand better the fourteen tenses in

French.

Finally, in the back pages of this book there are useful indexes, an additional 2,600

French verbs that are conjugated like model verbs among the 501, as well as verbs that

require certain prepositions. If you refer to these each time you look up verb tense forms

for a particular verb, you will increase your knowledge of French vocabulary by leaps

and bounds.

Note that each verb that is listed in the Alphabetical Listing of 501 French Verbs is

followed by a number in parentheses. This number is the verb number for the purpose of

easy cross-referencing in this book.

We sincerely hope that this book will be of some help to you in learning and using

French verbs.

Christopher Kendris and Theodore Kendris

Common irregular past participles 3

Present and past participles in French—

Formation

Formation of the present participle in French

The present participle is regularly formed in the following way. Take the nous form of the

present indicative of the verb you have in mind, drop the ending -ons and add -ant. That

ending is the equivalent to -ing in English. Examples:

chantons, chantant vendons, vendant allons, allant

finissons, finissant mangeons, mangeant travaillons, travaillant

Common irregular present participles

The three common irregular present participles are: ayant from avoir; étant from être;

sachant from savoir.

Formation of the past participle in French

The past participle is regularly formed from the infinitive:

-er ending verbs, drop the -er and add é: donner, donné

-ir ending verbs, drop the -ir and add i: finir, fini

-re ending verbs, drop the -re and add u: vendre, vendu

Common irregular past participles

INFINITIVE PAST PARTICIPLE INFINITIVE PAST PARTICIPLE

apprendre appris naître né

asseoir assis offrir offert

avoir eu ouvrir ouvert

boire bu paraître paru

comprendre compris permettre permis

conduire conduit plaire plu

connaître connu pleuvoir plu

construire construit pouvoir pu

courir couru prendre pris

couvrir couvert promettre promis

craindre craint recevoir reçu

croire cru revenir revenu

devenir devenu rire ri

devoir dû, due savoir su

dire dit suivre suivi

écrire écrit taire tu

être été tenir tenu

faire fait valoir valu

falloir fallu venir venu

lire lu vivre vécu

mettre mis voir vu

mourir mort vouloir voulu

4 Verbs conjugated with avoir

Derivation of tenses: Verbs conjugated

with

avoir

and

être

Verbs Conjugated with avoir

PARTICIPE PARTICIPE PRÉSENT DE PASSÉ

INFINITIF PRÉSENT PASSÉ L’INDICATIF SIMPLE

donner donnant donné je donne je donnai

FUTUR IMPARFAIT DE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ PRÉSENT DE PASSÉ SIMPLE

donnerai

L’INDICATIF

ai donné

L’INDICATIF

donnai

donneras donnais as donné donne donnas

donnera donnais a donné donnes donna

donnerons donnait avons donné donne donnâmes

donnerez donnions avez donné donnons donnâtes

donneront donniez ont donné donnez donnèrent

donnaient donnent

PLUS-QUE-PARFAIT IMPARFAIT DU

CONDITIONNEL DE L’INDICATIF IMPÉRATIF SUBJONCTIF

donnerais avais donné donne donnasse

donnerais avais donné donnons donnasses

donnerait avait donné donnez donnât

donnerions avions donné donnassions

donneriez aviez donné

PRÉSENT DU

donnassiez

donneraient avaient donné SUBJONCTIF donnassent

donne

PASSÉ ANTÉRIEUR donnes

eus donné donne

eus donné donnions

eut

donné donniez

eûmes donné

donnent

eûtes donné

eurent donné

FUTUR CONDITIONNEL PASSÉ DU PLUS-QUE-PARFAIT

ANTÉRIEUR PASSÉ SUBJONCTIF DU SUBJONCTIF

aurai donné aurais donné aie donné eusse donné

auras donné aurais donné aies donné eusses donné

aura donné aurait donné ait donné eût donné

aurons donné aurions donné ayons donné eussions donné

aurez donné auriez donné ayez donné eussiez donné

auront donné auraient donné aient donné eussent donné

Tenses and verbs conjugated with être 5

Tenses of Verbs Conjugated with être

PARTICIPE PARTICIPE PRÉSENT DE PASSÉ

INFINITIF PRÉSENT PASSÉ L’INDICATIF SIMPLE

arriver arrivant arrivé j’arrive j’arrivai

FUTUR IMPARFAIT DE PASSÉ COMPOSÉ PRÉSENT DE PASSÉ SIMPLE

arriverai

L’INDICATIF

suis arrivé(e)

L’INDICATIF

arrivai

arriveras arrivais es arrivé(e) arrive arrivas

arrivera arrivais est arrivé(e) arrives arriva

arriverons arrivait sommes arrivé(e)s arrive arrivâmes

arriverez arrivions êtes arrivé(e)(s) arrivons arrivâtes

arriveront arriviez sont arrivé(e)s arrivez arrivèrent

arrivaient arrivent

PLUS-QUE-PARFAIT IMPARFAIT DU

CONDITIONNEL DE L’INDICATIF IMPÉRATIF SUBJONCTIF

arriverais étais arrivé(e) arrive arrivasse

arriverais étais arrivé(e) arrivons arrivasses

arriverait était arrivé(e) arrivez arrivât

arriverions étions arrivé(e)s arrivassions

arriveriez étiez arrivé(e)(s)

PRÉSENT DU

arrivassiez

arriveraient étaient arrivé(e)s SUBJONCTIF arrivassent

arrive

PASSÉ ANTÉRIEUR arrives

fus arrivé(e) arrive

fus arrivé(e) arrivions

fut

arrivé(e) arriviez

fûmes arrivé(e)s

arrivent

fûtes arrivé(e)(s)

furent arrivé(e)s

FUTUR CONDITIONNEL PASSÉ DU PLUS-QUE-PARFAIT

ANTÉRIEUR PASSÉ SUBJONCTIF DU SUBJONCTIF

serai arrivé(e) serais arrivé(e) sois arrivé(e) fusse arrivé(e)

seras arrivé(e) serais arrivé(e) sois arrivé(e) fusses arrivé(e)

sera arrivé(e) serait arrivé(e) soit arrivé(e) fût arrivé(e)

serons arrivé(e)s serions arrivé(e)s soyons arrivé(e)s fussions arrivé(e)s

serez arrivé(e)(s) seriez arrivé(e)(s) soyez arrivé(e)(s) fussiez arrivé(e)(s)

seront arrivé(e)s seraient arrivé(e)s soient arrivé(e)s fussent arrivé(e)s

6 Verbs conjugated with avoir or être to form a compound tense

Verbs conjugated with

avoir

être

to form a compound tense

(a) Generally speaking, a French verb is conjugated with avoir to form a compound

tense.

(b) All reflexive verbs, for example, se laver, are conjugated with être.

The verbs marked with asterisks (*) are conjugated with avoir when used with a

direct object.

1. aller to go

Elle est allée au cinéma.

2. arriver to arrive

Elle est arrivée à une heure.

3. *descendre to go down, come down

Elle est descendue vite. She came down

quickly.

BUT: *Elle a descendu la valise. She

brought down the suitcase.

4. devenir to become

Elle est devenue docteur.

5. entrer to enter, go in, come in

Elle est entrée dans l’école. She entered

the school.

BUT: *Elle a entré la clé dans la serrure.

She put the key in the lock.

6. *monter to go up, come up

Elle est montée vite. She went up

quickly.

BUT: *Elle a monté l’escalier. She went

up the stairs.

7. mourir to die

Elle est morte hier.

8. naître to be born

Elle est née hier.

9. partir to leave

Elle est partie vite.

10. *passer to go by, to pass by

Elle est passée chez moi. She came by

my house.

BUT: *Elle m’a passé le sel. She passed

me the salt.

AND: *Elle a passé un examen. She took

an exam.

11. *rentrer to go in again, to return (home)

Elle est rentrée tôt. She returned home

early.

BUT: *Elle a rentré le chat dans la

maison. She brought (took) the cat

into the house.

12. rester to remain, to stay

Elle est restée chez elle.

13. retourner to return, to go back

Elle est retournée à sa place.

14. revenir to come back

Elle est revenue hier.

15. *sortir to go out

Elle est sortie hier soir. She went out last

night.

BUT: *Elle a sorti son mouchoir. She

took out her handkerchief.

16. tomber to fall

Elle est tombée.

17. venir to come

Elle est venue ce matin.

Principal parts of some important verbs 7

Principal parts of some important verbs

(Les Temps primitifs de quelques verbes importants)

The principal parts of a verb are very important to know because from them you can

easily form all the tenses. See the following pages where two tables are given, one

showing the derivation of tenses of a verb conjugated with avoir and the other with être.

Note that the headings at the top of each column are the same as the following headings.

PARTICIPE PARTICIPE PRÉSENT DE

INFINITIF PRÉSENT PASSÉ L’INDICATIF PASSÉ SIMPLE

aller allant allé je vais j’allai

avoir ayant eu j’ai j’eus

battre battant battu je bats je battis

boire buvant bu je bois je bus

craindre craignant craint je crains je craignis

croire croyant cru je crois je crus

devoir devant dû, due je dois je dus

dire disant dit je dis je dis

écrire écrivant écrit j’écris j’écrivis

être étant été je suis je fus

faire faisant fait je fais je fis

lire lisant lu je lis je lus

mettre mettant mis je mets je mis

mourir mourant mort je meurs je mourus

naître naissant né je nais je naquis

ouvrir ouvrant ouvert j’ouvre j’ouvris

porter portant porté je porte je portai

pouvoir pouvant pu je peux or je pus

je puis

prendre prenant pris je prends je pris

recevoir recevant reçu je reçois je reçus

savoir sachant su je sais je sus

venir venant venu je viens je vins

vivre vivant vécu je vis je vécus

voir voyant vu je vois je vis

voler volant volé je vole je volai

Tip

In the Present indicative (Présent de l’indicatif ) and the simple past (Passé simple)

columns above, only the 1st person singular (je) forms are given just to get you

started. If you cannot recall the remaining verb forms in the Présent de l’indicatif and

the Passé simple of the verbs listed above in the first column under Infinitive (Infinitif ),

please practice them by looking them up in this book, where the infinitive form of the

verb is listed alphabetically at the top of each page from verb 1 to 501. When you find

them, say them aloud at the same time you practice writing them in French. This is a

very useful exercise to do.

8 Sample English verb conjugation

Sample English verb conjugation

INFINITIVE to go—aller

PRESENT PARTICIPLE going PAST PARTICIPLE gone

Tense no. The seven simple tenses

1 Present I go, you go, he (she, it) goes;

indicative we go, you go, they go

or: I do go, you do go, he (she, it) does go;

we do go, you do go, they do go

or: I am going, you are going, he (she, it) is going;

we are going, you are going, they are going

2 Imperfect I was going, you were going, he (she, it) was going;

indicative we were going, you were going, they were going

or: I went, you went, he (she, it) went;

we went, you went, they went

or: I used to go, you used to go, he (she, it) used to go;

we used to go, you used to go, they used to go

3 Passé I went, you went, he (she, it) went;

simple we went, you went, they went

or: I did go, you did go, he (she, it) did go;

we did go, you did go, they did go

4 Future I shall (will) go, you will go, he (she, it) will go;

we shall (will) go, you will go, they will go

5 Conditional I would go, you would go, he (she, it) would go;

we would go, you would go, they would go

6 Present that I may go, that you may go, that he (she, it) may go;

subjunctive that we may go, that you may go, that they may go

7 Imperfect that I might go, that you might go, that he (she, it) might go;

subjunctive that we might go, that you might go, that they might go

Sample English verb conjugation 9

INFINITIVE to go—aller

PRESENT PARTICIPLE going PAST PARTICIPLE gone

Tense no. The seven compound tenses

8 Passé I have gone, you have gone, he (she, it) has gone;

composé we have gone, you have gone, they have gone

or: I went, you went, he (she, it) went;

we went, you went, they went

or: I did go, you did go, he (she, it) did go;

we did go, you did go, they did go

9 Pluperfect I had gone, you had gone, he (she, it) had gone;

or Past perfect we had gone, you had gone, they had gone

indicative

10 Past anterior I had gone, you had gone, he (she, it) had gone;

we had gone, you had gone, they had gone

11 Future perfect or I shall (will) have gone, you will have gone, he (she, it) will

Future anterior have gone;

we shall (will) have gone, you will have gone, they will have gone

12 Conditional I would have gone, you would have gone,

perfect he (she, it) would have gone;

we would have gone, you would have gone,

they would have gone

13 Past subjunctive that I may have gone, that you may have gone,

that he (she, it) may have gone;

that we may have gone, that you may have gone,

that they may have gone

14 Pluperfect or that I might have gone, that you might have gone,

Past perfect that he (she, it) might have gone;

subjunctive that we might have gone, that you might have gone,

that they might have gone

Imperative Go! (sing.)

(Command) Let’s go!

Go! (pl.)

10 The seven simple tenses

A summary of French verb tenses and moods

A verb is where the action is! A verb is a word that expresses an action (like go, eat,

write) or a state of being (like think, believe, be). Tense means time. French and English

verb tenses are divided into three main groups of time: past, present, and future. A

verb tense shows if an action or state of being took place, is taking place, or will take

place.

French and English verbs are also used in three moods (or modes). Mood has to do

with the way a person regards an action or a state. For example, a person may merely

make a statement or ask a question—this is the Indicative Mood, which we use most of

the time in French and English. A person may say that he would do something if some-

thing else were possible or that he would have done something if something else had been

possible—this is the Conditional Tense. A person may use a verb in such a way to indi-

cate a wish, a fear, a regret, a supposition, or something of this sort—this is the Subjunc-

tive Mood. The Subjunctive Mood is used in French much more than in English. A person

may command that something be done—this is the Imperative Mood. (There is also the

Infinitive Mood, but we are not concerned with that here.)

There are six tenses in English: Present, Past, Future, Present Perfect, Past Perfect, and

Future Perfect. The first three are simple tenses. The other three are compound tenses and

are based on the simple tenses. In French, however, there are fourteen tenses, seven of

which are simple and seven of which are compound.

In the pages that follow, the tenses and moods are given in French and the equivalent

name or names in English are given in parenthesis. Each tense name has been numbered

for easy reference and recognition. Although some of the names given in English are not

considered to be tenses (there are only six), they are given for the purpose of identifica-

tion as they are related to the French names. The comparison includes only the essential

points you need to know about the meanings and uses of French verb tenses and moods as

related to English usage.

The examples serve to illustrate their meanings and uses. See page 22 for the forma-

tion of the seven simple tenses for regular verbs.

THE SEVEN SIMPLE TENSES

Tense No. 1 Le Présent de l’indicatif

(Present indicative)

This tense is used most of the time in French and English. It indicates:

(a) An action or a state of being at the present time.

EXAMPLES:

1. Je vais à l’école maintenant. I am going to school now.

2. Je pense; donc, je suis. I think; therefore, I am.

The seven simple tenses 11

(b) Habitual action.

EXAMPLE:

1. Je vais à la bibliothéque tous les jours.

2. I go to the library every day, or I do go to the library every day.

EXAMPLES:

1. Deux et deux font quatre. Two and two are four.

2. Voir c’est croire. Seeing is believing.

(d) Vividness when talking or writing about past events. This is called the historical present.

EXAMPLE:

Marie-Antoinette est condamnée à mort. Elle monte dans la charrette et est en route pour la

guillotine.

Marie-Antoinette is condemned to die. She gets into the cart and is on her way to the guillo-

tine.

(e) A near future.

EXAMPLE:

Il arrive demain. He arrives tomorrow.

(f) An action or state of being that occurred in the past and continues up to the present. In

English, this tense is the Present Perfect, which is formed with the present tense of to have

(have or has) plus the past participle of the verb you are using.

EXAMPLES:

1. Je suis ici depuis dix minutes.

I have been here for ten minutes. (I am still here at present)

2. Elle est malade depuis trois jours.

She has been sick for three days. (She is still sick at present)

3. J’attends l’autobus depuis dix minutes.

I have been waiting for the bus for ten minutes.

NOTE: In this last example the formation of the English verb tense is slightly different from

the other two examples in English. The present participle (waiting) is used instead of the past

participle (waited).

NOTE ALSO: For the formation of this tense for regular verbs see page 22.

Tense No. 2 L’Imparfait de l’indicatif

(Imperfect indicative)

This is a past tense. It is used to indicate:

(a) An action that was going on in the past at the same time as another action.

EXAMPLE:

Il lisait pendant que j’écrivais. He was reading while I was writing.

(b) An action that was going on in the past when another action occurred.

EXAMPLE:

Il lisait quand je suis entré. He was reading when I came in.

12 The seven simple tenses

EXAMPLE:

Nous allions à la plage tous les jours. We used to go to the beach every day.

OR:

We would go to the beach every day.

(d) A description of a mental or physical condition in the past.

EXAMPLES :

(mental condition) Il était triste quand je l’ai vu.

He was sad when I saw him.

(physical condition) Quand ma mère était jeune, elle était belle.

When my mother was young, she was beautiful.

(e) An action or state of being that occurred in the past and lasted for a certain length of time

prior to another past action. In English, it is usually translated as a pluperfect tense and is

formed with had been plus the present participle of the verb you are using. It is like the

special use of the Présent de l’indicatif described in the above section (Tense No. 1) in para-

graph (f), except that the action or state of being no longer exists at present.

EXAMPLE:

J’attendais l’autobus depuis dix minutes quand il est arrivé.

I had been waiting for the bus for ten minutes when it arrived.

NOTE: For the formation of this tense for regular verbs see page 22.

Tense No. 3 Le Passé simple

(Past definite or Simple past)

This past tense is not ordinarily used in conversational French or in informal writing. It is a literary

tense. It is used in formal writing, such as history and literature. You should be able merely to rec-

ognize this tense when you see it in your French readings. It should be noted that French writers use

the Passé simple less and less these days. The Passé composé (Tense No. 8) is taking its place in

literature, except for avoir and être, which you must know in this tense.

EXAMPLES:

(a) Il alla en Afrique. He went to Africa.

(b) Il voyagea en Amérique. He traveled to America.

(d) Elle eut un grand bonheur. She had great happiness.

NOTE: For the formation of this tense for regular verbs see page 22.

Tense No. 4 Le Futur

(Future)

In French and English this tense is used to express an action or a state of being which will take

place at some time in the future.

EXAMPLES:

(a) J’irai en France l’été prochain. (c) Je partirai dès qu’il arrivera.

I shall go to France next summer. I shall leave as soon as he arrives

OR:

(d) Je te dirai tout quand tu seras ici.

I will go to France next summer.

I shall tell you all when you are here.

The seven simple tenses 13

(b) J’y penserai.

I shall think about it.

OR:

I will think about it.

If the action of the verb you are using is not past or present and if future time is implied, the future

tense is used when the clause begins with any of the following conjunctions: aussitôt que (as soon

as), dès que (as soon as), quand (when), lorsque (when), and tant que (as long as).

NOTE: For the formation of this tense for regular verbs see page 22.

Another way to express the future is le Futur proche (the Near Future). As one may guess, the

Futur proche is used when talking about something that will take place in the near future. In

French, the near future is formed by using aller with the infinitive of the verb that you want to use.

In English you use to go with the infinitive of the verb that you want to use.

Demain, je vais acheter un ordinateur.

Tomorrow I am going to buy a computer.

Nous allons manger en ville.

We are going to eat downtown.

Tense No. 5 Le Conditionnel présent

(Conditional)

The Conditional is used in French and English to express:

(a) An action that you would do if something else were possible.

EXAMPLE:

Je ferais le travail si j’avais le temps.

I would do the work if I had the time.

(b) A conditional desire. This is the Conditional of courtesy in French.

EXAMPLES:

J’aimerais du thé. I would like some tea.

Je voudrais du café. I would like some coffee.

EXAMPLE:

Je devrais étudier pour l’examen. I should study for the examination.

OR: I ought to study for the examination.

NOTE (1): The French verb devoir plus the infinitive is used to express the idea of should

when you mean ought to.

NOTE (2): When the Conditional of the verb pouvoir is used in French, it is translated into

English as could or would be able.

EXAMPLE:

Je pourrais venir après le dîner. I could come after dinner.

OR: I would be able to come after dinner.

NOTE: For the formation of this tense for regular verbs see page 22.

14 The seven simple tenses

Tense No. 6 Le Présent du subjonctif

(Present subjunctive)

The Subjunctive Mood is used in French much more than in English. It is disappearing in English,

except for the following major uses:

(a) The Subjunctive is used in French and English to express a command.

EXAMPLE:

Soyez à l’heure! Be on time!

NOTE: In English, the form in the Subjunctive applies mainly to the verb to be. Also, note

that all verbs in French are not in the Subjunctive when expressing a command. See

l’Impératif on pages 20–21.

(b) The Subjunctive is commonly used in English to express a condition contrary to fact.

EXAMPLE:

If I were you, I would not do it.

NOTE: In French the Subjunctive is not used in this instance. Instead, the Imparfait de

l’indicatif is used if what precedes is si (if ). Same example in French: Si j’étais vous, je ne

le ferais pas.

of insistence, preference, or suggestion.

EXAMPLES:

1. Je préfère qu’il fasse le travail maintenant. I prefer that he do the work now.

2. J’exige qu’il soit puni. I demand that he be punished.

(d) The Subjunctive is used in French after a verb that expresses doubt, fear, joy, sorrow, or some

other emotion. Notice in the following examples that the Subjunctive is not used in English

but it is in French.

EXAMPLES:

1. Je doute qu’il vienne.

I doubt that he is coming.

OR: I doubt that he will come.

2. Je suis heureux qu’il vienne.

I’m happy that he is coming.

3. Je regrette qu’il soit malade.

I’m sorry that he is sick.

4. J’ai peur qu’il ne soit malade.

I’m afraid that he is sick.

NOTE: After a verb that expresses fear (used in the affirmative), you should add ne before the

verb that is in the subjunctive. If the statement is negative, do not add ne.

(e) The Present subjunctive is used in French after certain conjunctions. Notice, however, that

the Subjunctive is not always used in English.

EXAMPLES:

1. Je resterai jusqu’à ce qu’il vienne.

I shall stay until he comes.

2. Quoiqu’elle soit belle, il ne l’aime pas.

Although she is beautiful, he does not love her.

3. Je l’explique pour qu’elle comprenne.

I’m explaining it so that she may understand.

4. Je partirai à moins qu’il ne vienne.

I shall leave unless he comes.

NOTE: After a verb that expresses the possibility of an obstacle (or of a precaution), you may

add ne before the verb that is in the subjunctive.

The seven simple tenses 15

(f) The Present subjunctive is used in French after certain impersonal expressions that show a

need, doubt, possibility or impossibility. Notice, however, that the Subjunctive is not always

used in English in the following examples:

1. Il est urgent qu’il vienne.

It is urgent that he come.

2. Il vaut mieux qu’il vienne.

It is better that he come.

3. Il est possible qu’il vienne.

It is possible that he will come.

4. Il est douteux qu’il vienne.

It is doubtful that he will come.

5. Il est nécessaire qu’il vienne.

It is necessary that he come.

OR: He must come.

6. Il faut qu’il vienne.

It is necessary that he come.

OR: He must come.

7. Il est important que vous fassiez le travail.

It is important that you do the work.

8. Il est indispensable qu’elle fasse le travail.

It is required that she do the work.

NOTE: For the formation of this tense for regular verbs see page 23.

See also the note about the Subjunctive which begins on page 26.

Tense No. 7 L’Imparfait du subjonctif

(Imperfect subjunctive)

L’Imparfait du subjonctif is used for the same reasons as the Présent du subjonctif—that is, after

certain verbs, conjunctions, and impersonal expressions which were used in examples above under

the section, le Présent du subjonctif. The main difference between these two is the time of the

action. If present, use the Présent du subjonctif (Tense No. 6). If the action is related to the past,

the Imparfait du subjonctif (this tense) is used, provided that the action was not completed. If the

action was completed, the Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif is used. See below under the section,

Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif (Tense No. 14).

Since the Subjunctive Mood is troublesome in French and English, you may be pleased to know

that this tense is rarely used in English. It is used in French, however, but only in formal writing

and in literature. For that reason, you should merely be familiar with it so you can recognize

it when you see it in your French readings. In conversational French and in informal writing,

l’Imparfait du subjonctif is avoided. Use, instead, the Présent du subjonctif.

Notice that the Imparfait du subjonctif is used in French in both of the following examples,

but is used in English only in the second example (b):

EXAMPLES:

(a) Je voulais qu’il vînt. I wanted him to come.

(action not completed; he did not come while I wanted him to come)

NOTE: The Subjunctive of venir is used because the verb that precedes is one that requires

the Subjunctive after it—in this example it is vouloir. In conversational French and informal

writing, the Imparfait du subjonctif is avoided. Use, instead, the Présent du subjonctif:

Je voulais qu’il vienne.

16 The seven compound tenses

(b) Je le lui expliquais pour qu’elle le comprît.

I was explaining it to her so that she might understand it.

(action not completed; the understanding was not completed at the time of the explaining)

NOTE: The Subjunctive of comprendre is used because the conjunction that precedes is one

that requires the Subjunctive after it—in this example it is pour que. In conversational

French and informal writing, the Imparfait du subjonctif is avoided. Use, instead, the

Présent du subjonctif: Je le lui expliquais pour qu’elle le comprenne.

NOTE: For the formation of this tense for regular verbs see page 23.

See also the note about the Subjunctive which begins on page 26.

THE SEVEN COMPOUND TENSES

Tense No. 8 Le Passé composé

(Past indefinite or Compound past)

The past tense is used in conversational French, correspondence, and other informal writing. The

Passé composé is used more and more in literature these days and is taking the place of the Passé

simple (Tense No. 3). It is a compound tense because it is formed with the Présent de l’indicatif

(Tense No. 1) of avoir or être (depending on which of these two auxiliaries is required to form a

compound tense) plus the past participle. See page 6 for the distinction made between verbs conju-

gated with avoir or être.

EXAMPLES:

1. Il est allé à l’école. He went to school.

2. Il est allé à l’école. He did go to school.

3. Il est allé à l’école. He has gone to school.

4. J’ai mangé dans ce restaurant beaucoup de fois.

I have eaten in this restaurant many times.

NOTE: In examples 3 and 4 in English the verb is formed with the Present tense of to have (have

or has) plus the past participle of the verb you are using. In English, this form is called the

Present Perfect.

5. J’ai parlé au garçon. I spoke to the boy.

OR: I have spoken to the boy.

OR: I did speak to the boy.

Tense No. 9 Le Plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif

(Pluperfect or Past perfect indicative)

In French and English this tense is used to express an action which happened in the past before

another past action. Since it is used in relation to another past action, the other past action is

expressed in either the Passé composé (Tense No. 8) or the Imparfait de l’indicatif (Tense No. 2)

in French. This tense is used in formal writing and literature as well as in conversational French and

informal writing. The correct use of this tense is strictly observed in French. In English, however,

The seven compound tenses 17

too often we neglect to use it correctly. It is a compound tense because it is formed with the Impar-

fait de l’indicatif of avoir or être (depending on which of these two auxiliaries is required to form

a compound tense) plus the past participle. See page 6 for the distinction made between verbs con-

jugated with avoir or être. In English, this tense is formed with the Past Tense of to have (had) plus

the past participle of the verb you are using.

EXAMPLES:

(a) Je me suis rappelé que j’avais oublié de le lui dire.

I remembered that I had forgotten to tell him.

NOTE: It would be incorrect in English to say: I remembered that I forgot to tell him. The

point here is that first I forgot; then, I remembered. Both actions are in the past. The action

that occurred in the past before the other past action is in the Pluperfect. And in this example

it is I had forgotten (j’avais oublié).

(b) J’avais étudié la leçon que le professeur a expliquée.

I had studied the lesson which the teacher explained.

NOTE: First I studied the lesson; then, the teacher explained it. Both actions are in the past.

The action that occurred in the past before the other past action is in the Pluperfect. And

in this example it is I had studied (j’avais étudié). If you say J’ai étudié la leçon que le

professeur avait expliquée, you are saying that you studied the lesson which the teacher

had explained. In other words, the teacher explained the lesson first and then you studied

it.

I was tired this morning because I had not slept.

Tense No. 10 Le Passé antérieur

(Past anterior)

This tense is similar to the Plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif (Tense No. 9). The main difference is

that in French it is a literary tense; that is, it is used in formal writing, such as history and literature.

More and more French writers today use the Plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif instead of this tense.

Generally speaking, the Passé antérieur is to the Plus-que-parfait what the Passé simple is to the

Passé composé. The Passé antérieur is a compound tense. In French, it is formed with the Passé

simple of avoir or être (depending on which of these two auxiliaries is required to form a com-

pound tense—see page 6) plus the past participle. In English, it is formed in the same way as the

Pluperfect or Past Perfect. This tense is ordinarily introduced by conjunctions of time: après que,

aussitôt que, dès que, lorsque, quand.

EXAMPLE:

Quand il eut mangé son dessert, il partit. When he had eaten his dessert, he left.

NOTE: In conversational French and informal writing, the Plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif is

used instead: Quand il avait mangé son dessert, il est parti. The translation into English is

the same.

18 The seven compound tenses

Tense No. 11 Le Futur antérieur

(Future perfect or Future anterior)

In French and English this tense is used to express an action which will happen in the future before

another future action. Since it is used in relation to another future action, the other future action is

expressed in the simple Future in French, but not always in the simple Future in English. In French,

it is used in conversation and informal writing as well as in formal writing and in literature. It is a

compound tense because it is formed with the Futur of avoir or être (depending on which of these

two auxiliaries is required to form a compound tense—see page 6) plus the past participle of the

verb you are using. In English, it is formed by using shall have or will have plus the past participle

of the verb you are using.

EXAMPLES:

(a) Elle arrivera demain et j’aurai fini le travail.

She will arrive tomorrow and I shall have finished the work.

NOTE: First, I shall finish the work; then, she will arrive. The action that will occur in the

future before the other future action is in the Futur antérieur.

(b) Quand elle arrivera demain, j’aurai fini le travail.

When she arrives tomorrow, I shall have finished the work.

NOTE: The idea of future time here is the same as in example (a) above. In English, the

Present tense is used (When she arrives...) to express a near future. In French, the Futur is

used (Quand elle arrivera...) because quand precedes and the action will take place in the

future. Study Tense No. 4 on pages 12–13.

Tense No. 12 Le Conditionnel passé

(Conditional perfect)

This is used in French and English to express an action that you would have done if something else

had been possible; that is, you would have done something on condition that something else had

been possible. It is a compound tense because it is formed with the Conditionnel présent of avoir

or être plus the past participle of the verb you are using. In English, it is formed by using would

have plus the past participle. Observe the difference between the following examples and the one

given for the use of the Conditionnel présent which was explained and illustrated in Tense No. 5

above.

EXAMPLES:

(a) J’aurais fait le travail si j’avais étudié.

I would have done the work if I had studied.

(b) J’aurais fait le travail si j’avais eu le temps.

I would have done the work if I had had the time.

NOTE: Review the Plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif which was explained above in Tense

No. 9 in order to understand the use of if I had studied (si j’avais étudié) and if I had had the

time (si j’avais eu le temps).

The seven compound tenses 19

NOTE FURTHER: The French verb devoir plus the infinitive is used to express the idea of

should when you mean ought to. The past participle of devoir is dû. It is conjugated with

avoir.

EXAMPLE:

J’aurais dû étudier.

I should have studied.

OR: I ought to have studied.

Tense No. 13 Le Passé du subjonctif

(Past or Perfect subjunctive)

This tense is used to express an action which took place in the past in relation to the present time.

It is like the Passé composé, except that the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) is in the Présent du sub-

jonctif. The Subjunctive is used (as was noted in the previous sections of verb tenses in the Sub-

junctive) because what precedes is a certain verb, a certain conjunction, or a certain impersonal

expression. The Passé du subjonctif is also used in relation to a future time when another action

will be completed. This tense is rarely used in English. In French, however, this tense is used in

formal writing and in literature as well as in conversational French and informal writing. It is a

compound tense because it is formed with the Présent du subjonctif of avoir or être as the

auxiliary plus the past participle of the verb you are using.

EXAMPLES:

(a) A past action in relation to the present

Il est possible qu’elle soit partie.

It is possible that she may have left.

OR: It is possible that she has left.

Je doute qu’il ait fait cela.

I doubt that he did that.

(b) An action that will take place in the future

J’insiste que vous soyez rentré avant dix heures.

I insist that you be back before ten o’clock.

See also the note about the Subjunctive which begins on page 26.

Tense No. 14 Le Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif

(Pluperfect or Past perfect subjunctive)

This tense is used for the same reasons as the Imparfait du subjonctif (Tense No. 7)—that is, after

certain verbs, conjunctions, and impersonal expressions which were used in examples previously

under le Présent du subjonctif. The main difference between the Imparfait du subjonctif and this

tense is the time of the action in the past. If the action was not completed, the Imparfait du sub-

jonctif is used. If the action was completed, this tense is used. It is rarely used in English. In

French, it is used only in formal writing and in literature. For that reason, you should merely be

familiar with it so you can recognize it in your readings in French literature. In conversational

French and in informal writing, this tense is avoided. Use, instead, the Passé du subjonctif

(Tense No. 13).

20 L’Impératif

This is a compound tense. It is formed by using the Imparfait du subjonctif of avoir or être

plus the past participle. This tense is like the Plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif, except that the

auxiliary verb (avoir or être) is in the Imparfait du subjonctif. Review the uses of the Subjunctive

Mood in Tense No. 6.

EXAMPLES:

(a) Il était possible qu’elle fût partie.

It was possible that she might have left.

NOTE: Avoid this tense in conversational and informal French. Use, instead, le Passé du

subjonctif:

Il était possible qu’elle soit partie.

(b) Je ne croyais pas qu’elle eût dit cela.

I did not believe that she had said that.

NOTE: Avoid this tense in conversational and informal French. Use, instead, le Passé du

subjonctif:

Je ne croyais pas qu’elle ait dit cela.

I did not believe that she had said that.

NOTE: Avoid this tense in conversational and informal French. Use, instead, le Passé du

subjonctif:

Je n’ai pas cru qu’elle ait dit cela.

(d) J’ai craint que vous ne fussiez tombé.

I was afraid that you had fallen.

NOTE: Avoid this tense in conversational and informal French. Use, instead, le Passé du

subjonctif:

J’ai craint que vous ne soyez tombé.

NOTE: After a verb that expresses fear (used in the affirmative), you should add ne before the

verb that is in the subjunctive. If the statement is negative, do not add ne.

See also the note about the Subjunctive which begins on page 26.

L’Impératif

(Imperative or Command)

The Imperative Mood is used in French and English to express a command or a request. It is also

used to express an indirect request made in the third person, as in (e) and (f) below. In both lan-

guages it is formed by dropping the subject pronoun and using the present tense. Remember that

you must drop the final s in the second person singular of an -er verb (Tu danses—Danse!) There

are a few exceptions in both languages when the Présent du subjonctif is used.

EXAMPLES:

(a) Sortez! Get out!

(b) Entrez! Come in!

Summary of verb tenses and moods 21

(d) Soyez à l’heure! Be on time! (Subjunctive is used.)

(e) Dieu le veuille! May God grant it! or God willing! (Subjunctive is used.)

(f) Qu’ils mangent du gâteau! Let them eat cake! (Subjunctive is used.)

(g) Asseyez-vous! Sit down!

(h) Levez-vous! Get up!

(i) Ne vous asseyez pas! Don’t sit down!

(j) Ne vous levez pas! Don’t get up!

NOTE: The Imperative is not a tense. It is a mood.

NOTE FURTHER: If you use a reflexive verb in the Imperative, drop the subject pronoun but

keep the reflexive pronoun. Example: Lavez-vous! Wash yourself! See also examples (g)

through (j).

Summary of verb tenses and moods in French with English equivalents

Les sept temps simples Les sept temps composés

The seven simple tenses The seven compound tenses

Tense Tense

No. Tense Name No. Tense Name

1 Présent de l’indicatif 8 Passé composé

Present indicative

2 Imparfait de l’indicatif 9 Plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif

Imperfect indicative Pluperfect indicative

3 Passé simple 10 Passé antérieur

Past definite or Simple past Past anterior

4 Futur 11 Futur antérieur

Future Future perfect

5 Conditionnel 12 Conditionnel passé

Conditional Conditional perfect

6 Présent du subjonctif 13 Passé du subjonctif

Present subjunctive Past subjunctive

7 Imparfait du subjonctif 14 Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif

Imperfect subjunctive Pluperfect subjunctive

The imperative is not a tense; it is a mood.

22 Formation of the tenses

Formation of the tenses

In French there are seven simple tenses and seven compound tenses. A simple tense

means that the verb form consists of one word. A compound tense is a verb form that con-

sists of two words (the auxiliary verb and the past participle). The auxiliary verb is also

called a helping verb and in French it is any of the seven simple tenses of avoir or être.

FORMATION OF THE SEVEN SIMPLE TENSES FOR REGULAR VERBS

Tense No. 1 Présent de l’indicatif

(Present indicative)

-er verbs: drop -er and add e, es, e; ons, ez, ent

-ir verbs: drop -ir and add is, is, it; issons, issez, issent

-re verbs: drop -re and add s, s, -; ons, ez, ent

Tense No. 2 Imparfait de l’indicatif

(Imperfect indicative)

For -er, -ir, -re verbs, take the “nous” form in the present indicative of the verb you have

in mind, drop the ending -ons and add: ais, ais, ait; ions, iez, aient

Tense No. 3 Passé simple

(Past definite or Simple past)

For all -er verbs, drop -er and add ai, as, a; âmes, âtes, èrent

For -ir and -re verbs, drop the ending of the Infinitive and add is, is, it; îmes, îtes, irent

Tense No. 4 Futur

(Future)

Add the following endings to the whole infinitive, but for -re verbs drop e in -re before

adding the future endings, which are: ai, as, a; ons, ez, ont. Note that these endings are

based on the Present indicative of avoir.

Tense No. 5 Conditionnel

(Conditional)

Add the following endings to the whole infinitive, but for -re verbs drop e in -re before

adding the conditional endings, which are: ais, ais, ait; ions, iez, aient. Note that these

endings are the same as those for the Imperfect indicative (Tense No. 2).

Formation of the tenses 23

Tense No. 6 Présent du subjonctif

(Present subjunctive)

Drop -ant ending of the present participle of the verb you have in mind and add e, es, e;

ions, iez, ent

Tense No. 7 Imparfait du subjonctif

(Imperfect subjunctive)

There is a shortcut to finding the forms of this difficult tense. Go straight to the 3d

person, singular, Passé simple tense of the verb you have in mind. If the ending is -a,

as in parla (parler), drop -a and add -asse, -asses, -ât; -assions, -assiez, -assent. If the

ending is -it, as in finit (finir) or vendit (vendre), drop -it and add -isse, -isses, -ît;

-issions, -issiez, -issent. If you find the ending -ut, as in many irregular -re verbs

(lire/lut), drop -ut and add -usse, -usses, -ût; -ussions, -ussiez, -ussent. Note the accent

mark (ˆ) on -ât, -ît, and -ût.

NOTE:

(a) For the forms of irregular verbs, e.g., avoir, être, faire, aller, and many others, turn

to the page where the verb you have in mind is given in this book. All verbs are listed

alphabetically at the top of each page.

(b) For the uses of the seven simple tenses, see pages 10–16.

the section below.

FORMATION OF THE SEVEN COMPOUND TENSES

An Easy Way to Form the Seven Compound Tenses in French

avoir or être* in the PLUS the EQUALS the following

following simple tenses + past participle = compound tenses

of the

verb you

have in

mind**

1. Présent de l’indicatif 8. Passé composé

2. Imparfait de l’indicatif 9. Plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif

3. Passé simple 10. Passé antérieur

4. Futur 11. Futur antérieur

5. Conditionnel 12. Conditionnel passé

6. Présent du subjonctif 13. Passé du subjonctif

7. Imparfait du subjonctif 14. Plus-que-parfait du subjonctif

* To know if avoir or être is required, see page 6.

** To know how to form a past participle, see page 3.

24 Formation of the tenses

Each compound tense is based on each simple tense. The fourteen tenses given on page

23 are arranged in a logical order, which is numerical.

Here is how you form each of the seven compound tenses:

Tense No. 8 is based on Tense No. 1 of avoir or être; in other words, you form the Passé

composé by using the auxiliary avoir or être (whichever is appropriate) in the Présent de

l’indicatif plus the past participle of the verb you have in mind. Examples: j’ai parlé; je

suis allé(e).

Tense No. 9 is based on Tense No. 2 of avoir or être; in other words, you form the

Plus-que-parfait de l’indicatif by using the auxiliary avoir or être (whichever is appro-

priate) in the Imparfait de l’indicatif plus the past participle of the verb you have in

mind. Examples: j’avais parlé; j’étais allé(e).

Tense No. 10 is based on Tense No. 3 of avoir or être; in other words, you form the

Passé antérieur by using the auxiliary avoir or être (whichever is appropriate) in the

Passé simple plus the past participle of the verb you have in mind. Examples: j’eus

parlé; je fus allé(e).

Tense No. 11 is based on Tense No. 4 of avoir or être; in other words, you form the

Futur antérieur by using the auxiliary avoir or être (whichever is appropriate) in the

Futur plus the past participle of the verb you have in mind. Examples: j’aurai parlé; je

serai allé(e).

Tense No. 12 is based on Tense No. 5 of avoir or être; in other words, you form the

Conditionnel passé by using the auxiliary avoir or être (whichever is appropriate) in the

Conditionnel plus the past participle of the verb you have in mind. Examples: j’aurais

parlé; je serais allé(e).

Tense No. 13 is based on Tense No. 6 of avoir or être; in other words, you form the

Passé du subjonctif by using the auxiliary avoir or être (whichever is appropriate) in the

Présent du subjonctif plus the past participle of the verb you have in mind. Examples:

que j’aie parlé; que je sois allé(e). This tense is like the Passé composé (tense number

8), except that the auxiliary verb avoir or être is in the present subjunctive.

Tense No. 14 is based on Tense No. 7 of avoir or être; in other words, you form the Plus-

que-parfait du subjonctif by using the auxiliary avoir or être (whichever is appropriate)

in the Imparfait du subjonctif plus the past participle of the verb you have in mind.

Examples: que j’eusse parlé; que je fusse allé(e).

Formation of the tenses 25

If you ever expect to know or even recognize the meaning of any of the seven compound

tenses, or to know how to form them, you certainly have to know avoir and être in the

seven simple tenses. If you do not, you cannot form the seven compound tenses—and

they are the easiest to form. This is one perfect example to illustrate that learning French

verb forms is a cumulative experience because in order to know the seven compound

tenses, you must first know the forms of avoir and être in the seven simple tenses. They

are verbs 62 and 211 in this book.

To know which verbs are conjugated with avoir or être to form the seven compound

tenses, see page 6. To understand the uses of the seven simple tenses, see pages 10–16.

To understand the uses of the seven compound tenses, see pages 16–20. To know the

translation of all fourteen tenses into English, see pages 8–9.

A Note about the Passé surcomposé verb tense

There is another verb tense in French but it is rarely used. It is called le Passé surcom-

posé. It gets its name from the fact that the auxiliary (helping) verb is already stated in

a Passé composé form. In other words, it is “extra” passé composé, just as surchauffé

means overheated or surnatural means supernatural. The Surcomposé contains two

auxiliary verbs and it is used in the subordinate clause when the verb of the main

clause is in a compound tense. Examples: j’ai eu (I have had, or I had); j’ai été (I

have been, or I was). To change the compound form into a Surcomposé, the past par-

ticiple of the verb you have in mind is stated with the double helping verb. Examples:

Mon ami est arrivé quand j’ai eu fini la leçon / My friend arrived when I (have had)

finished the lesson. The verb form in the subordinate clause with a double helping verb

(j’ai eu fini) is what makes the form Surcomposé. In English, some people call it

double or super compound. It has also been used in other compound tenses with avoir

or être as the helping verb. Nowadays, one hardly ever hears this unusual verb form,

but it’s worth being aware of in case you come across it in your readings in French

literature.

26 Summary of sequence of verb tenses/Si clauses-Subjunctive

A summary of sequence of verb tenses—

clauses

WHEN THE VERB IN THE

SI CLAUSE IS: THE VERB IN THE MAIN OR RESULT CLAUSE IS:

(a) present indicative present indicative, or future, or imperative

(b) imperfect indicative conditional

NOTE: By si we mean if. Sometimes si can mean whether, and in that case this summary

of what tenses are used does not apply. When si means whether, there are no restrictions

about the tenses. By the way, the sequence of tenses with a si clause in French is the same

as it is in English with an if clause.

Example:

(a) Si elle arrive, je pars. If she arrives, I’m leaving.

Si elle arrive, je partirai. If she arrives, I will leave.

Si elle arrive, partez! If she arrives, leave!

(b) Si elle arrivait, je partirais. If she arrived, I would leave.

The Subjunctive

The subjunctive is not a tense; it is a mood, or mode. Usually, when we speak in

French or English, we use the indicative mood. We use the subjunctive mood in French

for certain reasons. The following are the principal reasons.

After certain conjunctions

When the following conjunctions introduce a new clause, the verb in that new

clause is normally in the subjunctive mood:

à condition que on condition that; Je vous prêterai l’argent à condition que

vous me le rendiez le plutôt possible.

à moins que unless; Je pars à six heures précises à moins qu’il (n’) y ait un

orage. [Expletive ne is optional]

afin que in order that, so that; Je vous explique clairement afin que vous

compreniez.

attendre que to wait until; Attendez que je finisse mon dîner.

au cas que in case; Au cas qu’il vienne, je pars tout de suite.

autant que Autant que je le sache... As far as I know...

avant que before; Ne me dites rien avant qu’il vienne. [Expletive ne is optional]

bien que although; Bien que Madame Cartier soit malade, elle a toujours bon

appétit.

de crainte que for fear that; La mère a dit à sa petite fille de rester dans la

maison de crainte qu’elle ne se fasse mal dans la rue. [Expletive ne is required]

de façon que so that, in a way that, in such a way that; Barbara étudie de façon

qu’elle puisse réussir.

Subjunctive 27

de manière que so that, in a way that, in such a way that; Joseph travaille dans

la salle de classe de manière qu’il puisse réussir.

de peur que for fear that; Je vous dis de rester dans la maison aujourd’hui de

peur que vous ne glissiez sur la glace. [Expletive ne is required]

de sorte que so that, in a way that, in such a way that; Nettoyez la chambre de

sorte que tout soit propre.

en attendant que until; Nous allons rester ici en attendant qu’elle vienne.

jusqu’à ce que until; Je vais attendre jusqu’à ce que vous finissiez.

malgré que although; Malgré que Madame Cartier soit malade, elle a toujours

bon appétit. (

NOTE: It is preferable to use bien que, as in the example given with

bien que above on this list)

pour autant que as far as, as much as; Pour autant que je me souvienne...

As far as I remember (NOTE: It is preferable to use autant que, as in the example

given with autant que above on this list)

pour que in order that, so that; Expliquez-vous mieux, s’il vous plaît, pour que

je comprenne.

pourvu que provided that; Vous pouvez parler librement pourvu que vous me

laissiez faire de même.

que...ou non whether...or not; Qu’il vienne ou non, cela m’est égal.

quoique although; Quoiqu’il soit vieux, il a l’agilité d’un jeune homme.

sans que...ou que whether...or; either...or; Soit qu’elle comprenne ou

qu’elle ne comprenne pas, cela m’est égal.

soit que...soit que whether...or whether; Soit que vous le fassiez, soit que

vous ne le fassiez pas, cela m’est égal.

tâcher que to try to, to attempt to; Tâchez que le bébé soit bien nourri.

veiller à ce que to see to it that; Veillez à ce que la porte soit fermée à clef

pendant mon absence.

After indefinite expressions

où que wherever; Où que vous alliez, cela ne m’importe pas.

quel que whatever; Je vous aiderai, quelles que soient vos ambitions / I will

help you, whatever your ambitions may be. (NOTE that the appropriate form of

quel is needed in this indefinite expression because you are dealing with a noun

(ambitions) and quel functions as an adjective)

qui que whoever; Qui que vous soyez, je ne veux pas vous écouter / Whoever

you are (Whoever you may be), I don’t want to listen to you.

quoi que whatever, no matter what; Quoi que cet homme dise, je ne le crois pas /

No matter what this man says, I do not believe him.

Si + adj. + que however; Si bavarde qu’elle soit, elle ne dit jamais de bêtises /

However talkative she may be, she never says anything stupid.

After an indefinite antecedent

The reason why the subjunctive is needed after an indefinite antecedent is that the person

or thing desired may possibly not exist; or, if it does exist, you may never find it.

28 Summary of sequence of verb tenses/Si clauses-Subjunctive

(a) Je cherche une personne qui soit honnête / I am looking for a person who is

honest.

(b) Je cherche un appartement qui ne soit pas trop cher / I am looking for an

apartment that is not too expensive.

pour toutes? / Do you know someone who can repair my TV set once and

for all?

(d) Y a-t-il un élève qui comprenne le subjonctif? / Is there a student who under-

stands the subjunctive?

BUT IF THE PERSON OR THING YOU ARE LOOKING FOR DOES

EXIST, USE THE INDICATIVE MOOD:

(a) J’ai trouvé une personne qui est honnête.

(b) J’ai un appartement qui n’est pas trop cher.

After a superlative expressing an opinion

Those superlatives expressing an opinion are commonly: le seul, la seule (the only), le

premier, la première (the first), le dernier, la dernière (the last), le plus petit, la

plus petite (the smallest), le plus grand, la plus grande, etc.

(a) A mon avis, Marie est la seule étudiante qui comprenne le subjonctif

parfaitement.

(b) A mon opinion, Henriette est la plus jolie élève que j’aie jamais vue.

After Que, meaning let or may to express a wish, an order, a command in the 3d person

singular or plural

(a) Qu’il parte! / Let him leave!

(b) Que Dieu nous pardonne! / May God forgive us! (NOTE that the form

pardonne is the same in the 3d pers. subjunctive as in the indicative)

(NOTE that what is understood in front of Que here is (Je veux) que...)

After certain impersonal expressions

c’est dommage que it’s a pity that; it’s too bad that; C’est dommage qu’elle soit

morte.

il est à souhaiter que it is to be desired that; Il est à souhaiter qu’elle soit guérie.

il est bizarre que it is odd that; Il est bizarre qu’il soit parti sans rien dire.

il est bon que it is good that; Il est bon que vous restiez au lit.

il est convenable que it is fitting (proper) that; Il est convenable qu’il vienne me

voir.

il est douteux que it is doubtful that; Il est douteux qu’il soit présent au concert

ce soir.

il est essentiel que it is essential that; Il est essentiel que vous veniez me voir le

plus tôt possible.

Subjunctive 29

il est étonnant que it is astonishing that; Il est étonnant qu’elle soit sortie sans

rien dire.

il est étrange que it is strange that; Il est étrange qu’il n’ait pas répondu à ta

lettre.

il est faux que it is false (it is not true) that; Il est faux que vous ayez vu ma

soeur dans ce cabaret.

il est heureux que it is fortunate that; Il est très heureux que Madame Piquet

soit guérie.

il est honteux que it is shameful (a shame) that; Il est honteux que vous

trichiez.

il est important que it is important that; Il est important que vous arriviez à

l’heure.

il est impossible que it is impossible that; Il est impossible que je sois chez vous

avant trois heures.

il est juste que it is right that; Il est juste que le criminel soit puni pour son

crime.

il est naturel que it is natural that; Il est naturel qu’on ait peur dans un moment

dangereux.

il est nécessaire que it is necessary that; Il est nécessaire que tu finisses la leçon

de français avant d’aller au cinéma.

il est possible que it is possible that; Il est possible que Madame Paquet soit

déjà partie.

il est rare que it is rare that; Il est rare qu’elle sorte.

il est regrettable que it is regrettable that; Il est regrettable que cet homme riche

ait perdu tout au jeu.

il est surprenant que it is surprising that; Il est surprenant que tu n’aies pas fait

ton devoir aujourd’hui.

il est temps que it is time that; Il est temps que tu fasses tes devoirs tous les

jours.

il est urgent que it is urgent that; Il est urgent que le docteur vienne

immédiatement.

il faut que it is necessary that; Il faut que tu sois ici à neuf heures précises.

il importe que it is important that; Il importe que tu me dises toute la vérité.

il se peut que it may be that; Il se peut qu’elle soit sortie.

il semble que it seems that, it appears that; Il semble que Madame Gervaise soit

déjà partie.

il suffit que it is enough that, it suffices that; Il suffit qu’il soit informé tout

simplement.

il vaut mieux que it is better that; Il vaut mieux que vous soyez présent quand

le docteur est ici.

After the following impersonal expressions (in English, the subject is It) used in

the negative or interrogative because they suggest some kind of doubt, uncertainty,

hesitation...

Il ne me semble pas que... Il ne paraît pas que...

Me semble-t-il que...? Paraît-il que...?

Il n’est pas clair que... Il n’est pas vrai que...

Est-il clair

que...? Est-il vrai que...?

30 Summary of sequence of verb tenses/Si clauses-Subjunctive

Il n’est pas évident que... Il n’est pas sûr que...

Est-il évident que...? Est-il sûr que...?

Il n’est pas certain que... Il n’est pas probable que...

Est-il certain que...? Est-il probable que...?

After certain verbs expressing doubt, emotion, wishing

aimer que... être heureux que...

to like that... to be happy that...

aimer mieux que... être joyeux que...

to prefer that... to be joyful that...

s’attendre à ce que... être malheureux que...

to expect that... to be unhappy that...

avoir peur que... être ravi que...

to be afraid that... to be delighted that...

[expletive ne is required] être surpris que...

craindre que... to be surprised that...

to fear that... être triste que...

[expletive ne is required] to be sad that...

défendre que... exiger que...

to forbid that... to demand that...

désirer que... se fâcher que...

to desire that... to be angry that...

douter que... ordonner que...

to doubt that... to order that...

empêcher que... préférer que...

to prevent that... to prefer that...

s’étonner que... regretter que...

to be astonished that... to regret that...

s’étonner de ce que... souhaiter que...

to be astonished at the fact that... to wish that...

être bien aise que... tenir à ce que...

to be pleased that... to insist upon...

être content que... trembler que...

to be glad that... to tremble that...

être désolé que... [expletive ne is required]

to be distressed that... vouloir que...

être étonné que... to want that...

to be astonished that...

SOME EXAMPLES:

J’aimerais que vous restiez ici / I would like you to stay here.

J’aime mieux que vous restiez ici / I prefer that you stay here.

Je m’attends à ce qu’elle vienne immédiatement / I expect her to come

immediately.

Subjunctive 31

J’ai peur qu’il ne soit malade / I am afraid that he may be sick. [expletive ne

is required]

Je crains qu’elle ne soit gravement malade / I fear that she may be seriously

ill. [expletive ne is required]

Je m’étonne qu’elle ne soit pas venue me voir / I am astonished that she has

not come to see me.

Je m’étonne de ce qu’il ne soit pas parti / I am astonished (at the fact that) he

has not left.

Ta mère est contente que tu sois heureux / Your mother is glad that you are

happy.

Madame Poulet est désolée que son mari ait perdu toute sa fortune / Mrs.

Poulet is distressed that her husband has lost his entire fortune.

After verbs of believing and thinking, such as croire, penser, trouver (meaning to think,

to have an impression), and espérer when used in the negative OR interrogative but not

when both interrogative AND negative...

EXAMPLES:

Je ne pense pas qu’il soit coupable / I don’t think that he is guilty. Croyez-vous

qu’il dise la vérité? / Do you believe he is telling the truth?

BUT: Ne croyez-vous pas qu’il dit la vérité? / Don’t you think that he is telling the

truth?

Trouvez-vous qu’il y ait beaucoup de crimes dans la société d’aujourd’hui?

Do you find (think) that there are many crimes in today’s society?

BUT: Ne trouvez-vous pas que ce livre est intéressant? / Don’t you think (or:

Don’t you find) that this book is interesting?

Note: The subjunctive forms in Tense No. 6 (présent du subjonctif), Tense No. 7

(imparfait du subjonctif), Tense No. 13 (passé du subjonctif), and Tense No. 14

(plus-que-parfait du subjonctif) of any verb are normally preceded by que (that);

for example, que je sois / that I may be, que tu ailles / that you may go.

32 Orthographically changing verbs

Orthographically changing verbs—

verb forms that change in spelling

Verbs that end in -cer in the infinitive form change c to ç when in front of the vowels a, o or

u in order to keep the s sound in the infinitive form and retain its identity. That little mark

under the c (ç) is called une cédille.Actually it is the lower part of the letter s which is used

in order to tell the reader that the ç should be pronounced as an s. Without that mark, the

letter c in front of the vowels a, o and u must be pronounced as a k sound. Since the c in the

ending -cer is pronounced like an s, the same sound must be retained in all its forms.

(1) Some common verbs that end in -cer in the infinitive form are:

annoncer / to announce lancer / to launch, to hurl

avancer / to advance menacer / to threaten

commencer / to begin, to start placer / to place, to set

divorcer / to divorce prononcer / to pronounce

effacer / to erase, to efface remplacer / to replace

(2) Examples of when this change occurs:

Present indicative: nous annonçons, nous avançons, nous commençons,

nous divorçons, nous effaçons, nous lançons, nous menaçons, nous

prononçons, nous remplaçons.

Imperfect indicative: j’annonçais, tu annonçais, il (elle, on) annonçait; ils

(elles) annonçaient [You do the same for the other -cer type verbs given above in

(1).]

Passé simple: j’annonçai, tu annonças, il (elle, on) annonça; nous

annonçâmes, vous annonçâtes [You do the same for the other -cer type verbs

given above in (1).]

Imperfect subjunctive: que j’annonçasse, que tu annonçasses, qu’il

(qu’elle, qu’on) annoncât; que nous annonçassions, que vous annonçassiez,

qu’ils (qu’elles) annonçassent [Now you do the same for the other -cer type

verbs given above in (1).]

(3) Verbs that end in -ger in the infinitive form change g to ge in front of the vowels

a, o or u in order to keep the soft sound of g in the infinitive form and retain its

identity; otherwise, g in front of a, o or u is normally pronounced hard, as in go.

(4) Some common verbs that end in -ger in the infinitive form are:

arranger / to arrange obliger / to oblige

changer / to change partager / to divide, to share

corriger / to correct plonger / to dive, to plunge

déranger / to disturb ranger / to arrange by row, put

manger / to eat in order

nager / to swim songer / to think, to dream

neiger / to snow voyager / to travel

(5) Examples of when this change occurs:

Present indicative: nous arrangeons, nous changeons, nous corrigeons,

nous dérangeons [Now you do the same for the other -ger type verbs given

above in (4).]

Orthographically changing verbs 33

Imperfect indicative: j’arrangeais, tu arrangeais, il (elle, on) arrangeait; ils

(elles) arrangeaient [Now you do the same for the other -ger type verbs given

above in (4).]

Passé simple: j’arrangeai, tu arrangeas, il (elle, on) arrangea; nous

arrangeâmes, vous arrangeâtes [Now you do the same for the other -ger type

verbs given above in (4).]

Imperfect subjunctive: que j’arrangeasse, que tu arrangeasses, qu’il

(qu’elle, qu’on) arrangeât; que nous arrangeassions, que vous arrangeassiez,

qu’ils (qu’elles) arrangeassent [Just for the fun of it, do the same for the other

-ger type verbs given above.]

(6) Verbs that end in -oyer or -uyer in the infinitive form must change y to i in front

of mute e.

(7) Common verbs that end in -oyer or -uyer in the infinitive form are:

-OYER -UYER

choyer / to fondle, to coddle ennuyer / to bore, to annoy

employer / to employ, to use essuyer / to wipe

envoyer / to send

nettoyer / to clean

(8) Verbs that end in -AYER in the infinitive form may change y to i or may keep y

in front of mute e.

Two common verbs that end in -ayer in the infinitive form are: essayer / to try,

to try on; and payer / to pay, to pay for.

(9) Examples of when this change occurs:

Present indicative: j’emploie, tu emploies, il (elle, on) emploie; ils (elles)

emploient.

Future: j’emploierai, tu emploieras, il (elle, on) emploiera; nous

emploier

ons, vous emploierez, ils (elles) emploieront.

Conditional: j’emploierais, tu emploierais, il (elle, on) emploierait; nous

emploierions, vous emploieriez, ils (elles) emploieraient.

Present subjunctive: que j’emploie, que tu emploies, qu’il (qu’elle, qu’on)

emploie; qu’ils (qu’elles) emploient.

(10) Verbs that contain a mute e in the syllable before the infinitive ending -er:

acheter / to buy lever / to raise, to lift

achever / to complete se lever / to get up

amener / to bring, to lead mener / to lead

élever / to raise peser / to weigh

emmener / to lead away, to take promener / to walk (a person or

away an animal)

enlever / to remove, to take off se promener / to take a walk (for

geler / to freeze yourself)

(11) These verbs, given above in (10), change mute e to è when, in a verb form, the

syllable after it contains another mute e.

34 Orthographically changing verbs

(12) This change occurs because that mute e in the stem of the infinitive now becomes

pronounced clearly in some verb forms. Examples:

Present indicative: j’achète, tu achètes, il (elle, on) achète; ils (elles)

achètent.

Future: j’achèterai, tu achèteras, il (elle, on) achètera; nous achèterons,

vous achèterez, ils (elles) achèteront.

Conditional: j’achèterais, tu achèterais, il (elle, on) achèterait; nous

achèterions, vous achèteriez, ils (elles) achèteraient.

Present subjunctive: que j’achète, que tu achètes, qu’il (qu’elle, qu’on)

achète; qu’ils (qu’elles) achètent.

(13) Instead of changing like the verbs above in (10)–(12) the following verbs double

the consonant in the syllable that contains the mute e in the stem:

appeler / to call jeter / to throw

rappeler / to recall rejeter / to throw again, to throw back

se rappeler / to remember

Examples of when this spelling change occurs:

Present indicative: je m’appelle, tu t’appelles, il (elle, on) s’appelle; ils

(elles) s’appellent.

Future: je m’appellerai, tu t’appelleras, il (elle, on) s’appellera; nous nous

appellerons, vous vous appellerez, ils (elles) s’appelleront.

Conditional: je m’appellerais, tu t’appellerais, il (elle, on) s’appellerait;

nous nous appellerions, vous vous appelleriez, ils (elles) s’appelleraient.

Present subjunctive: que je m’appelle, que tu t’appelles, qu’il (qu’elle,

qu’on) s’appelle; qu’ils (qu’elles) s’appellent.

(14) Verbs that contain é in the syllable before the infinitive ending -er:

céder / to cede, to yield, to give up posséder / to possess, to own

célébrer / to celebrate préférer / to prefer

concéder / to concede, to give up protéger / to protect

considérer / to consider répéter / to repeat

espérer / to hope suggérer / to suggest

(15) These verbs, given above in (14), change é to è when, in a verb form, the syllable

after it contains mute e.

Examples of when this spelling change occurs:

Present indicative: je préfère, tu préfères, il (elle, on) préfère: ils (elles)

préfèrent.

Present subjunctive: que je préfère, que tu préfères, qu’il (qu’elle, qu’on)

préfère; qu’ils (qu’elles) préfèrent.

Definitions of basic grammatical terms with examples 35

Definitions of basic grammatical terms

with examples

active voice When we speak or write in the active voice, the subject of the verb

performs the action. The action falls on the direct object.

Everyone loves Janine / Tout le monde aime Janine.

The subject is everyone. The verb is loves. The direct object is Janine. See also passive

voice in this list. Compare the above sentence with the example in the passive voice.

adjective An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun. In grammar, to

modify a word means to describe, limit, expand, or make the meaning particular.

a beautiful garden / un beau jardin; she is pretty / elle est jolie.

The adjective beautiful/beau modifies the noun garden/jardin. The adjective

pretty/jolie modifies the pronoun she/elle. In French there are different kinds of

adjectives. See also comparative adjective, demonstrative adjective, descriptive

adjective, interrogative adjective, limiting adjective, possessive adjective, superlative

adjective.

adverb An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. An

adverb says something about how, when, where, to what extent, or in what way.

Jane runs swiftly / Jeanne court rapidement.

The adverb swiftly/rapidement modifies the verb runs/court. The adverb shows how

she runs.

Jack is a very good friend / Jacques est un très bon ami.

The adverb very/très modifies the adjective good/bon. The adverb shows how good a

friend he is.

The boy is eating too fast now / Le garçon mange trop vite maintenant.

The adverb too/trop modifies the adverb fast/vite. The adverb shows to what extent he

is eating fast. The adverb now/maintenant tells us when.

The post office is there / Le bureau de poste est là.

The adverb there/là modifies the verb is/est. It tells us where the post office is.

Mary writes carefully / Marie écrit soigneusement.

The adverb carefully/soigneusement modifies the verb writes/écrit. It tells us in what

way she writes.

affirmative statement, negative statement A statement in the affirmative is expressed

positively. To negate an affirmative statement is to make it negative.

Affirmative: I like chocolate ice cream / J’aime la glace au chocolat.

Negative: I do not like chocolate ice cream / Je n’aime pas la glace au chocolat.

agreement of adjective with noun Agreement is made on the adjective with the noun it

modifies in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).

a white house / une maison blanche.

The adjective blanche is feminine singular because the noun une maison is feminine

singular.

two white houses / deux maisons blanches.

The adjective blanches is feminine plural because the noun maisons is feminine plural.

agreement of past participle of a reflexive verb with its reflexive pronoun

Agreement is made on the past participle of a reflexive verb with its reflexive pronoun

36 Definitions of basic grammatical terms with examples

in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) if that pronoun is the

direct object of the verb. The agreement is determined by looking at the subject to see

its gender and number, which is the same as its reflexive pronoun. If the reflexive

pronoun is the indirect object, an agreement is not made. See se laver and se lever.

She washed herself / Elle s’est lavée.

There is a feminine agreement on the past participle lavée (added e) with the reflexive

pronoun se (here, s’) because it serves as a direct object pronoun. What or whom did

she wash? Herself, which is expressed in se (s’).

But:

She washed her hair / Elle s’est lavé les cheveux.

There is no feminine agreement on the past participle lavé here because the reflexive

pronoun (se, here, s’) serves as an indirect object. The direct object is les cheveux and

it is stated after the verb. What did she wash? She washed her hair on herself (s’). See

also reflexive pronoun and reflexive verb.

agreement of past participle with its direct object Agreement is made on the past

participle with its direct object in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular

or plural) when the verb is conjugated with avoir in the compound tenses. Agreement

is made when the direct object, if there is one, precedes the verb.

Where are the little cakes? Paul ate them / Où sont les petits gâteaux?

Paul les a mangés.

The verb a mangés is in the passé composé; manger is conjugated with avoir. There is

a plural agreement on the past participle mangés (added s) because the preceding direct

object them/les is masculine plural, referring to les petits gâteaux, which is masculine

plural.

Who wrote the letters? Robert wrote them / Qui a écrit les lettres?

Robert les a écrites.

The verb a écrites is in the passé composé; écrire is conjugated with avoir. There is a

feminine plural agreement on the past participle écrites (added e and s) because the

preceding-direct object them/les is feminine plural, referring to les lettres, which is

feminine plural. A past participle functions as an adjective.

An agreement in gender and number is not made with an indirect object. See indirect

object noun, indirect object pronoun. Review the regular formation of past participles and

irregular past participles on page 3. See also direct object noun, direct object pronoun.

agreement of past participle with the subject Agreement is made on the past partici-

ple with the subject in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural)

when the verb is conjugated with être in the compound tenses.

She went to Paris / Elle est allée à Paris.

The verb est allée is in the passé composé; aller is conjugated with être. There is a

feminine agreement on the past participle allée (added e) because the subject elle is

feminine singular.

The boys have arrived / Les garçons sont arrivés.

The verb sont arrivés is in the passé composé; arriver is conjugated with être. There

is a plural agreement on the past participle arrivés (added s) because the subject les

garçons is masculine plural.

Review page 6 to find out about verbs conjugated with either avoir or être to form

the seven compound tenses. See aller and arriver. See also past participle and subject.

Definitions of basic grammatical terms with examples 37

agreement of verb with its subject A verb agrees in person (1st, 2d, or 3d) and in

number (singular or plural) with its subject.

Does he always tell the truth? / Dit-il toujours la vérité?

The verb dit (of dire) is 3d person singular because the subject il/he is 3d person singular.

Where are they going? / Où vont-ils?

The verb vont (of aller) is 3d person plural because the subject ils/they is 3d person

plural. For subject pronouns in the singular and plural, review page 103.

antecedent An antecedent is a word to which a relative pronoun refers. It comes before

the pronoun.

The girl who is laughing over there is my sister /

La jeune fille qui rit là-bas est ma soeur.

The antecedent is girl/la jeune fille. The relative pronoun who/qui refers to the girl.

The car that I bought is expensive / La voiture que j’ai achetée est chère.

The antecedent is car/la voiture. The relative pronoun that/que refers to the car. Note

also that the past participle achetée is fem. sing. because it refers to la voiture (fem.

sing.), which precedes the verb. Review acheter and rire. See also relative pronoun.

auxiliary verb An auxiliary verb is a helping verb. In English grammar it is to have. In

French grammar it is avoir (to have) or être (to be). An auxiliary verb is used to help

form the seven compound tenses.

I have eaten /J’ai mangé; she has left / elle est partie.

Review page 6 to find out about verbs conjugated with avoir or être as helping verbs.

Also, review manger and partir.

cardinal number A cardinal number is a number that expresses an amount, such as

one, two, three, and so on. See also ordinal number

causative faire In English grammar a causative verb causes something to be done. In

French grammar the idea is the same. The subject of the verb causes the action

expressed in the verb to be carried out by someone else.

Mrs. Roth makes her students work in French class /

Madame Roth fait travailler ses élèves dans la classe de français.

Mr. Smith is having a house built / Monsieur Smith fait construire une maison.

Review construire, faire, and travailler.

clause A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. A predicate

may contain more than one word. A conjugated verb form is revealed in the predicate.

Mrs. Coty lives in a small apartment /

Madame Coty demeure dans un petit appartement.

The subject is Mrs. Coty/Madame Coty. The predicate is lives in a small

apartment/demeure dans un petit appartement. The verb is lives/demeure. See also

dependent clause, independent clause.

comparative adjective When making a comparison between two persons or things, an

adjective is used to express the degree of comparison in the following ways.

Same degree of comparison:

Raymond is as tall as his father / Raymond est aussi grand que son père.

Lesser degree of comparison:

Monique is less intelligent than her sister / Monique est moins intelligente que sa soeur.

38 Definitions of basic grammatical terms with examples

Higher degree of comparison:

This apple is more delicious than that apple /

Cette pomme-ci est plus délicieuse que cette pomme-là.