What is the indicatif présent and how is it formed?

The indicatif présent is used to talk about the present. It can be formed in a number of ways, depending on the ending of the verb's infinitive (the English to form). The majority of verbs belong to one of three regular conjugation patterns. The most frequent verbs, however, are typically irregular.

Most regular verbs in French have an infinitive in -er (but some verbs in -er are irregular). A verb such as parler (to speak) is conjugated in the indicatif présent by removing the final -er, which leaves the stem or root (parl-). Then, appropriate endings are added.

Regular -re verbs are conjugated in a similar way. The root is obtained by removing the -re from the infinitive and adding the correct endings. There is no ending for the third person singular (il / elle). Unfortunately, there is no formal way of telling which -re verbs are regular and which are not. For instance, descendre (to go down) is regular, but prendre (to take) is not.

There is a third group of verbs in French which follows a consistent pattern; they are known as the -ir verbs. The root is formed by removing the -ir from the infinitive. Then, the appropriate endings are added. Here, too, there is no formal way of telling which -ir verbs are regular and which are not. For instance, finir(to finish) is regular, but sortir (to go out) is not.

When the stem of an -er verb ends in a g,an additional e must be added before the -ons ending in order to preserve the soft g sound. When the stem of a verb ends in a c, the c must be changed to a ç before that same -ons ending is added. The accent mark (known as a cedilla) changes what would otherwise be a hard c [k] into a soft c [s].

manger(to eat): nous mangeons
commencer (to begin): nous commençons

Irregular verbs

The two most important irregular verbs are those that mean to be (être) and to have (avoir).

In French, some expressions that require to be in English must use avoir in French. For example, the French do not say I am 21 years old" Instead they say, "I have 21 years". The same is true for I am hungry, translated as "I have hunger". Here is a list of some of the most common expressions that work this way:

• avoir x ans = to be x years old
  Vous n'avez pas encore trente ans, n'est-ce pas ? = You aren't thirty yet, are you?
• avoir faim = to be hungry
  J'ai faim ce matin, je n'ai pas mangé depuis hier = I am hungry this morning, I haven't eaten since yesterday.
• avoir soif = to be thirsty
  Nous avons soif; allons au café ! = We are thirsty; let's go to the pub !
• avoir peur = to be afraid
  Tu as vraiment peur de l'eau ? = Are you really afraid of water ?
• avoir honte = to be ashamed
  Elle a honte d'être vue toute nue = She is ashamed to be seen naked
• avoir froid = to be cold
  Son père a froid sans son manteau d'hiver = Her father is cold without his winter coat.
• avoir chaud = to be hot
  J'ai chaud ici ; est-ce qu'on peut ouvrir la porte ? = I am hot in here; can we open the door?
• avoir de la chance = to be lucky
  Nous avons de la chance, il n'est pas encore parti = We are lucky, he hasn't left yet.
  Note : être chanceux exists as well, but is more commonly used in Canada than in France.

Other very common irregular verbs include:

faire (to do, to make)	pouvoir (can)	prendre (to take)
je fais tu fais il, elle, on fait nous faisons vous faites ils, elles font	je peux tu peux il, elle, on peut nous pouvons vous pouvez ils, elles peuvent	je prends tu prends il, elle, on prend nous prenons vous prenez ils, elles prennent
Conjugated alike		Conjugated alike
refaire (to redo, to remake)		apprendre (to learn) comprendre (to understand) reprendre (to resume) surprendre (to surprise)

savoir (to know)	venir (to come)	vouloir (to want)
je sais tu sais il, elle, on sait nous savons vous savez ils, elles savent	je viens tu viens il, elle, on vient nous venons vous venez ils, elles viennent	je veux tu veux il, elle, on veut nous voulons vous voulez ils, elles veulent
	Conjugated alike
	revenir (to come back) se souvenir (to remember) prévenir (to warn) tenir (to hold) obtenir (to obtain) retenir (to retain)

The list will be expanded in subsequent chapters.

How is the indicatif présent used in French?

French does not normally use different forms to distinguish between events that "happen" and events that "are happening". English, on the other hand, has a present tense which can be either simple (John washes the car) or progressive (John is washing the car). In French, one single verb form is used for both. For instance:

Nous allons à l'école tous les jours = We go to school every day.
Nous allons à l'école cet après-midi = We are going to school this afternoon.

This is not to say that French does not have a progressive construction; however, it is used much more sparingly. As a general rule, the same verb form, called the indicatif présent, may convey different things depending on context.

What is the imparfait and how is it formed?

The imparfait is a single verb form used to refer to the past. It is formed by dropping the -ons ending from the first person plural (nous) of the indicatif présent and adding the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

All verbs (whether regular or irregular in the present) are regular in the imparfait, except the verb être, which has an irregular stem:

Other examples:

nous buvons nous prenons nous faisons nous avons nous savons

je buvais, etc... je prenais, etc... je faisais, etc... j'avais, etc... je savais, etc...

What are the equivalent forms in English?

The imparfait corresponds to a variety of forms in English, including the simple past, the past progressive (as in I was talking, we were sleeping, etc.), would + infinitive, and used to + infinitive.

How is the imparfait used in French?

• Sometimes called the descriptive tense, the imparfait describes both physical conditions of persons, objects, etc... and mental conditions or attitudes, as they were in the past.

  - Vous souvenez-vous de votre premier petit ami?
  - Oui, il avait les cheveux blonds, il avait les yeux bleus, il était grand et beau. Il aimait le sport. Il jouait aussi de la guitare, etc.

• It describes a background, or sets the scene for an event or a story. It answers the question: "What was going on, what was happening in the background when the event(s) took place?". The event is in the passé composé, while the description is in the imparfait.

  Hier soir, quand je suis parti(e) de chez moi pour aller voir mon amie Laura, il faisait froid, il pleuvait, le vent soufflait, les feuilles tombaient des arbres. Il n'y avait personne dans la rue.

• It expresses an event which had been in progress for an unspecified length of time and was not completed when another event (expressed in the passé composé) took place. Here, the imparfait translates the English past progressive.

  Je regardais la télévision quand tu as téléphoné.

• It expresses customary, habitual events, or events that took place repeatedly over an indefinite period of time in the past. This is expressed in English by the form used to or would or a simple past tense.

  Quand j'étais petite, tous les étés, j'allais en vacances chez mes grands-parents à la campagne. Je faisais du vélo, j'aidais ma grand-mère à faire la cuisine, je jouais avec mes cousines, etc.

What is the passé composé and how is it formed?

The passé composé is a compound verb form used to refer to the past. It consists of two words: a helping verb in the present tense (called l'auxiliaire) + the past participle of the verb to be conjugated (called le participe passé).

L'auxiliaire

Most verbs are conjugated with the auxiliary avoir:

Ils ont regardé la télévision. Ils n'ont pas écouté la radio.

Verbs conjugated with the auxiliary être include the following:

aller arriver descendre* devenir entrer*

monter* mourir naitre partir passer*

rester retourner* sortir* tomber venir

Among these verbs (which can often take the prefix re-), those marked with an asterisk are sometimes followed by a direct object. They then have a different meaning and take avoir as their auxiliary:

Je suis passé devant le musée. (I passed in front of the museum.)
J'ai passé mes vacances en Espagne. (I spent my holidays in Spain.)

Pierre est sorti avec ses amis. (Peter went out with his friends.)
Pierre a sorti sa voiture du garage. (Peter took the car out of the garage.)

Pronominal verbs are always conjugated with être.

Ce matin André s'est réveillé tard.
Je me suis couché à minuit.
Tu t'es dépêché ?

Le participe passé

Regular -er verbs have a past participle in -é, those in -ir have a past participle in -i, those in -re have a past participle in -u.

parlé, travaillé, étudié, écouté, aimé
fini, choisi, réfléchi, agi, rougi
répondu, vendu, entendu, rendu, attendu

The most common irregular past participles are:

Subject to certain conditions being met, French past participles agree in gender and in number - either with the subject or with a preceding direct object. In the example below, partie agrees with the subject Monique, whereas promise agrees with the preceding direct object la lettre.

Monique est partie en Europe. Nous attendons toujours la lettre qu'elle nous a promise.

What are the equivalent forms in English?

The passé composé is sometimes equivalent to the English present perfect: j'ai étudié = I have studied. However, the passé composé usually corresponds to the English simple past or the did form: j'ai étudié = I studied, I did study.

How is the passé composé used in French?

• The passé composé is used to refer to a single completed event in the past.

  Vendredi dernier, je suis allé(e) au cinéma.
  Hier, j'ai mangé au restaurant.
  Dimanche après-midi, nous avons fait une promenade.

• When several single completed events in the past are listed in chronological order, all of them are in the passé composé.

  Ce matin, je me suis levé(e) à sept heures, je me suis lavé(e), je me suis habillé(e), j'ai pris mon petit déjeuner, et je suis parti(e).

• The passé composé is also the tense used for an event that interrupted another event in progress. The interrupted event is in the imparfait.

  Je dormais quand le téléphone a sonné.
  Elle lisait quand elle a entendu un grand bruit.

• Finally, to indicate that an event lasted for a specified amount of time, or happened on a specified number of occasions (as opposed to an ongoing or a repetitive event with no such detail added), the passé composé must be used.

  J'ai habité à Paris pendant quinze ans.
  Elle a visité Paris au moins deux fois.

• The passé composé is used for a single or a series of single completed events in the past. The imparfait is used to describe an ongoing or an habitual action, or a mental or physical state, in the past. It often sets the scene for a narrative to follow.

  Dimanche dernier, ils sont allés au cinéma.
  Ce matin, elle s'est réveillée tôt, elle s'est préparée rapidement, elle a pris son petit déjeuner, elle a lu le journal, elle a étudié un peu pour son cours de français et elle est partie à l'université.

  Autrefois, les gens voyageaient moins parce qu'il n'y avait pas autant de moyens de transports.
  Quand j'étais petite, je lisais beaucoup.

• When one event interrupts another one, which had been going on for some time, the interrupted event is in the imparfait, whereas the interrupting event is in the passé composé.

  Muriel prenait une douche quand un étranger est entré dans la salle de bains.

• The passé composé is used for repetitive action, where the number of occurrences is specified. The imparfait is used for repetitive action, where the number of occurrences is unspecified. Such repetitive action is often of an habitual nature.

  Hier, il est allé trois fois au supermarché.
  En été, on allait souvent à la plage.

• The passé composé is used for an event which is clearly delimited in time. The imparfait is used when there are no clear limits within which the event took place.

  Tu as travaillé jusqu'à dix heures ?
  A Paris, tu travaillais dans une banque ?

• For verbs that involve action, the distinction between passé composé and imparfait is straightforward. The passé composé answers questions such as "What happened?", "What did I do?". The imparfait answers questions such as "What was happening at that time?", "What was I doing at that time?", "What did I use to do at that time?". For verbs that do not involve action, the distinction is at times a little harder to grasp. With such verbs, the passé composé is used instead of the imparfait if there is a clear delimitation in time, either in terms of duration, or in terms of a clearly marked beginning or end. In the latter case, another event typically acts as a trigger or an obstacle.

  Thérèse était souvent malade quand elle était petite.
  Thérèse a été malade toute la semaine dernière.
  Thérèse a été malade parce qu'elle a trop mangé.

  Je ne suis pas allée au concert avec mes amis parce que j'avais mal à la tête.
  J'ai eu mal à la tête pendant deux jours.

  Quand j'habitais en France, il pleuvait tout le temps, alors je ne pouvais pas souvent aller à la plage.
  Il a plu le weekend dernier, alors je n'ai pas pu aller à la plage.

  John pensait que le français était une belle langue et il voulait l'apprendre.
  Quand j'ai vu l'heure, j'ai pensé qu'il était trop tard pour aller à la bibliothèque.