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French Verb Summary
Indicative Tenses
The Present (Le Présent) J'étudie les verbes français. I study / am studying French verbs. The Past Perfect (Le Passé Composé) J'ai étudié les verbes français. I studied French verbs. The Imperfect Past (L'Imparfait) J'étudiais les verbes français. I was studying French verbs. The Pluperfect Past (Le Plus-Que-Parfait) J'avais étudié les verbes français. I had studied French verbs. The Immediate Past Je viens d'étudier les verbes français. I just studied French verbs. The Future (Le Futur) J'étudierai les verbes français. I will study French verbs. The Future Perfect (Le Futur Antérieur) J'aurai étudié les verbes français. I will have studied French verbs. The Immediate Future (Le Futur Proche) Je vais étudier les verbes français. I am going to study French verbs (right now).
Conditional Tenses
The Conditional (Le Conditionnel) J'étudierais les verbes français. I would study French verbs. The Past Conditional (Le Conditionnel Passé) J'aurais étudié les verbes français. I would have studied French verbs.
The Imperative
The Imperative (L'Impératif) – tu form Étudie les verbes français. Study French verbs. The Imperative (L'Impératif) – vous form Étudiez les verbes français. Study French verbs. The Imperative (L'Impératif) – suggestive Étudions les verbes français. Let's study French verbs.
Subjunctive Tenses
The Present Subjunctive (Le Présent du Subjonctif) Il faut que nous étudiions les verbes français. We have to study French verbs. The Past Subjunctive (Le Passé du Subjonctif) Je veux que vous ayez étudié les verbes français avant demain. I want you to have studied French verbs before tomorrow.
COMPOUND CONJUGATIONS
être/avoir auxiliary usage
Compound tenses are formed using a conjugated form of être or avoir plus the past participle of the verb. Most verbs use avoir, with the following two exceptions (in which case être is used):
- Reflexive verbs- all reflexive verbs use être as the auxiliary verb Je me suis levé les mains. I washed my hands.
- The so-called "house" verbs: aller, arriver, devenir, entrer, mourir, naître, partir, rester, retourner, revenir, tomber, venir. Also included in this list are 5 other verbs that use avoir when used with a direct object, and être otherwise (the meaning of the verb changes slightly depending on the presence of a direct object): descendre Elle est descendue vite. Elle a descendu la valise. She came down quickly. She brought down the suitcase. monter Elle est monteé vite. Elle a monté l'escalier. She went up quickly. She went up the stairs. passer ( note: se passer, "to take place", is a different verb from passer) Elle est passée chez moi. Elle m'a passé le sel. She came by my house. She passed me the salt. Elle a passé l'examen. She took the test. rentrer Elle est rentrée tôt. Elle a rentré le chat dans la maison. She returned early. She brought the cat into the house. sortir Elle est sortie heir soir. Elle a sortie son mouchoir. She went out last night. She took out her handkerchief.
Participle Agreement
When using a compound tense, there are certain cases when the ending of the part participle is changed to agree in gender and number of another object in the sentence (subject or direct object). There are three main cases in which this happens:
- être verbs- the “house” verbs listed above, when using être as the auxiliary verb, change the past participle to agree in gender and number with the subject. Note that montrer, descendre, passer, rentrer, and sortir do not use être as their auxiliary verb when they have a direct object, and in those cases, the past participle remains unchanged (see the examples above for details).
follow the part participle): J'espère ne pas avoir perdu. Je n'ai vu personne. I hope I didn't lose. I didn't see anyone. Je ne l'ai trouvé nulle part. I didn't find it anywhere.
PRESENT/PAST PARTICIPLES
The Present Participle (le Participe Présent)
Formation: Take the nous form of the present, drop the -ons and add -ant Usage: To tell how someone is doing something, or describe a simultaneous action: Je suis partie en courant. En ouvrant son sac, elle en sort une photo. I took off at a run. Opening her purse, she takes out a photograph. Also used to show cause and effect; or the manner in which things are done: Il gagne d l'argent en lavant des voitures. On ne maigrit pas en mangeant des glaces. He makes money by washing cars. You don't get thinner by eating ice cream. The present participle can also be used as an adjective, in which case it usually agrees in gender and number with noun it modifies: de l'eau courante les numéros gagnants des histoires touchantes running water the winning numbers touching stories Note: When verbs take a pronoun, it comes before the present participle: Je retiens l'homme en l'interrogeant à nouveau. I stopped the man, asking him more questions. Important Irregulars: ayant (avoir), étant (être), sachant (savoir)
The Past Participle (le Participe Passé)
Formation: Take the infinitive form of the verb, drop the ending ( -er, -ir, -re ) and add -é for -er verbs, -i for -ir verbs, and -u for -re verbs. Usage: The past participle is used in many compound tenses; please refer to those sections for details on its usage. Note:
When used in a compound tense with the verb être the past participle agrees in number and gender with the subject. Elle est arrivée à Paris. Les garçons sont arrivés à Paris. She arrived in Paris. The boys arrived in Paris. When used with a reflexive verb, this gets a little complicated. In such a case, the past participle agrees with the reflexive pronoun if and only if it is the direct object (the reflexive pronoun is the direct object if it is what is receiving the action). Elle s'est lavée. Elle s'est lavé les cheveux. She washed herself. She washed her hair When used in a compound tense with the verb avoir the past participle agrees in number and gender with a proceeding direct object (note that this extends across phrase boundaries, as in the last example). Où sont les petits gâteaux? Paul les a mangés. Where are the little cakes? Paul ate them. Qui a écrit les lettres? Paul les a écrites. Who wrote the letters? Paul wrote them. Paul a oublié le nom de la personne que nous avons recontrée ce matin. Paul forgot the name of the person whom we met up with this morning. Important Irregulars: asseoir - assis avoir - eu boîre - bu conduire - conduit courir - couru couvrir - couvert craindre - craint croire - cru devoir - dû / due dire - dit écrire - écrit être - été faire - fait falloir - fallu lire - lu mettre - mis mourir - mort naître - né offrir - offert ouvrir - ouvert paraître - paru plaire - plu pouvoir - pu prendre - pris recevoir - reçu rire - ri savoir - su suivre - suivi taire - tu tenir - tenu valoir - valu venir - venu vivre - vécu voir - vu vouloir - voulu
INDICATIVE MOOD (L'INDICATIF)
The Present (le Présent)
Formation: -er verbs -re verbs -ir verbs -e -ons -s -ons -is -issons -es -ez -s -ez -is -issez -e -ent - -ent -it -issent Usage: Present action, habitual action, state of being, near future, present perfect ( Je suis ici despuis dix minutes, I have been here for ten minutes)
Il lisait pendant que j'écrivais Il lisait quand je suis entré. He was reading while I was writing He was reading when I came in. Nous allions à la plage tous le jours. We went to the beach every day. J'attendais l'autobus despuis dix minutes quand il est arrivé. I had been waiting for the bus for ten minutes when it arrived. Quand ma mère était jeune, elle était belle. When my mother was young, she was beautiful. Ça allait être merveilleux, mais rien du tout est allé comme nous prévisions. It was going to be wonderful, but nothing at all went according to our expectations. Also, when used in a si clause on its own, this means a wish or a suggestion. Dis, si tu m'aidais? Si on allait regarder un film? Hey, what about helping me out? Hey, how about going to see a movie? Ah, si j'étais riche.... Oh, if only I were rich.... Important Irregulars: Important but not irregular: être - to be avoir - to have étais étions avais avions étais étiez avais aviez était étaient avait avaient Note: See si clauses for usage with the conditional mood (see below for details). Note: Some verbs have slightly different meanings between the imperfect (l'imparfait) and the past perfect (le passé composé): savoir (su)- knew (l'imparfait) vs. found out (le passé composé) connaître (conné)- knew (l'imparfait) vs. met (le passé composé) devoir (dû/due)- was supposed to (l'imparfait) vs. probably/must have (le passé composé)
The Pluperfect (Le Plus-Que-Parfait)
Formation: This is a compound verb with the imperfect (l'imparfait) of être/avoir plus the past participle (le participe passé). Usage: Describes a past event that happened before another event in the past. Ma mère avait déjà mangé quand nous sommes arrivés. My mother had already eaten when we arrived. J'avais étudié la leçon que le professeur a expliquée. I had studied the lesson which the professor explained.
(note the agreement of the proceeding direct object with the past participle, even across clauses). J'étais fatigué ce matin parce que je n'avais pas dormi heir soir. I was tired this morning because I hadn't slept last night. Gustav Eiffel, qui n'avait pas encore construit la fameuse tour parisienne portant son nom, donnera corps á la vision de Frédéric-August Bartholdi. Gustav Eiffel, who hadn't yet built the famous Parisian tower that carries his name, would work on the vision of Frederic-August Bartholdi. Note: This is used in si clauses with the past subjunctive (le passé subjonctif) ; see sections below for details.
The Immediate/Near Past
Formation: Present tense (le présent) of venir + de + infinitive. Usage: Used to express something that is just happened in the near past. Il vient de manger. Je viens de retourner_._ He just ate. I just got back.
The Future (Le Futur)
Formation: Add the following endings to the infinitive form of the verb: -ai -ons -as -ez -a -ont Note that with verbs that end in -re, the final e is dropped ( lire becomes lirai, liras, and naître becomes naîtrai, naîtras, etc ). Also note some common orthographic changes (given below): -eler verbs ( appeler) and -yer verbs ( payer ). Usage: Action that will take place in the future. J'irai à Paris l'été prochain. J'y penserai. I will go to Paris this next summer. I'll think about it. Je te dirai tout quand tu seras ici. I'll tell you all of it when you are here. Important irregulars: (only the je form is given for the future) acheter – achèterai appeler – appellerai aller – irai avoir – aurai devoir – devrai envoyer - enverrai être – serai faire – ferai mourir - mourrai payer – paierai pouvoir – pourrai recevoir – recevrai savoir – saurai tenir – tiendrai venir – viendrai
Usage: The conditional (le conditionnel) is used:
- to make polite requests
- offer advice
- talk about things that might happen if something else were possible
- express a desire, and in particular what someone stated, hoped, or decided (in the past) would happen in the future (just as in English).
- when you want to convey a sense of not being sure of something that will happen in the future (contrast with the certainty of the future tense) Je voudrais du café. I would like some coffee. Est-ce que vous pourriez m'aider dans mon recherches? Can you help me with my research? À votre place, j'abandonnerais cette idée. If I were you, I would give up that idea. Dans un monde parfait, il n'y aurait plus jamais de guerre. In a perfect world, there would be no more war. J'aimerais bien le voir! I would love to see it! Je voudrais une grande maison. I would like to have a big house. L'Institut sera fermé demain. (future) / L'Institut serait fermé demain. (conditional) The Institute will be closed tomorrow. / The Institute might be closed tomorrow. Also, the conditional is used in past declarative speech: Maintenent, elle dit qu'il ira au ciné. (now = present tense, later = future tense) Right now, she says that he will go to the movies. Heir, elle a dit qu'il irait au ciné. (yesterday = past tense, later = conditional tense) Yesterday, she said that he would go to the movies. Marianne a dit qu'elle ferait ses devoirs après le dîner. Marianna said that she would do her homework after dinner. Le prof a décidé qu'il n'y aurait plus d'examens. The professor decided that there would be no more exams. One more important use of the conditional is in regards to reported facts/events that have been reported but not yet confirmed: Selon les études, le choclat serait bon pour la santé. According to the studies, chocolate is good for your health. Dans l'accident aujourd'hui, il y aurait deux morts et plusieurs blessés. There were reportedly two people killed and several injured in today's accident. Important Irregulars: See the indicative future (le futur).
Note: This is used in si clauses with the imperfect (l'imparfait); see sections below for details.
The Past Conditional (Le Conditionnel Passé)
Formation: This is a compound verb with the conditional present (le continionnel présent) of être/avoir plus the past participle (le participe passé). Usage: This is used to express a conditional action that would have happened (but didn't), or would have been (but wasn't). À ta place, je n'aurais pas pris ma voiture. In your place, I would not have taken my car. Si j'avais étudié, j'aurais réussi à l'examen. If I had studied, I would have passed the exam. J'aurais fait le travail si j'avais eu le temps. I would have done the work if I had had the time. J'aurais voulu voir ce film. I would have liked to see that movie. Vous auriez dû étudier pour l'examen. You should have studied for the exam. Tu aurais pu me dire plus tôt. You could have told me sooner. Note: This is used in si clauses with the past perfect (le plus-que-parfait); see sections below for details. Tout le monde serait ici, si il ne avait pas plu. Everybody would have been here, if it hadn't rained.
IMPERATIVE MOOD (L'IMPÉRATIF)
Formation: There are two forms to the imperative (l'impératif) , based on tu and vous. In both cases, you use the present tense (l'présent) and drop the subject pronoun, and drop any final -s in the tu form if it exists. You can use the same construct in the nous form to make a suggestion for the group that includes yourself. Usage: This mood gives a command. Va me chercher du sucre, s'il vous plaît. Go and get me some sugar, please. Soyez à l'heure! Allons au marché. Be on time! Let"s go to the market.
1. Verbs of desire: vouloir, rêver, désirer, attendre, donner... 2. Verbs of sentiment: aimer, adorer, détester, regretter, être de... 3. After impersonal statements: il faut que, il est nécessaire que, il semble que... This is used much more frequently in French than in English. One reason is that with the subjunctive there is no concordance of time as there is with the indicative. For example: Je pense qu'il viendra ce soir. Je pensais qu'il viendrait ce soir. I think that he will come tonight. I thought that he would come tonight. Note that in the examples above (indicative mood), the present tense is followed by a subordinate clause in the future, while a past tense is followed by the conditional. When using the subjunctive mood, time is much more simple: Je veux que tu fasse... I want you to do... Je voulais que tu fasse... I wanted you to do... Je voudrais que tu fasse... I would like you to do... The subjunctive used to have different tenses for time ( subjonctif imparfait , etc), but these forms are no longer used. You might run into them in very formal or old writings however. The only instance where time matters is when you want to put the subjunctive action definitively before the action in the main clause (see Le Subjonctif Passé below). The idea of doubt/uncertainty becomes very important when you negate certain phrases. “I believe that...” is an assertion of truth so it takes the indicative, but “I don't believe that...” is an assertion of doubt, which takes the subjunctive. On the other hand, “I doubt that...” is an assertion of doubt, so it is followed by the subjunctive, whereas “I don't doubt that...” takes the indicative. Je crois qu'il a 20 ans. Je ne crois pas qu'il ait 20 ans. I believe he is 20 years old. I don't believe that he is 20 years old. Je doubte qu'il vienne. Je ne doubte pas qu'il viendra. I doubt that he will come. I don't doubt that he'll come. Je pense qu'elle me prête sa voiture. Je ne pense pas qu'elle me prête sa voiture. I think that she'll lend me her car. I don't think that she'll lend me her car. Note: for the example above, prêter in the 3rd^ person singular has the same form as the subjunctive; this is one of the difficult things about the subjunctive, as there is a lot of overlap in form with the present indicative, depending on the verb. So in the phrase on the left above, prête is an example of the present indicative, and in the phrase on the right above, prête is an example of the subjunctive. However, not all negated phrases change between the subjunctive and the indicative. For example, negating a statement of sentiment, is still a statement of sentiment! Je suis heureux que nous allions. Je ne suis pas heureux que nous allions. I'm happy that we're going. I am not happy that we're going. So you need to use care when using the subjunctive and negation; sometimes the negation means that you switch between the indicative and the subjunctive, sometimes not. Just remember that the subjunctive means subjective, unreal, unsure, and that should get you through most of the time. This includes some forms of interrogation: J'insiste que vous soyez ici à l'heure. Je n'insiste jamais que vous soyez ici à l'heure. I insist that you be here on time. I never insist that you be here on time. Il vaut mieux qu'il vienne. Il ne vaut pas mieux qu'il vienne. It would be better if he came. I wouldn't be better if he came.
Il est important que vous fassiez le travail. I n'est pas important que vous fassiez le travail. It is important that you do the work. It isn't important that you do the work. Il paraît que nous avons besoin d'aller. Il ne paraît pas que nous ayons besoin d'aller. It seems that we need to go. It doesn't seem that we need to go. Il est évident qu'elle te dit la vérité. Il n'est pas évident qu'elle te dise la vérité. It's clear that she is telling you the truth. It isn't clear if she is telling you the truth (or not). Penses-tu qu'il soit sympa? Oui, je pense qu'il est sympa. Do you think that he is nice? Yes, I think he is nice. Non, je ne pense pas qu'il soit sympa. Non, I don't think that he is nice. Note: Il faut que is an interesting construct, which I find to be a bit illogical when it comes to negation and expressing obligation: Il faut qu'il soit puni. Il ne faut pas qu'il soit puni. It is necessary that he be punished. It is necessary that he not be punished. Negating falloir does not mean negating the obligation, it negates what is required/necessary (and still takes le subjonctif! ). If you want to express the lack of obligation, you have to use another construct altogether (see the Personal Obligation section below): Il faut que tu partes. Il ne faut pas que tu partes. You need to leave. You need to not leave. Il n'est pas nécessaire que tu partes. Tu n'es pas obligé de partir. Tu n'as pas besoin de partir. Tu n'as pas á partir. You don't have to leave. Note that the subjunctive is used only when the subjects of the main clause and the subordinate clause are different; if they are the same then the infinitive is used. Je veux que tu reviennes. Je veux revenir. I want you to come back. I want to come back. Ils préfèrent que nous restions. Ils préfèrent rester. They prefer that we stay. They prefer to stay. The subjunctive is also used with phrases/clauses that modify a superlative: Voilà la plus belle femme que j'aie jamais vue. There is the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen. La seule voiture bleue que nous puissions conduire se trouve là bas. The only blue car that we can drive is over there. Another use of the subjunctive is for indefinite antecedents, which is when an object is talked about in the main clause that is nonexistent or whose existence is in doubt. Nous cherchons quelqu'un qui puisse travailler indépendamment. We are looking for someone who can work independently. Il ne connaît personne qui veuille venir à la fête. He doesn't know anyone who would want to come to the party.
Phillip left without you saying goodbye to him. Phillippe est parti sans te dire au revoir. Philip left without saying goodbye to you. Téléphone à tes parents, afin qu'ils sachent où nous sommes. Call your parents, so they know where we are. Je vais leur téléphoner afin de commander une pizza. I'm going to call them to order a pizza. Où que j'aille dans la vie, je me souviendrai de votre gentillesse. Wherever I go in life, I will remember your kindness. Si idiot que ce soit, rends-moi ce service. However idiotic it may be, do me this favor. Note: Again, if you are stating something that you hold/feel to be true, do not use the subjunctive. If you are denying or otherwise doubting something, then the subjunctive is used: Je crois que tu est fatigué. Je ne crois pas que tu sois fatigué. I believe that you are tired. I don't believe that you are tired. Also note that neither esperer nor penser take the subjunctive: J'espère qu'il fait le ménage. I hope that he does the housework. Je pense qu'il est malade aujourd'hui. I think that he is sick today.
The Past Subjunctive (Le Passé du Subjonctif)
Formation: This is a compound verb tense, formed by the present subjunctive (le présent du subjonctif) of être/avoir plus the past participle (le participe passé). Usage: Same as the present subjunctive (le présent du subjonctif), only the wish/desire clause describes an action that took place before the action in the main clause. This is a very important distinction, Il est possible qu'il soit parti. Je doute qu'il ait fait cela. It is possible that he has left. I doubt that he did that. How you mix the tense of the main clause with the subjunctive present/past are all grammatically fine, but do change the meaning to allow complex constructs of meaning: Je regrette qu'il vienne. I regret (now) that he is coming. Je regrette qu'il soit venu. I regret (now) that he came. J'ai regretté qu'il vienne. I regretted (in the past, maybe not any longer) that he is coming (he is coming now or in the future). J'ai regretté qu'il soit venu. I regretted (in the past) that he came (he came prior to my regretting it).
Just like the regular subjunctive, if you have the same subject in both clauses, it collapses to use an infinitive form. To keep the idea of the secondary/subjunctive action happening before the action of the main clause, this means you use the past infinitive: Je regrette que je sois allé... WRONG! Je regrette d'être allé... RIGHT! See the Past Infinitive below.
OTHER TOPICS
Si Clauses
Formation: The word si can be used to create sentences with multiple clauses that correspond to if-then clauses in English. There are three main types: First conditional: This is formed with the si clause in the present indicative (le présent) or the past perfect (le passé composé), and the main clause in either the present, future, or imperative, depending on the intention. Nous ne sortons pas s'il pleut. Si j'ai le temps, je le ferai. We don't go out if it rains. If I have the time, I will do it. Viens me voir si tu peux. Si tu as fini, tu peux partir. Come and see me if you can. If you have finished, you can leave. Si tu n'as pas finis, dis-moi. If you haven't finished, tell me. Second conditional: This is formed with the si clause in the imperfect (l'imparfait) , and the main clause in the present conditional (le conditionnel présent). This expresses something that is contrary to fact or unlikely to occur; a hypothetical that is outside of reality. Si nous habitions à Paris, nous parlerions français tout le temps. If we lived in Paris, we would speak in French all the time. Si je gagnais à la loterie, j'acheterais une nouvelle moto. If I won the lottery, I would buy a new car. Si j'avais le temps, je le ferais. If I had the time, I would do it (implies that I do not have the time). Si tu étudiais, tu serais intelligent. If you studied, you would be smart (implies that you do not study) Third Conditional: This is formed with the si clause in the pluperfect (le plus-que-parfait) and the main clause in the past conditional (le conditionnel passé). This expresses a hypothetical situation in the past that is different from reality.
Le livre serait lite par Gabrielle. Je veux que le livre soit lite par Gabrialle. The book would be read by Gabrielle. I want the book be read by Gabrielle. The passive voice is used as it is in English- to put more emphasis on the performer of the action, or to not identify the performer of the action at all. Un enfant écrit ce livre. Ce livre a été lit par un enfant. A child wrote this book. This book was written by a child. Quelqu'un a écrit ce livre en 1975. Ce livre a été lit en 1975. Someone wrote this book in 1975. This book was written in 1975. Note: The passive voice is used in French, but it is preferable to avoid it if you can. There are a couple of ways of rewording a sentence to avoid a passive construct: To focus on the performer, use c'est: Cette film a été faite par Marie-Claire. C'est Marie-Claire qui a fait cette film. This film was made by Marie-Clarie. It was Marie-Claire who made this film. Le record a été battu par Thierry. C'est Thierry qui a été battu le record. The record was broken by Thierry. It was Thierry who broke the record. To avoid identifying the performer of the action, you can use the impersonal pronoun on: Ils ont été dits de venir à midi. On leur a dit de venir à midi. They were told to come a noon. They were told to come at noon. La voiture avait été vendue samedi. On avait vendu la voiture samedi. The car was sold on Saturday. The car was sold on Saturday. You can also avoid mentioning the performer of the action by using the se passive: using a reflexive pronoun with a normally non-reflexive verb, to demonstrate the passive nature of the action: Elle s'applle Isabelle. Cela ne se fait pas. She is called Isabelle. That is not done. Ce livre se compose de 8 chapitres. La glace se vende ici. This book is comprised of 8 chapters. Ice cream is sold here. Les mûres ne se vendent pas ici. Ce produit devrait s'utiliser quotidiennement. Blackberries are not sold here. This product should be used daily.
faire +
Usage: This is not really the passive voice, but the expression faire + is used to describe actions that we make or have other people do: Je fais développer les photos. Ta voiture est sale- fais-la laver. I am having the pictures developed. Your car is dirty- have it cleaned!
It is also used to describe situations where people are made or forced to perform an action: Le professeur fait étudier les élèves. The teacher makes the students study. The use of se faire + is used to describe actions that people are having done for/to themselves: Je vais me faire couper les cheveux. I'm going to have my hair cut. J'ai fait reparer ma montre. I had my watch fixed. Idiomatic usage: faire savoir means "to let someone know": Faites-le moi savoir dès que possible. Let me know as soon as possible.
Personal Obligation
Note: Il faut que + One should ... / One has to ... Il faut que + It is necessary that ... Devoir + I/you/etc. have to ... Il ne faut pas que + One should not ... Il n'a pas à + It is not necessary to ... Je n'ai pas besoin de + I don't have to ... Vous n'avez obligé de + You don't have to ... Note that you do not put a negative clause after il faut que.... The negative comes wrapped around the il faut que : Il ne faut pas au'on achète plus du chocolat. You shouldn't buy more chocolate. If you want to say that it is not imperative that you don't do something, you have to use another form: Vous n'avez obligé d'acheter plus du chocolat. You don't have to buy more chocolat.
The Past Infinitive (L'Ifinitif Passé)
Formation/Usage: The past infinitive is used whenever an infinitive is called for, but you want to express that the action takes place before the action of the main verb. It is formed from the infinitive of avoir or être + the
