LESSON 10

FRENCH TENSES

OBJECTIFS DE LA LEÇON
Mon mari et moi parlons anglais et français mais mes enfant parlent seulement anglais.

1. to learn about infinitive verbs

2. to learn about moods and tenses in French
3. to learn about the three groups of verbs in French
4. to learn how to conjugate group 1 and group 2 verbs in the présent (present tense)

NIVEAU
A1 - niveau découverte (beginner)

L’INFINITIF
This is the form of the verb when it is not conjugated.

parler - to talk/speak
aimer - to like/love
finir - to finish
choisir - to choose
prendre - to take
voir - to see

Additional notes on the use cases for the infinitive

The infinitive can be used:

1. In general guidance, recipes, short instructions

Examples:

Ajouter le lait, la farine et les oeufs. Bien mélanger....

Add milk, flour and eggs. Mix well...
Ralentir, travaux

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 Slow down, work in progress.

2. after some prepositions such as de, pour, à, sans, par

Examples:

J'ai envie de manger une glace.

I feel like eating an ice-cream.
Elle porte des lunettes pour lire.
She wears glasses to read.
Mon fils apprend à lire.
My son is learning to read.
Elle part sans dire un mot.
She leaves without saying a word.
Ils finissent par se disputer.
They end up arguing.

3. after some adjectives

Examples:

Il est content de visiter Paris.

He is happy to visit Paris.
Elle est prête à partir.
She is ready to leave.

4. as subject (often translated by the -ing form in English), or complement.

Examples:

Marcher est bon pour la santé.

Walking is good for your health.
Il souhaite apprendre.
He wants to learn.

5. after question words such as où, que, comment

Examples:

Où aller ?
Where to go?
Comment faire ?
How to do it?

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MODES ET TEMPS
There are different types of moods, or modes, in French conjugation.

Le mode indicatif (indicative mood) represents a certainty.

Le mode conditionnel (conditional mood) expresses hypothetical actions.
Le mode subjonctif (subjunctive mood) covers doubt, emotion, a wish or actions which are
uncertain.

Each mood contains different tenses.

INDICATIF
This mood is used to express facts/real situations.

présent
passé composé
imparfait
plus-que-parfait
passé simple
passé antérieur
futur simple
futur antérieur

IMPÉRATIF
This mood is used to give an order, or to make a request.

présent
passé

CONDITIONNEL
This mood is used for something which may happen depending on another action.

conditionnel présent
conditionnel passé

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SUBJONCTIF
This mood is used for subjective and hypothetical events or situations.

subjonctif présent
subjonctif passé
subjonctif imparfait
subjonctif plus-que-parfait

LA FORME PROGRESSIVE
The present tense in English can have two forms (e.g. I play or I am playing).

However, in French, we do not have the -ing form.

As French does not have a continuous tense or forme progressive, other tenses must be used
instead. The following bullet points give you an idea of the tenses to use when translating English
continuous tenses. These complex French tenses will be covered later on in the course.

I am playing (present continuous) - In French, use présent or être (présent) + en train de

I was playing (past continuous) - In French, use imparfait
I have been playing (present perfect continuous) - In French, use présent
I had been playing (past perfect continuous) -In French, use imparfait or être (imparfait) +
en train de
I will have been playing (future perfect continuous) - In French, use futur antérieur
I would have been playing (past conditional) - In French, use conditionnel passé

LES TROIS GROUPES DE VERBES

In French, verbs are categorised into three groups based on their conjugation pattern (regular or
irregular):

Group 1 contains regular verbs which end in -er in their infinitive form.

parler (to talk)

marcher (to walk)

Group 2 comprises regular verbs which end in -ir in their infinitive form.

finir (to finish)

choisir (to choose)

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Group 3 includes irregular verbs ending in -re, -ir, -oir in their infinitive form.

prendre (to take)

dormir (to sleep)
voir (to see)

In this lesson we will cover the first and second groups, and we will learn about the third group in
the next lesson.

A regular verb in English would be a verb which ends in -ed in its past form.

I walk - I walked
I dance - I danced
I watch - I watched

An irregular verb would be changed drastically in its past form.

I eat - I ate
I fight - I fought
I sleep - I slept
I drink - I drank

The same applies in French: regular verbs follow the same pattern, while irregular verbs can
change drastically. It is important to know which group a verb belongs to in order to apply the
correct endings in various tenses.

Note: although the verb aller ends in -er, it is not a Group 1 French verb: it is an irregular Group 3
verb.

CONJUGAISON DES VERBES DU 1ER GROUPE AU PRÉSENT

First, remove the infinitive ending -er, and replace it with the correct endings for each subject
pronoun.

marcher (présent)

je marche - I walk/am walking

tu marches - you walk/are walking
il marche - he walks/is walking
elle marche - she walks/is walking
on marche - one walks/is walking
nous marchons - we walk/we are walking
vous marchez - you walk/are walking

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 ils marchent - they walk/are walking
elles marchent - they walk/are walking

Note that some verbs are semi-regular, that is they require a change of spelling depending on the
personal pronoun and the tense so it is best to learn these off by heart. For example, a verb such
as acheter (to buy) requires an accent on the first e for part of the conjugation.

acheter - j’achète but nous achetons

PRATIQUE
Practise with the following verbs.

parler - to speak/to talk

je parl ______
tu parl ______
il parl ______
elle parl ______
on parl ______
nous parl ______
vous parl ______
ils parl ______
elles parl ______

regarder - to watch

je
tu
il
elle
on
nous
vous
ils
elles

donner - to give

je
tu
il
elle

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on
nous
vous
ils
elles

CONJUGAISON DES VERBES DU 2E GROUPE AU PRÉSENT

finir - to finish
choisir - to choose
obéir - to obey
agir - to act
rougir - to blush

These Group 2 verbs end in -ir in the infinitive form and have a present participle in -issant (finir -
finissant).

The English equivalent of the present participle is the -ing form.

Group 2 verbs are regular verbs, and follow the same pattern all the time. However, they do not
follow the same pattern as group 1 verbs.

finir - (présent)

je finis - I finish/am finishing

tu finis - you finish/ you are finishing
il finit - he finishes/he is finishing
elle finit - she finishes/she is finishing
on finit - one finishes/one is finishing
nous finissons - we finish/we are finishing
vous finissez - you finish/ you are finishing
ils finissent - they finish/they are finishing
elles finissent - they finish/they are finishing

Other verbs from group 2:

choisir (to choose) garantir (to guarantee) vomir (to vomit) guérir (to heal) remplir (to fill up)
maigrir (to lose weight) obéir (to obey) punir (to punish) nourrir (to nourish) grossir (to get fat)
accomplir (to accomplish) adoucir (to soften) aplatir (to flatten) atterrir (to land) blêmir (to turn
pale) approfondir (to deepen) bâtir (to build) agrandir (to enlarge)

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PRATIQUE
Practise with the following verbs:

remplir - to fill up

je rempl ______
tu rempl ______
il rempl ______
elle rempl ______
on rempl ______
nous rempl ______
vous rempl ______
ils rempl ______
elles rempl ______

punir - to punish

je
tu
il
elle
on
nous
vous
ils
elles

maigrir - to lose weight

je
tu
il
elle
on
nous
vous
ils
elles

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EXCEPTIONS
Unfortunately some verbs ending in -ir do not belong to Group 2. Here are some of them:

dormir (to sleep) mourir (to die) sortir (to go out) ouvrir (to open) devenir (to become) obtenir
(to get or obtain) mentir (to lie) souffrir (to suffer) offrir (to offer/give a present)

PRATIQUE
Translate into French:

1. My son and I are walking* in the park.

2. George plays with a friend.
3. Charlotte is washing* the dog.
4. We choose a book.

*remember that there is no -ING in French

TRADUCTION DE LA PHRASE
Mon mari et moi parlons anglais et français mais mes enfants parlent seulement anglais.
My husband and I speak English and French but my children only speak English.

RÉPONSES
1. Mon fils et moi marchons dans le parc.
2. George joue avec un ami.
3. Charlotte lave le chien.
4. Nous choisissons un livre.

parler - to speak/to talk

je parle
tu parles
il parle
elle parle
on parle
nous parlons

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vous parlez
ils parlent
elles parlent

regarder - to watch

je regarde
tu regardes
il regarde
elle regarde
on regarde
nous regardons
vous regardez
ils regardent
elles regardent

donner - to give

je donne
tu donnes
il donne
elle donne
on donne
nous donnons
vous donnez
ils donnent
elles donnent

remplir - to fill up

je remplis
tu remplis
il remplit
elle remplit
on remplit
nous remplissons
vous remplissez
ils remplissent
elles remplissent

punir - to punish

je punis
tu punis

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il punit
elle punit
on punit
nous punissons
vous punissez
ils punissent
elles punissent

maigrir - to lose weight

je maigris
tu maigris
il maigrit
elle maigrit
on maigrit
nous maigrissons
vous maigrissez
ils maigrissent
elles maigrissent

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