Past tenses in French
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One of the most remarkable differences between the English and French grammar are the verb tenses. So before you start studying them you have to know that some tenses might be different in English and the other way round.
In English | In French |
---|---|
Imperfect | Imparfait |
Completed Past | Passé composé |
Pluperfect | Plus-que-parfait |
Past anterior | Pass antérieur |
Litterary past tense | Passé simple |
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In general we have to make a big difference between the passé composé (present perfect) and the imperfect tense in French. Therefore pay close attention to the following rules:
L'imparfait (Imperfect) | Le passé composé (Completed past) |
---|---|
Il jouait au football tous les samedis. (He played football every saturday.) | Il a joué au football hier. (He played football yesterday.) |
Elle parlait souvent au professeur. (She often spoke to the teacher.) | Elle a parlé une fois au professeur. (She spoke to the teacher once.) |
When it comes to the plus-que parfait (past perfect) and the passé antérieur we also have to make several distinctions.
Le plus-que-parfait | Le passé antérieur |
---|---|
Hier j'ai vu Sandra qui avait été quinze jours sur la Côte d'Azur. (Yesterday I saw Sandra who had spent fifteen days at the French Riviera.) | Je fus arrivé à la plage. (I had arrived at the beach.) |
Il était allé à l’école de management. (He had gone to management school.) | Anne et Christiane se furent téléphoné. (Anne and Christiane had spoken on the telephone.) |
For further information concerning the past tenses in French check out our subchapters!
Write the past anterior or the litterary past tense for the following verbs in bold. Watch carefully the sentence before you write the conjugation !
Bonne chance !
1. Dès qu' Ali Baba (prononcer) les mots magiques, la caverne s'ouvrit.
(When Ali Baba had pronounced the magical words, the cavern opened)
2. Il y mit son tracteur quand Julien (bâtir) les murs de son hangar.
(He put in his tractor when Julian had built the walls of his shed)
3. Quand il (tondre) la pelouse, monsieur Samy se reposa.
(When he had mowed the lawn, Mr. Samy rested)
4. Je (guetter) le facteur, dès que j' eus reçu la confirmation de ma demande.
(I watched for the factor when I had received the confirmation of my request)
5. Après que les pompiers (contrôler) les extincteurs, ils les mirent en marche.
(After the firemen had controled extinguishers, they turned it on)
6. Les travailleurs (poser) les câbles, lorsque la pelleteuse eut creusé la tranchée.
(Workers putted down the ropes when the shovel had digged the trench)
7. Dès que nous eûmes rassemblé des indices, nous (alerter) la police.
(When we had gathered the evidences, we called the police)
8. Après qu' ils (sucrer) leur chocolat au lait, ils le laissèrent refroidir.
(After they had sweetened their milk chocolate, they let it cold)
9. Lorsque tu eus maîtrisé les gestes élémentaires, tu (fabriquer) quelques paniers.
(When you had controled the basic gestures, you made some baskets)
10. Lorsque nous (s'habiller) nous sortîmes.
(When we got dressed we went out)
Write the past anterior or the litterary past tense for the following verbs in bold. Watch carefully the sentence before you write the conjugation !
Bonne chance !
1. Dès qu' Ali Baba (prononcer) les mots magiques, la caverne s'ouvrit.
(When Ali Baba had pronounced the magical words, the cavern opened)
2. Il y mit son tracteur quand Julien (bâtir) les murs de son hangar.
(He put in his tractor when Julian had built the walls of his shed)
3. Quand il (tondre) la pelouse, monsieur Samy se reposa.
(When he had mowed the lawn, Mr. Samy rested)
4. Je (guetter) le facteur, dès que j' eus reçu la confirmation de ma demande.
(I watched for the factor when I had received the confirmation of my request)
5. Après que les pompiers (contrôler) les extincteurs, ils les mirent en marche.
(After the firemen had controled extinguishers, they turned it on)
6. Les travailleurs (poser) les câbles, lorsque la pelleteuse eut creusé la tranchée.
(Workers putted down the ropes when the shovel had digged the trench)
7. Dès que nous eûmes rassemblé des indices, nous (alerter) la police.
(When we had gathered the evidences, we called the police)
8. Après qu' ils (sucrer) leur chocolat au lait, ils le laissèrent refroidir.
(After they had sweetened their milk chocolate, they let it cold)
9. Lorsque tu eus maîtrisé les gestes élémentaires, tu (fabriquer) quelques paniers.
(When you had controled the basic gestures, you made some baskets)
10. Lorsque nous (s'habiller) nous sortîmes.
(When we got dressed we went out)
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Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
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Natalia is a great teacher. She uses a variety of teaching methods and always considers my wishes and learning goals. The atmosphere is very pleasant, we speak a lot about random topics but also about situations from my work, which really helps to improve my conversation skills.
Natalia L.We work with Janeke on improving her skills using situations from her work environment. Also, we discuss different topics, using a variety of materials. I have seen her French improve very quickly. Congratulations Janeke!
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Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
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Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
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Natalia L.Toma, your interest for the language and having learned other languages before will be very helpful for you, continue with your motivation for learning French!
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https://youtu.be/d7F7mxOfKmA
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Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
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- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
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*** Please note that I am on holidays in august***
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My name is Lou, and I would be happy to be your french teacher !
French classes are for all levels, beginner to advanced. I can help you prepare to french exams and I also offer conversation classes.
My classes are fun and dynamic ! We will use various documents to work on and always adapt the classes to your needs and interests.
Free 30 min trial lesson !
Before the trial class, I will provide you a short French test to evaluate your level.
Feel free to contact me to talk about your goals and to plan a trial lesson.
See you soon online ! :-)
COMING SOON : a Whatsapp group for my students to practice french tchating with weekly challenges and conversation subjects !
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Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
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Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
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I want to help people to improve the level of their chosen language.
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Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
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Stefania is an experienced Italian teacher and native speaker. She designs her classes in a flexible and dynamic way and takes a communicative approach. She provided self-made teaching material and focusses on speaking, always considering her student's level and individual needs.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Bonjour! Veux-tu apprendre français? ou l'améliorer?
My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
À bientôt!
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Natalia is a great teacher. She uses a variety of teaching methods and always considers my wishes and learning goals. The atmosphere is very pleasant, we speak a lot about random topics but also about situations from my work, which really helps to improve my conversation skills.
Natalia L.We work with Janeke on improving her skills using situations from her work environment. Also, we discuss different topics, using a variety of materials. I have seen her French improve very quickly. Congratulations Janeke!
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Training is my passion. I like interacting with people. I am passionate about reading, watching movies, and music. I love to explore new places and have keen interest in arts and literature.I love meeting new people because every person is a whole new world you can learn from. I am also a keen reader and an enthusiastic traveller.
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Very helpfull teacher with excellent tips on how to improve your french. The informal style has a lot of merit and can help you aquire the language in a natural, unstructured and unforced fashion. Recommended for anyone who prefers a learn by doing approach.
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Lidia is an experienced and professional teacher for Italian. With her nicely self-designed teaching material, she covers all the linguistic competencies such as reading, writing, listening and speaking. Also, she includes modern teaching techniques such as games and proposes interesting movies to watch.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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1 Imperfect in French | Get an overview about the imparfait and passé simple in French and study this topic online. |
2 le passé simple in French | Get an comprehensive overview about the litterary past tense in French |
3 Completed Past in French (Passé composé) | Get an overview about the present perfect in French and study this topic online. |
4 Pluperfect in French (Plus-que-parfait) | Get an overview about the pluperfect in French and study this topic online. |
5 Le passé antérieur in French | Get an comprehensive overview about the past anterior in French and learn the topic online |