LEARNING FRENCH TENSES:

PAST TENSE

This learning guide is divided into differentparts with a quick recap after each topic.

1) WHAT IS THE PAST TENSE?

2) HOW TO FORM THE PAST TENSE AND PAST PARTICIPLE?

3) THE IRREGULAR

1. WHAT IS THE PAST TENSE?MEANING

PAST TENSE is used to talk about an action that took place and wasfully completed in the past.

It is also used to express something that was true in the past.

For other past events you generally use the imperfect/imperfaittense.

Example:I have answered the question.I answered the question.

Both are sample past tense form in English.

MEANING

PAST TENSE is used to talk about an action that took place and wasfully completed in the past.

It is also used to express something that was true in the past.

For other past events you generally use the imperfect/imperfaittense.

Example:I have answered the question.I answered the question.

Both are sample past tense form in English.

2. HOW TO FORM THE PAST TENSEAND PAS PARTICIPLE?

FRENCH

How to form the past tense:

How to for the past participle:

The present tense of the verb avoir or être + the pastparticiple

FRENCH

If the infinitive ends with an -er, replace the -er with -é. donner becomes donné, tomber becomes tombé

If the infinitive ends with an -ir, remove the r at the end. finir becomes fini, partir becomes parti

If the infinitive ends with a -re, replace the -re with –u.

attendre becomes attendu, descendre becomesdescendu

FRENCH

Examples in using avoir to form the past tense

PRONOUN +AVOIR +

PASTPARTICIPLE =

PAST TENSEFORMED

MEANING INENGLISH

j'ai donné j'ai donné I have given

Tu as donné tu as donné You have given

Il a donné il a donné He has given

Nous avons donné nou avonsdonné

We have given

FRENCH

Nous avons donné nou avonsdonné

We have given

Vous avez donné vous avez donné You have given

Ils ont donné ils ont donné They have given

FRENCH

Examples in using être to form the past tense

PRONOUN +ÊTRE +

PASTPARTICIPLE =

PAST TENSEFORMED

MEANING INENGLISH

je me suis habillé je me suishabillé

(I got dressed)

tu t'es habillé tu t'es habillé (you gotdressed)

il s'est habillé il s'est habillé (he got dressed)

FRENCH

il s'est habillé il s'est habillé (he got dressed)

elle s'est habillée elle s'esthabillée

(she gotdressed)

ils se sont habillés ils se sonthabillés

(they gotdressed)

QUICK

TIPS

Quick tips:

1. je is shortened to j’ when it comes before a word that starts witha vowel, most words that start with h and the French word y.

2. Avoir is being used more often than être.3. Two steps in forming the past participle for verbs that use être:

Step 1: Change the infinitiveIf the infinitive ends with an -er, replace the -er with -é.If the infinitive ends with an -ir, remove the r at the end.If the infinitive ends with a -re, replace the -re with -u.

Step 2: Add the correct endingsTo form a masculine plural past participle, you add -sTo form a feminine singular past participle, you add -eTo form a feminine plural past participle, you add -es

QUICK

TIPS

Quick tips:

1. je is shortened to j’ when it comes before a word that starts witha vowel, most words that start with h and the French word y.

2. Avoir is being used more often than être.3. Two steps in forming the past participle for verbs that use être:

Step 1: Change the infinitiveIf the infinitive ends with an -er, replace the -er with -é.If the infinitive ends with an -ir, remove the r at the end.If the infinitive ends with a -re, replace the -re with -u.

Step 2: Add the correct endingsTo form a masculine plural past participle, you add -sTo form a feminine singular past participle, you add -eTo form a feminine plural past participle, you add -es

3. THE IRREGULAR IRREGULAR

Here are the irregular past participle forms that you need to be familiar with.

VERB WHAT IT MEANS PAST PARTICIPLE

Avoir To have eu

Devoir To have to, must dû

Dire To say, to tell dit

Être To be été

Faire To do, to make fait

IRREGULAR

Faire To do, to make fait

Mettre To put mis

Pouvoir To be able to, can pu

Prendre To take pris

Savoir To know su

Tenir To hold tenu

Venir To come venu

Voir To see vu

Vouloir To want voulu

SUMMARY

Quick recap of this topic:

1. The past tense is used when you talk about an actionthat took place and was completed in the past.

2. To form the past tense, you use this formula: presenttense of the verb avoir or être + the past participle.

3. The past participle is obtained through using theindicative and changing the endings (-er verbs to -é, -ir verbs to -i, and -re verbs to -u)

4. Most of the verbs use avoir, but two groups (namelythe reflexive verbs and some verbs that mostly referto or involves bodily movement or some kind ofphysical activity) use être.

5. To form the past participle when using être, the pastparticiple has to agree with the subject of the verband changes its form for feminine and plural.

SUMMARY

Quick recap of this topic:

1. The past tense is used when you talk about an actionthat took place and was completed in the past.

2. To form the past tense, you use this formula: presenttense of the verb avoir or être + the past participle.

3. The past participle is obtained through using theindicative and changing the endings (-er verbs to -é, -ir verbs to -i, and -re verbs to -u)

4. Most of the verbs use avoir, but two groups (namelythe reflexive verbs and some verbs that mostly referto or involves bodily movement or some kind ofphysical activity) use être.

5. To form the past participle when using être, the pastparticiple has to agree with the subject of the verband changes its form for feminine and plural.

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