French tenses you need to know

Last updated date : 6th August 2024
Original published date : 20th April 2022

Once you start feeling confident with the present tense in French, you may want to explore other options. But if we have nalmost 20 different French tenses, don‘t worry. You don’t need to master them all at once. Most people only use a handful of tenses in everyday conversation.

Today we’re going to focus on the tenses you need to know for your daily conversation in French. You will also get a few tips to help you progress with your French conjugation. With the right focus, you can improve your understanding and use of these tenses to enhance your communication skills.

Modes in language help you understand how the speaker feels about an action. They show if something is real, possible, or imagined. The conjugated verb reveals both the mode and the tense, providing clear information about the action’s timing, completeness, or duration.

Knowing the mood and tense of a verb plays a crucial role in grasping the meaning within sentences. This understanding allows you to express different ideas based on the chosen mode. There are two main categories of modes: personal and impersonal.

Personal modes reflect the subject’s identity. In this case, the verb is conjugated to match the subject. The main types of personal modes are:

• Indicative: Used for statements of fact.
• Conditional: Expresses actions that depend on conditions.
• Subjunctive: Used for wishes, doubts, or hypotheticals.
• Imperative: Commands or requests.

In the indicative mood, you’ll find:

• Simple tenses: Present, imperfect, simple past, and future.
• Compound tenses: Such as passé composé, pluperfect and future perfect tense

In contrast, impersonal modes do not specify a subject. These include:

• Infinitives: The base form of a verb.
• Participles: Past and present forms that require no subject.
• Gerunds: Verbs acting like nouns, adjectives, or objects.

Impersonal modes provide flexibility in usage without indicating who is performing the action.

To gain fluency in French, mastering the present tense is essential. It describes facts, ongoing situations, and habitual actions, as well as events that are planned for the future.

For discussing future events, you can use either the futur proche or the futur simple. The futur proche conveys a stronger certainty about what will happen, while the futur simple is more a probability. Understanding the differences between these tenses can enhance your communication.

When you talk about past events, the Imparfait and Passé Composé are the most frequently used tenses. These forms help you describe actions and situations from the past in everyday conversation.

To form polite requests in French, you can use the present conditional tense. This tense allows you to express desires or requests in a courteous manner, softening the statement. For example, saying, “Je voudrais” (I would like) instead of a direct “Je veux” (I want) makes the request more respectful.

We use the conditional when ordering food at a restaurant, buying clothes in shops and asking for directions.

The pluperfect tense is useful when you want to talk about actions that occurred before another event in the past. This tense combines the imperfect form of “avoir” or “être” with the past participle of the verb. It helps you clarify sequences of past actions in your conversations.

We also use the pluperfect with the conditional, such as : Si j’avais plus de temps, j’irais au cinéma (If I had more time, I would go to the cinema). 

Regrets and blames about past actions can be conveyed using the past conditional tense. This tense is crafted by combining the conditional form of “avoir” or “être” with the past participle. It allows you to articulate feelings of what could have been if circumstances were different as follows :

• Il aurait voulu devenir vétérinaire (He would have like to become veterinary).
• Tu aurais pu nous appeler (You could have called us)

The subjunctive is probably one of the most difficult tense to learn and master in French. However, it is essential for expressing doubt, emotion, or hypothetical situations. You will need to familiarize yourself with its formation and usage, as it often appears in phrases that suggest necessity, desire, or fear. Understanding the subjunctive is vital for advanced fluency.

To express actions that have just happened, we can use the Passé Récent (Recent Past) with the structure: VENIR de + infinitive. This construction indicates an action that is very recent.

• Example: Paul est arrivé ? Oui il vient d’arriver (Did Paul arrive? Yes, he just arrived).
• You can also use this with personal pronouns.
  Example: Est-ce que tu as vu le dernier film de Spielberg ? Oui, je viens de le voir. (Did you see the latest Spielberg movie? Yes, I just saw it).

To describe an action that is happening right now, use the Présent Continu (Ongoing Present). It is with: ÊTRE EN TRAIN de + infinitive. This phrase emphasizes that the action is currently in progress. For example :

• Je suis en train d’étudier. (I am studying right now).
• Nous sommes en train de cuisiner (We are cooking at the moment)

Luckily, certain French tenses are rarely used in daily conversation. You could forget about the following tenses:

• Futur antérieur: Common in writing, less so in speaking.
• Passé antérieur: Largely outdated.
• Passé simple: Primarily appears in literature.
• Subjonctif passé: Rarely necessary today.
• Subjonctif plus-que-parfait: No longer in active use.

Identify the tenses that are most useful for you based on your situation. If you travel to French-speaking places occasionally, focusing on the present and conditional tenses will be beneficial. If you plan to stay in a French-speaking country for longer, you’ll want to learn additional tenses, like future and past.

Start with the essential tenses before moving on to more advanced ones. Most learners begin with the present tense, as it is crucial for basic conversation. Understand when each tense should be used and practice how to conjugate verbs accurately. Make sure to memorize the conjugations of irregular verbs as you progress. And once you’re comfortable forming sentences with the present tense, you can tackle other tenses. It’s best to focus on one tense at a time, as juggling multiple tenses can be challenging.

To improve, you must practice speaking French often. Here are some tips you can follow:

• Write out verbs multiple times along with their subject pronouns. Then, try mixing up the order.
• Say the verbs aloud to reinforce your memory.
• Listen to podcasts during quiet times to enhance your listening skills.
• Complete varied exercises and keep track of your mistakes for future reference.
• Watch French films and read books to immerse yourself in the language.
• Use a Bescherelle book, which is a helpful tool for verb conjugation.

By incorporating these practices into your routine, you’ll become more familiar with the subtleties of French conjugation. Engaging with a native French tutor can also provide valuable insights into the language and sharpen your skills further.

I hope you found this article useful. To learn more about my tailored French courses, feel free to drop me a quick email via my contact page. I’d love to hear from you.