Conjugating French Verbs Flashcards
Rule for creating the past participle for French verbs using avoir for the auxiliary verb.
VERB TYPE. Forming the past participle
- ER. remove the -ER and add -é
- IR. remove the -IR and add - i
- RE. remove the -RE and add - u
What is the auxillary verb used for ALL French verbs except the 16 verbs that use être?
Avoir
Name the six (6) -IR verbs that use être for the auxillary verb
- venir - to come
- devenir - to become
- advenir - to happen
- sortir - to go out
- mourir - to die
- partir - to leave
Name the eight (8) -ER verbs that use être for the auxiliary verb.
- aller
- monter
- rester
- retourner
- tomber
- rentrer
- arriver
- entrer
Name the two (2) -RE verbs that use être for the auxiliary verb.
- naïtre - to be born
2. descendre - to go down.
Name the irregular past participles (P.P.) for the following verbs:
avoir être savoir pourvoir devoir
Verb. Meaning. P.P.
avoir to have. eu
être. to be. été
savoir to know su
pourvoir to be able to pu
devoir to have to dû
Name the irregular past participles (P.P.) for the following verbs:
venir devenir mourir haïr vouloir
Verb Meaning P.P.
venir to come venu
devenir to become devenu
mourir to die mort
haïr to hate haï
vouloir to want voulu
Name irregular past participles (P.P.) for the following verbs:
lire
dire
faire
voir
Verb Meaning P.P.
lire to read lu
dire to say dit
faire to do; to make fait
voir to see vu
What is the passé composé (P.C.) of for avoir? (by pronoun)
P.C. Meaning
j’ai eu I had
tu as eu you had
il/elle a eu he had
nous avons eu we had
vous avez eu You had (formal)
ils/elles ont eu They had
What is the Imparfait form for the verb avoir? (by pronoun)
Form Meaning
j'avais I had tu avais you had il/elle avait he/she/it had nous avions we had vous aviez you had ils/elles avaient they had
When to use imparfait vs. passé composé?
Passé composé (past tense) is used for a specific event or a succession of specific events. (completed) Something that took place ONCE in the past.
Imparfait (imperfect) describes a past action or condition that is ongoing, incomplete or habitual. Something that takes place regularly or something that goes on regularly.
When to use passé composé?
Use the P.C. in answering the question: “What happened?”
- use to relate events
- indicate a change of state or a change of condition
- used for activities that lasted a precise length of time (beg and an end)
When to use imparfait?
When answering the question:
“What was going on when something else happened?
- describes what was going on in the past, states of being in the past, or past habits
- past state of being or condition
- indefinite lengths of time
-
Adverbs commonly associated with passé composé vs. imparfait
Un jour, tous les jour,
un matin, tous les matin,
un soir, tous les soir,
soudain, En général,
tout d’un coup D’habitude
D’abord Toujours, souvent
Puis Rarement
Passé composé Imparfait
One day, Every day
One morning, Every morning
One night, Every night
Suddenly In general
All of a sudden Usually
First of all Always, often
Then Rarely
What is the rule for conjugating the plus-que-parfait form of avoir?
Use the imparfait form of avoir followed by the past participle of avoir.
j’avais eu nous avions eu
tu avais eu vous aviez eu
il/elle avait eu ils/elles avaient eu
