Reflexive Verbs, Imperfect tense, Past participles

Question 1

Sometimes the reflexive pronoun changes the meaning of the verb.

Answer 1

Elle attend l’autobus. She is waiting for the bus.
Elle s’attend à recevoir des fleurs. She is expecting to receive some flowers.

Question 2

There are three or four possible translations of the imparfait into English

Answer 2

1. I was doing form. I was writing. I was eating. This is the most common translation and must be considered first even if it disregarded in favour of a different translation. It is imperative when trying to understand the use of different tenses in a sentences.
2. The simple past tense. I thought or I lived. I lived there for ten years.
3. the distant past like the 17th century or I used to live there.
4. translated to ‘would’ but this is for a more advanced level of French

The three possible translations:
je parlais I was speaking, I spoke, I used to speak

Question 3

Reflexive verbs in the imparfait.

Note the use of reflexive pronouns and when the reflexivity is inherent in the verb as well as the imparfait ending used on the verb

Answer 3

je me lavais I was washing myself I washed myself I used to
wash myself
il se dépêchait he was hurrying he hurried he used to
hurry

Question 4

Some French verbs are just the usual verb used with a reflexive pronoun.

Je me lave les mains. I wash my hands.

Answer 4

Other French verbs a reflexive verbs and reflexivity is built into those verbs. So the reflexive pronoun is not translated to English.

Il se dépêche. He hurries.

Question 5

Avoir to have- is irregular but common in the Imparfait

j’avais I had
tu avais you had
il/elle/on avait he/she/one had
nous avions we had
vous aviez you had
ils/elles avaient they had

Answer 5

être to be- is a common and irregular in the imparfait

j’êtais I was
tu êtais you were
il/elle/on êtait he/she/one was
nous êtions we were
vous êtiez you were
ils/elles êtaient they were

Question 6

Forming the imparfait (imperfect tense)

Use the nous form and drop the -ons ending and replace it with the appropriate imparfait ending

The verb être (to be), is the one exception because the nous form does not end in -ons. Use êt- with the appropriate imparfait endings.

Answer 6

je -ais
tu -ais
il/elle/on -ait
nous -ions
vous -iez
ils/elles -aient

Donner- to give
Donner, the nous form is donnons, minus -ons= donn plus whatever ending is required from the above list

je donn- + ais = je donnais
tu donn- + ais = tu donnais
il donn- + ait = il donnait
nous donn- + ions = nous donnions
vous donn- + iez = vous donniez
ils donn- + aient = ils donnaient

the negative
je ne donnais pas I was not giving, I didn’t give, I didn’t used
to give

Question 7

The perfect tense- the action has been completed

Simple past- is the perfect tense, the action took place and was completed

Answer 7

The imperfect tense (l’imparfait) continuous or repetitive action began in the past and continued over time

IE I was doing something

AKA past continuous or past progressive

Question 8

Reflexive pronouns

In English we use -self to talk about actions that are done to myself or himself, etc.

In French- reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs

Answer 8

Reflexive pronouns used with reflexive verb such as Laver to wash (present tense verb)

laver means to wash, se laver means to wash oneself (se is replaced by whatever reflexive pronoun is needed)

je me je me lave I wash myself
tu te tu te laves you wash yourself
il/elle/on se il/elle/on lave he/she/one washes
oneself
nous nous nous nous lavons we wash ourselves
vous vous vous vous lavez you wash yourself/
selves
ils/elles se ils/elles se lavent they wash themselves

Question 9

Past participles- something has been done
In English- written, finished, eaten, etc.

In French each verb family has its own ending. Remove the -ER, -RE, -IR or -OIR ending and add the appropriate ending for the group

Answer 9

-ER verb take off the ER and add -É donner to give - donné given
-RE verb take off the RE and add -U vendre to sell- vendu sold
-IR verb take of the IR and add -I finir to finnish- fini finished
-OIR verb take off the the OIR and add U vouloir to want- voulu wanted

These are the most common past participle endings but are not the only ones. There are also -IS, -It or -ERT

Question 10

The most common past participle endings are -É, -U, -I

Some irregular verbs have different endings -IS, -IT, -ERT

Answer 10

mettre to put, to place mis put
prendre to take pris taken
dire to say dit said
écrire to write écrit written
faire to do, to make fait done, made
ouvrir to open ouvert opened

*fait- past participle done, made
fait- il/elle/on fait- he/she/one does or makes (it is the present tense of the verb faire to make)
fait- fact, le fait the fact

Question 11

Past participles as adjectives
Past participles can be used as adjectives (the written word) and they act like all adjectives do- agree with number and gender of the noun they modify. Even the endings change according to the gender.

Note é and e are not the same letter. So if the word ends in é for the masculine form than an e can be added to make it feminine

Answer 11

Infinitive MS FS MP FP English

donner donné donnée donnés données given
vendre vendu vendue vendus vendues sold
finir fini finie finis finies finished
mettre mis mise mis mises put
dire dit dite dits dites said
ouvrir ouvert ouverte ouverts ouvertes opened

le saumon fumé (m. s.) smoked salmon
l’oeuvre finie (f. s.) the finished work
les représentants élus (m. pl.) the elected representatives
les lettres écrites (f. pl.) the written letters

Question 12

regular past participle endings
-é -ée -és -ées
-u -ue -us -ues
-i -ie -is -ies

Answer 12

some irregular past participle endings
-is -ise -is -ises
-it -ite -its -ites
-ert -erte -erts -ertes

Question 13

predicate clause or part of the sentence is the part that contains the verb. a predicate adjective modifies the verb rather than the noun but continues to modify the noun.

Answer 13

Here the adjective verb is est or sont– is or are

Le gâteau est mangé. The cake is eaten.
La pomme est mangée. The apple is eaten.
La guerre est finie. The war is over
Les livres sont trouvés. The books are found.
Les portes sont fermées. The doors are closed.
Les maisons sont vendues. The houses are sold.

Question 14

The passé composé has two parts and several rules

Answer 14

The rules:
1 passé composé has two parts- the auxiliary verb in the present tense and a past participle
2. the auxiliary verb is often avoir but also être.
3 avoir as the auxiliary verb does not agree with the noun/subject gender or number
4 être is used with all reflexive verbs and about 20 intransitive verbs
5 when être is the auxillary verb it agrees with noun/subject gender and number
6 passé composé is mostly tranlated to the simple past in English
7 with avoir- if the direct object precedes the verb than the participle agrees with the direct object in number and gender

Question 15

passé composé has two parts- the auxiliary verb (usually avoir) in the present tense and a past participle

Answer 15

Avoir in Present Tense Past Participle English
j’ai parlé I spoke, I have spoken
tu as vu you saw, you have seen
il/elle/on a fini he/she/one finished, he/she/one
has finished
nous avons écrit we wrote, we have written
vous avez pris you took, you have taken
ils/elles ont ouvert they opened, they have opened

Question 16

le passé composé and Être

when être is the auxiliary verb the past participle agrees with gender and number of subject

Answer 16

the past participle needs to agree with gender and number when être is the auxiliary verb

feminine singular add -e
masculine plural add -s
feminine plural add -es

vous (2nd person plural) can refer to one or more people. The past participle will be singular or plural to be in agreement with the subject

Question 17

le passé composé and Être

the auxiliary verb, Être, is in present tense and the past participle needs to be in agreement with the subject

Answer 17

Être in Present Tense Past Participles with Agreement English Translation

je suis venu(e) I came, I have come
tu es allé(e) you went, you have gone
il/elle/on/est descendu(e) he/she/one went down, has gone down
nous sommes sorti(e)s we went out, we have gone out
vous êtes resté(e)(s) you remained, you have
remained
ils/elles sont tombé(e)s they fell, they have fallen

Question 18

Être and Avoir in le passé composé

Être is used with all reflexive verbs and 20 intransitive verbs.

However, some of the intransitive verbs can be used with Avoir in a transitive sense. This changes the meaning of the verb.

Answer 18

Elle est montée les escaliers. She went up the stairs.
Il est sorti de la pièce. He went out of the room.
Il est rentré chez lui. He returned home.

But:
Elle a monté les valises. She took the luggage upstairs.
Il a sorti la voiture du garage. He took the car out of the garage.
Il a rentré le chien. He brought the dog in.

Question 19

what is the most common translation of the passé composé?

Answer 19

the simple past tense in English

j’ai donné I gave

If this tense does not work use the compound past in English.

I have given

Question 20

if the sentence is translated to compound past (I have given) instead of simple past (I gave) then être

Answer 20

is translated as if it were avoir because in English ‘have’ is the only auxiliary verb

Je suis venu I came, I have come

Question 21

past participles of être and avoir

Answer 21

Infinitive Past Participle English Translation
avoir eu had
être été been

Both verbs take avoir as their auxiliary verb:
j’ai eu I had, I have had
tu as eu you had, you have had
il/elle/on a eu he/she/one had, has had
nous avons eu we had, we have had
vous avez eu you had, you have had
ils/elles ont eu they had, they have had

j’ai été I was, I have been
tu as été you were, you have been
il/elle/on a été he/she/one was, has been
nous avons été we were, we have been
vous avez été you were, you have been
ils/elles ont été they were, they have been

Question 22

In the passé composé are ‘has’ and ‘had’ as auxiliary verbs interchangeable?

Answer 22

NO

It can be have or has but never had

Question 23

The ‘I was doing’ translation is important especially when the passé composé and imparfait are combined

Answer 23

Quand Marie est arrivée, Jean finissait son travail.

Consider the difference between:
When Marie arrived, John was finishing his work.

When Marie arrived, John finished his work.

Always consider the ‘I was doing’ translation first and only move to the other translation if it does not work

Question 24

When an adverb is used to modify the verb