Tenses Flashcards
Present indicative infinitive -er
E Es E Ons Ez Ent
To express an action in process, present indicative
Être en train de + infinitive form
Je suis en train de Parler à
I am talking to….
Depuis present indicative
To ask a question about duration of an action, use depuis quand (since when) or depuis combien de temps (how long).
Depuis quand travaillez-vous chez Starbucks
How long have you worked at Starbucks
Present indicative -ir
Choisir
- is
- is
- it
- issons
- issez
- issent
Present indicative usage
- general statements, describe on going action
- express close future
- a habitual action
- past action closely connected to the present
- historical fact
- to describe past events more dramatically
Present indicative irregular -ir
Sortir Sors Sors Sort Sortons Sortez Sortent
Present indicative -re
Vendre Vends Vends Vend Vendons Vendez Vendent
Present indicative irregular -re
Prendre Prends Prends Prend Prenons Prenez Prennent
The causation form
‘Something done by someone or of causing something to happen.’ Faire+verb
Ils envoient le document
(They send the document)
Ils font envoyer le document
(They have the document sent)
Imparfait
Describe a state of mind and being in the past as well as continuous, repeated, or habitual past action
Imparfait vs Passé composé (avec être, avoir, penser, croire, savoir, espérer, sembler, paraître)
These verbs tend to be used more with imparfait
however, when used with P.C. they take on a different meaning
I.E.
Il semblait déprimé (he looked depressed)
Il a semblé comprendre (he seemed to understand)
Imparfait with special constructions
depuis
the idea that an action had been going on for a period of time before being interrupted.
I.E.
Il randonnait depuis trois jours quand il a trouvé cette belle auberge
(he had been hiking for 3 days when he found this beautiful inn)
Imparfait with special constructions
Si+on
Si+on the imparfait is used to make a suggestion or to invite someone to do something. It is cong. in the third person.
IE
Si on allait en France cet été? (what about going to france this summer?)
Si on achetait des billets? (what about buying tickets?)
Imparfait with special constructions
Si seulement
To express a wish or a regret
Si seulement on pouvait prendre des vacance! (If only we could take a vacation!)
Si seulement vous saviez! (only if you knew!)
Imparfait with special constructions
Venir+de+infinitive
the immediate past can also be used in the imparfait to describe an action that had JUST HAPPENED
IE
Elle vient de téléphoner (she has just called)
Elle venait de téléphoner quand il est entré. (She had just called when he walked in)
Le futur simple
Translated into “I will….”
Can also be used as a command form
Can also be used as a way to express future ideas from the past. IE “would”
Examples of cong. décider je déciderai nous déciderons tu décideras vous déciderez Il décidera Ils décideront
Le futur simple
être and avoir
they are used to express probability in the present, to indicate something that is likely or allegedly true.
IE
Le prof. n’a pas demandé nos devoirs. Il sera distrait. (The prof. did not ask for our hw. He was probably distracted)
Le futur antérieur (future perfect)
describes an action that will take place and be completed before another future action.
Used futur simple of être et avoir
J’aurai écrit Je serai devenu
tu auras écrit Tu seras devenu
ect… ect..
Le futur antérieur vs Future Simple
Use futur simple if:
Its implied that both actions take place simultaneously.
Use Futur antérieur if:
*you want to mark an anterior action
ie
Elle vous téléphonera dès qu’elle aura fini son roman.
(She’ll call you as soon as she finishes {will have finished} her novel.)
*express probability of a past action
ie
Elle aura encore échoué à ses examens! (she probably failed her exams again!)
*used after si, implying a completed action. Si means whether.
ie
Je me demande si j’aurai tout réglé avant ce soir. (I am wondering whether I’ll have resolved everything by tonight.)
WARNING: never used after si implying a future condition. Use present tense
ie: S’il a le temps, il passera vous voir (If he has time, he’ll stop by to see you).
avoir Imparfait
j'avais tu avais il avait nous avions vous aviez ils avaient
être imparfait
j'étais tu étais il était nous étions vous étiez ils étaient
The Plus-que-parfait (pluperfect)
Indicates a past action that happened before another past action started (in english, had done). It can be seen as “past” past tense.
Avoir or être (imparfait) + past participle of main verb
ie; Tu avais oublié l’anniversaire de ta tante. (You had forgotten your aunt’s birthday)
Use when saying had+verb
Plus-que-parfait
Si seulement
Is to express a wish or a regret about past events.
ie: Si seulement elle n’avait pas raté son examen! (If only she had not failed her exam!)
The present conditional (mettre)
Mettre I would put je mettrais tu mettrais il mettrait nous mettrions vous mettriez ils mettraient
Present conditional (faire)
Faire ...Would do Je ferais tu ferais il ferait nous ferions vous feriez ils feraient
-cer like prononcer (present indicitif)
Je prononce Prononces Prononce Prononçons Prononcez Prononcent
-ger like voyager (present indicitif)
G become ge before the letter o. Voyage Voyages Voyage Voyageons Voyagez Voyagent
E+consonant+er like acheter (present indicitif)
J'achète Tu achètes Il achète Achetons Achetez Achètent
Imparfait
nous parlons—-> parl-
Je parlais nous parlions
Tu Parlais vous parliez
il parlait ils parlaient
Use of Present conditional
*Is used to express a wish or a suggestion.
IE: Je voudrais finir… (I would finish)
*to make a statement or a polite request
IE: Pourriez-vous nous donner… (Could you give us…)
*To express unconfirmed or alleged info. Also called conditionnel Journalistique.
IE: Son frère serait impliqué dans une affaire de fraude fiscale. (Her brother is allegedly involved in tax fraud.)
Conditional present + si
Conditional present + si, one must used imparfait.
IE: Nous viendrions si notre baby -sitter était disponible. (We would come if our babysitter were available.)
Present du conditionnel
Savoir
Savoir is the equivalent of pouvoir (can, be able to) in the present of the simple future.
IE: Je ne saurais vous dire combien j’apprécie votre geste. (I shall never be able to tell you how much I appreciate your gesture.
Qu’est-ce que Passé du Conditionnel?
It expresses what would have happened if another event had taken place, or if certain conditions had or had not been present.
Used with être and avoir
Passé du conditionnel
Cong. Donner
Donner—would have given
J'aurais donné tu aurais donné il aurait donné nous aurions donné vous auriez donné ils auraient donné
Use of passé du conditionnel
*regret or reproach
IE: nous aurions voulu y assister (We would have liked to attend)
- Usually found in sentences where the si (dependent) clause is in the plus-que-parfait.
- Also used as conditionnel journalistique
Present Subjunctive (Penser, dire, mettre)
Is a mood that refers to someone's opinion. Pense Dise Mette penses dises mettes pense dise mette pensions disions mettions pensiez disiez mettiez pensent disent mettent
Use of subjunctive
Wish, Emotion, Doubt. EX: wish: Je veux acheter cet ordinateur (I want to buy this computer) Je veux que tu achètes cet ordinateur (I want you to buy this computer)
EX: Emotion:
Je suis content que tu viennes dimanche
(I am happy you are coming on Sunday)
EX: Doubt:
Je ne pense pas qu’il sache ce qu’il fait.
(I doubt he knows what he is doing)
The past subjunctive
same as the present, except past tense. Use the formula avoir or être + past participle verb
j'aie pensé (i have thought) tu aies pensé il ait pensé ayons pensé ayez pensé ils aient pensé
je sois venu (i have come) tu sois venu il soit venu soyons venus soyez venu soient venus
Infiinitif Présent (how its used)
-Subject of a verb Faire la cuisine est son passetemps favori. (Cooking is his favorite pasttime) -Instructing Prendre une fois par jour (Take once a day)
Infinitif présent negatif
Since it is not conjugated, the negation (ne...pas) precedes it. Il a promis de ne pas ajouter trop d'ail (he promised not to add top much garlic) Elle m'a dit de ne pas mettre d'huile (She told me not to put any oil in)
Infinitif passé
it is formed with the infinitive of avoir or être.
Il a regretté d’avoir oublié l’anniversaire de Clara. (He regretted having forgotten Clara’s birthday)
Comment pouvait-il avoir brûlé tout le dîner. (How could he have burnt the whole dinner?)
The present participle (conjugation)
It makes the verb into -ing. Has to be used with the reflective (me, te, se…)
How to conj. nous chantons (we sing)--->chantant (singing) nous voyons (we see)----> voyant (seeing)
Example:
me promenant te promenant se promenant nous promenant vous promenant se promenant
The present participle (use)
Some can be used as nouns, needs to change according to the gender. EX: un gagnant (a winner) une gagnante (a winner)
Some can be used as an adjective
EX: des matchs épuisants (exhausting games)
Some can be used as an verb.
La police l’a aperçu entrant dans un laboratoire. (the police saw him entering {as he was entering} a lab.
The present participle (avoir et être)
combine the pariciple present and the participle passé
ex:
ayant vu (having seen)
étant allé (having gone)
The gerund
when present participle is introduced by en, it is a gerund. en+present participle.
It describes the relationship between to actions. It can express simultaneity, manner, condition, or causality.
EX:
Il s’est foulé sa cheville en jouant au foot. (he sprained his ankle while playing soccer)
Tout+ Gerund
it underscores a tension, a contradiction between two actions.
EX:
Tout en étant un bon joueur, il ne marquait jamais de but. (While being {even though he was} a good player, he never scored a goal.)
Il est construit
It is being built
Il a été construit
It has been built
Il était construit
Imparfait it was built
Il fut construit
It was built passé simple
Il sera construit
It will be built
Il serait construit
It would be build (imperfect future)
