Le temps du passé
- Forms of main tenses
- Imperfect:
je donnais
- Usage
- to express a continuous process: Il ronflait si
violemment qu'il a réveiilé toute la famille.
- to refer to an on-going state: Elle avait faim
et ses vêtements étaient déchirés et trempés
- to describe inherent characteristics: Il avait peu de cheveux
- to indicate a habitual action: Elle se levait à sept heures (every day)
- to express a continuous process: Il ronflait si
violemment qu'il a réveiilé toute la famille.
- Form
- Endings
- -ais
-ais
-ait
-ions
-iez
-aient
- -ais
-ais
-ait
-ions
-iez
-aient
- Difficulty
- Verbs in -IER in the nous
and vous forms, as in
- Nous étudiions/ pliions
- Vous étudiiez/ pliiez
- Nous étudiions/ pliions
- Verbs whose stem ends in -y, as in:
- Nous croyions/ payions
- Vous croyiez/ payiez
- Nous croyions/ payions
- Particular forms
- Nous (EMPLOYER) Nous employions
- Ils (MÉNAGER) Ils ménageaient
- Vous (SCIER) Vous sciiez
- Elle (AGACER) Elle agaçait
- Nous (EMPLOYER) Nous employions
- Verbs in -IER in the nous
and vous forms, as in
- Endings
- Usage
- Passé simple:
je donnai
- Forms
- Regular forms
- -ER
- -ai -as -âmes -âtes -èrent
- -ai -as -âmes -âtes -èrent
- -IR
- -is -is -it -îmes -îtes -irent
- -is -is -it -îmes -îtes -irent
- -RE + some irregulars
(like être)
- -us -us -ut -ûmes -ûtes -urent
- -us -us -ut -ûmes -ûtes -urent
- -ER
- Irregular forms
- ÊTRE - je fus
AVOIR - j'eus
FAIRE - je fis
PLEUVOIR - il plut
PUVOIR - je pus
DEVOIR je dus
FALLOIR il fallut
SAVOIR - je sus
- ÊTRE - je fus
AVOIR - j'eus
FAIRE - je fis
PLEUVOIR - il plut
PUVOIR - je pus
DEVOIR je dus
FALLOIR il fallut
SAVOIR - je sus
- Regular forms
- Usage
- The past historic is rarely used in
speech, though it does appear in more
formal styles (lectures and sermons)
- In written French, the past historic is found
in literary writings, texts describing historical
events, (sometimes in newspapers) and in
general in any piece of formal writing.
- The past historic typically indicates a
completed action set apart from the moment
of speaking. It is common in narrative where
a succession of actions is being reported.
- The past historic is rarely used in
speech, though it does appear in more
formal styles (lectures and sermons)
- Forms
- Passé composé:
j'ai donné
- Plus-que-parfait:
j'avais donné
- Usage
- The French pluperfect corresponds with 'I had seen'. It serves to indicate
an action or event which precedes in time some other past action or
event: Quand il avait parlé, un profond silence est tombé dans la salle.
- The French pluperfect corresponds with 'I had seen'. It serves to indicate
an action or event which precedes in time some other past action or
event: Quand il avait parlé, un profond silence est tombé dans la salle.
- Usage
- Passé antérieur:
j'eus donné
- Usage
- The past anterior is only found in texts where
the past historic is used. Also, as it is confined to
very special contexts, it is not frequently found.
- Its main use is in clauses of TIME introduced by the conjunctions
'quand', 'lorsque', 'aussitôt que', 'dès que', 'après que' and 'à
peine...que': Dès que Jean fut parti, tout le monde se mit à rire.
- The past anterior is only found in texts where
the past historic is used. Also, as it is confined to
very special contexts, it is not frequently found.
- The past anterior has the same value as a pluperfect. It is only
possible to use the past anterior in this conext-type when the
main verb is in the past historic, as in 'se mit' and 'donnèrent.
- Usage
- Futur antérieur:
j'aurai donné
- Conditionnel Passé:
j'aurais donné
- Imperfect:
je donnais
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