{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"articleState":{"article":{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T17:15:50+00:00","modifiedTime":"2020-01-13T18:09:09+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:17:29+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Academics & The Arts","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33662"},"slug":"academics-the-arts","categoryId":33662},{"name":"Language & Language Arts","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33687"},"slug":"language-language-arts","categoryId":33687},{"name":"Learning Languages","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33689"},"slug":"learning-languages","categoryId":33689},{"name":"French","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33695"},"slug":"french","categoryId":33695}],"title":"Choosing French Verb Tenses","strippedTitle":"choosing french verb tenses","slug":"choosing-french-verb-tenses","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"To use the correct form of a French verb, you have to use the right tense. The indicative mood, which deals with objectivity — things really happening — include","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"To use the correct form of a French verb, you have to use the right tense. The indicative mood, which deals with objectivity — things really happening — includes many time aspects called <i>tenses.</i> A tense defines the time frame in which the action of the verb takes place: past, present, or future.\r\n\r\nThe following French verb tenses chart explains when to use each tense. It shows how compound tenses build off simpler ones and <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/languages/french/how-to-conjugate-regular-french-verbs/\">conjugate verbs</a> for each tense: <b>chanter </b>(<i>to sing</i>) and <b>se laver</b> (<i>to wash oneself</i>).\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Time Frame</th>\r\n<th>French Tense</th>\r\n<th>How to Build from Other Tenses</th>\r\n<th>Examples</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What happens, is happening, or does happen</td>\r\n<td>Present indicative/<b>présent de\r\nl’indicatif</b></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n<td><b>je chante\r\nje me lave</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What just happened</td>\r\n<td>Near past/<b>passé récent</b></td>\r\n<td>Present <b>venir</b> + <b>de</b> + infinitive</td>\r\n<td><b>je viens de chanter\r\nje viens de me laver</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What is going to happen</td>\r\n<td>Near future/<b>futur proche</b></td>\r\n<td>Present <b>aller</b> + infinitive</td>\r\n<td><b>je vais chanter\r\nje vais me laver</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What [has] happened precisely and completely</td>\r\n<td><b>Passé composé</b></td>\r\n<td>Present <b>avoir/</b><b>ê</b><b>tre</b> + past\r\nparticiple</td>\r\n<td><b>j’ai chanté\r\nje me suis lavé(e)</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What was happening or used to happen or just was a certain\r\nway</td>\r\n<td>Imperfect/<b>Imparfait</b></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n<td><b>je chantais\r\nje me lavais</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What had happened</td>\r\n<td>Pluperfect/<b>plus-que-parfait</b></td>\r\n<td><b>Imparfait</b> <b>avoir/</b><b>ê</b><b>tre</b> + past\r\nparticiple</td>\r\n<td><b>j’avais chanté\r\nje m’étais lavé(e)</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What will happen</td>\r\n<td>Simple future/<b>futur simple</b></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n<td><b>je chanterai\r\nje me laverai</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What will have happened</td>\r\n<td>Future perfect/<b>futur antérieur</b></td>\r\n<td>Simple future <b>avoir/</b><b>ê</b><b>tre</b> + past\r\nparticiple</td>\r\n<td><b>j’aurai chanté\r\nje me serai lavé(e)</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>","description":"To use the correct form of a French verb, you have to use the right tense. The indicative mood, which deals with objectivity — things really happening — includes many time aspects called <i>tenses.</i> A tense defines the time frame in which the action of the verb takes place: past, present, or future.\r\n\r\nThe following French verb tenses chart explains when to use each tense. It shows how compound tenses build off simpler ones and <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/languages/french/how-to-conjugate-regular-french-verbs/\">conjugate verbs</a> for each tense: <b>chanter </b>(<i>to sing</i>) and <b>se laver</b> (<i>to wash oneself</i>).\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<th>Time Frame</th>\r\n<th>French Tense</th>\r\n<th>How to Build from Other Tenses</th>\r\n<th>Examples</th>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What happens, is happening, or does happen</td>\r\n<td>Present indicative/<b>présent de\r\nl’indicatif</b></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n<td><b>je chante\r\nje me lave</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What just happened</td>\r\n<td>Near past/<b>passé récent</b></td>\r\n<td>Present <b>venir</b> + <b>de</b> + infinitive</td>\r\n<td><b>je viens de chanter\r\nje viens de me laver</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What is going to happen</td>\r\n<td>Near future/<b>futur proche</b></td>\r\n<td>Present <b>aller</b> + infinitive</td>\r\n<td><b>je vais chanter\r\nje vais me laver</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What [has] happened precisely and completely</td>\r\n<td><b>Passé composé</b></td>\r\n<td>Present <b>avoir/</b><b>ê</b><b>tre</b> + past\r\nparticiple</td>\r\n<td><b>j’ai chanté\r\nje me suis lavé(e)</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What was happening or used to happen or just was a certain\r\nway</td>\r\n<td>Imperfect/<b>Imparfait</b></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n<td><b>je chantais\r\nje me lavais</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What had happened</td>\r\n<td>Pluperfect/<b>plus-que-parfait</b></td>\r\n<td><b>Imparfait</b> <b>avoir/</b><b>ê</b><b>tre</b> + past\r\nparticiple</td>\r\n<td><b>j’avais chanté\r\nje m’étais lavé(e)</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What will happen</td>\r\n<td>Simple future/<b>futur simple</b></td>\r\n<td></td>\r\n<td><b>je chanterai\r\nje me laverai</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>What will have happened</td>\r\n<td>Future perfect/<b>futur antérieur</b></td>\r\n<td>Simple future <b>avoir/</b><b>ê</b><b>tre</b> + past\r\nparticiple</td>\r\n<td><b>j’aurai chanté\r\nje me serai lavé(e)</b></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8947,"name":"The Experts at Dummies","slug":"the-experts-at-dummies","description":"The Experts at Dummies are smart, friendly people who make learning easy by taking a not-so-serious approach to serious stuff.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8947"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33695,"title":"French","slug":"french","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33695"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":[{"articleId":175788,"title":"Trig Identities for 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Choosing French Verb Tenses

By: The Experts at Dummies and

Updated: 01-13-2020

From The Book: French All-in-One For Dummies

French All-in-One For Dummies

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To use the correct form of a French verb, you have to use the right tense. The indicative mood, which deals with objectivity — things really happening — includes many time aspects called tenses. A tense defines the time frame in which the action of the verb takes place: past, present, or future.

The following French verb tenses chart explains when to use each tense. It shows how compound tenses build off simpler ones and conjugate verbs for each tense: chanter (to sing) and se laver (to wash oneself).

Time Frame	French Tense	How to Build from Other Tenses	Examples
What happens, is happening, or does happen	Present indicative/présent de l’indicatif		je chante je me lave
What just happened	Near past/passé récent	Present venir + de + infinitive	je viens de chanter je viens de me laver
What is going to happen	Near future/futur proche	Present aller + infinitive	je vais chanter je vais me laver
What [has] happened precisely and completely	Passé composé	Present avoir/être + past participle	j’ai chanté je me suis lavé(e)
What was happening or used to happen or just was a certain way	Imperfect/Imparfait		je chantais je me lavais
What had happened	Pluperfect/plus-que-parfait	Imparfait avoir/être + past participle	j’avais chanté je m’étais lavé(e)
What will happen	Simple future/futur simple		je chanterai je me laverai
What will have happened	Future perfect/futur antérieur	Simple future avoir/être + past participle	j’aurai chanté je me serai lavé(e)

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