{"id":4600,"date":"2021-07-21T13:56:34","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T13:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/?p=4600"},"modified":"2021-07-21T13:56:36","modified_gmt":"2021-07-21T13:56:36","slug":"french-tenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/french-tenses\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding French Tenses and When to Use Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"889\" height=\"500\" class=\"wp-image-4601\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/word-image.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/word-image.jpeg 889w, https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/word-image-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/word-image-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 889px) 100vw, 889px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There comes a time in every language student\u2019s life where they\u2019re ready to throw in the towel. That time is usually when they figure out that there are over twenty different French tense and mood combinations to learn. Fear not, whether you\u2019re pulling your hair out trying to learn each one or are just starting out learning French tenses, this guide will help you learn the basics of each tense, in the time it takes to have a cup of coffee. We\u2019re going to recap the present, whiz through the past, dive into the future, and even take a look at the more advanced French tenses. Now pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable\u2026<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.30j0zll\"><\/a>Introduction to French Tenses: Verb Groups<\/h2>\n<p>To begin, you need to know the three verb groups, otherwise you\u2019re going to wonder what on earth I\u2019m talking about throughout this article. Regular verbs are split into three groups based on the ending of the word. Each of these groups follows the same pattern in various French tenses, so once you\u2019ve learned the rule, you can apply it to all of the other verbs from that group.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a running joke among French-learners that there are more exceptions than rules, and in this case, it\u2019s a <strong>major<\/strong> exception: <strong>irregular verbs<\/strong>. The verb groups only cover the regular verbs and that means you must learn the irregular verbs by heart, there\u2019s no alternative! For now, let\u2019s get back to regular verb groups.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Verb Group 1: \u201cER\u201d verbs<\/li>\n<li>Verb Group 2: \u201cIR\u201d verbs<\/li>\n<li>Verb Group 3: \u201cRE\u201d verbs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The French technically don\u2019t have a 3rd regular verb group, they simply have the \u201c<em>verbes du troisi\u00e8me groupe<\/em>\u201d which encompasses all verbs ending in \u201cRE\u201d, regular and irregular. Seeing as that doesn\u2019t help anyone to learn the rules, we\u2019re going to look at the regular verbs as their own group, and worry about the irregular verbs later.<\/p>\n<p>For each group, simply remove the verb ending (er, ir, re) and what you\u2019re left with is called the verb <strong>stem<\/strong>. Next, you add on a new ending, according to the subject and the tense, as shown in red in each verb table.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.1fob9te\"><\/a>Le Pr\u00e9sent &#8211; Present Tense<\/h2>\n<p>While the English language uses simple and progressive versions of the present tense, the French has just one: <em>le pr\u00e9sent.<\/em> All you have to do is take the regular verb stem and add a different present tense ending, depending on which verb group it belongs to.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.38lgr3fd49c5\"><\/a>Present tense verb endings<\/h3>\n<table width=\"903\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>ER verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>IR verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>RE verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Example verb<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Je<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">e<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">s<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">s<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Tu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">es<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">s<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">s<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Il\/elle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">e<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">t<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">&#8211;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Nous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ons<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssons<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ons<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Vous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Ils\/elles<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ent<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssent<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ent<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Je <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">commence<\/span> \u00e0 travailler \u00e0 8h tous les jours &#8211; <em>I start work at 8 a.m. every day<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">nourrit<\/span><span style=\"font-size: inherit;\"> son chat avant de partir &#8211; <\/span><em style=\"font-size: inherit;\">He feeds his cat before he leaves<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Nous <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">vendons<\/span> notre maison pour en acheter une plus grande &#8211; <em>We\u2019re selling our house to buy a bigger one<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.3znysh7\"><\/a>Le Pass\u00e9 Compos\u00e9 &#8211; Past Tense<\/h2>\n<p>There are two past French tenses to learn first: <em>le pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/em> and <em>l\u2019imparfait<\/em>. The pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9 is formed in the exact same way as the English present perfect. It takes the verb \u201c<em>avoir<\/em>\u201d, conjugated depending on the subject, paired with the past participle. The French past tense is used for all kinds of past tense situations, from completed actions to sudden feelings.<\/p>\n<p>Each regular verb group once again takes the stem and adds a new ending, <em>\u00e9<\/em>, <em>i<\/em> or <em>u<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.2et92p0\"><\/a>Pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9 tense verb endings<\/h3>\n<table width=\"903\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>ER verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>IR verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>RE verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Example verb:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Je<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">ai aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">ai fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">ai attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Tu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">as aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">as fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">as attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Il\/elle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">a aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">a fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">a attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Nous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avons aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avons fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">avons attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Vous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avez aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avez fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">avez attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Ils\/elles<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">ont aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">ont fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">ont attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>J<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u2019ai parl\u00e9<\/span> avec la ma\u00eetresse de ma fille &#8211; <em>I spoke with my daughter&#8217;s school teacher<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">a rempli<\/span> sa bouteille d\u2019eau &#8211; <em>He filled his water bottle<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Elles <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">ont perdu<\/span> leurs cl\u00e9s &#8211; <em>They\u2019ve lost their keys<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.tyjcwt\"><\/a>L\u2019imparfait &#8211; Past Tense<\/h2>\n<p>The French imperfect tense is used to talk about actions that continued for a duration of time in the past, similar to the English \u201cwas\/were + ing\u201d or \u201cused to\u201d. It is also commonly used with verbs that depict feelings or state of mind.<\/p>\n<p>I think you\u2019re starting to see why we needed to look at verb groups earlier, because yet again ER and RE verbs lose their original ending, and gain an imperfect ending, but this time the IR verbs are a bit more complex. IR verbs drop the R and add SS, before adding the imperfect ending. Does that sound mind-boggling? I promise it\u2019s not too complicated, take a look at the table to get some clarification\u2026<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.3dy6vkm\"><\/a>Imperfect tense verb endings<\/h3>\n<table width=\"903\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>ER verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>IR verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>RE verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Example verb<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Je<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Tu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Il\/elle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ait<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssait<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ait<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Nous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Vous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssiez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Ils\/elles<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">aient<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssaient<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">aient<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Quand j<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">&#8216;\u00e9tais<\/span>* jeune, je <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">dansais<\/span> dans les carnavals &#8211; <em>When I was young, I used to dance in carnivals<\/em><\/li>\n<li>En tant que styliste, il <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">choisissait<\/span> les tenues des mannequins &#8211; <em>As a stylist, he used to choose the models\u2019 outfits<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Nous <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">entendions<\/span> de la musique dans les rues &#8211; <em>We used to hear music in the streets<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>*irregular verb alert! This is the irregular verb <em>\u00eatre<\/em> in the imperfect tense<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.1t3h5sf\"><\/a>Le Plus-que-parfait &#8211; The Pluperfect<\/h2>\n<p>Now that you know the imperfect verb endings, you can use them with the verb \u201c<em>avoir<\/em>\u201d along with the past participle to create a whole new tense: the pluperfect. This French tense is used for actions that took place <em>before<\/em> another past tense action.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.4d34og8\"><\/a>Pluperfect tense verb endings<\/h3>\n<table width=\"903\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>ER verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>IR verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>RE verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Example verb:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Je<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avais aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avais fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">avais attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Tu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avais aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avais fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">avais attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Il\/elle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avait aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avait fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">avait attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Nous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avions aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avions fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">avions attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Vous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aviez aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aviez fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">aviez attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Ils\/elles<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avaient aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">avaient fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">avaient attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Elle <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">avait<\/span> d\u00e9j\u00e0 <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">mang\u00e9<\/span> quand les invit\u00e9s sont arriv\u00e9s &#8211; <em>She had already eaten when the guests arrived<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Nous <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">avions couru<\/span> tellement loin que nous avons fait une sieste apr\u00e8s &#8211; <em>We had run so far that we took a nap afterwards<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">avait tondu<\/span> la pelous avant d\u2019arroser les plantes &#8211; <em>He had mown the lawn before watering the plants<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.2s8eyo1\"><\/a>Le Futur Proche &#8211; Future Tense<\/h2>\n<p>There are two main French tenses to talk about the future. The first is the <em>futur proche<\/em>, or near future, which is used to talk about things that will happen in the immediate future (i.e. within the next few minutes) or things that we are sure will happen. It is formed by taking the verb \u201c<em>aller<\/em>\u201d, conjugating it in the present tense and adding the infinitive verb. This is just like the English equivalent \u201cgoing to\u201d.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.17dp8vu\"><\/a>Near future tense verb table<\/h3>\n<table width=\"903\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>ER verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>IR verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>RE verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Example verb<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Je<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">vais aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">vais finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">vais attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Tu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">vas aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">vas finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">vas attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Il\/elle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">va aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">va finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">va attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Nous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">allons aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">allons finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">allons attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Vous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">allez aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">allez finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">allez attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Ils\/elles<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">vont aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">vont finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">vont attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>D\u00e9p\u00eache-toi, ta m\u00e8re <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">va arriver<\/span> &#8211; <em>Hurry up, your mom\u2019s going to arrive<\/em><\/li>\n<li>R\u00e9visez encore un peu et vous <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">allez r\u00e9ussir<\/span> &#8211; <em>Revise a little more, and you\u2019re going to succeed<\/em><\/li>\n<li>C\u2019est un gentil chien, il ne <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">va<\/span> pas te <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">mordre<\/span> &#8211; <em>It\u2019s a nice dog, he\u2019s not going to bite you<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.3rdcrjn\"><\/a>Le Futur Simple &#8211; Future Tense<\/h2>\n<p>The second future tense is the simple future, which is used to talk about situations in the future which may or may not actually happen. For example, you might intend to do something but can\u2019t guarantee that something won\u2019t get in the way. That\u2019s why it\u2019s often used to talk about the distant future.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a simple tense to form, hence its name, as all you have to do is take a regular verb, leave it in the infinitive form if it ends with an \u201cr\u201d and just add on the future endings. If the verb ends in an \u201ce\u201d (those in the third verb group), then you drop the last letter before adding the new ending.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.26in1rg\"><\/a>Simple future verb endings<\/h3>\n<table width=\"903\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>ER verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>IR verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>RE verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Example verb<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Je<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ai<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ai<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ai<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Tu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">as<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">as<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">as<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Il\/elle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">a<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">a<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">a<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Nous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ons<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ons<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ons<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Vous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Ils\/elles<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ont<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ont<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ont<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vous <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">mangerez<\/span> chez mamie un autre jour &#8211; <em>You\u2019ll eat at Grandma\u2019s house another day<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Nous <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">b\u00e2tirons<\/span> une nouvelle vie ensemble &#8211; <em>We\u2019ll build a new life together<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Elle nous <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">r\u00e9pondra<\/span> quand elle aura le temps &#8211; <em>She\u2019ll reply to us when she has the time<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.lnxbz9\"><\/a>Difference between futur simple and futur proche:<\/h3>\n<p>It can be hard to know which future tense to use, but the best way to remember is to ask yourself two questions:<\/p>\n<p>Is it decided and planned out, or is it just an intention?<\/p>\n<p>Is it in the near future or distant future?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nous <strong>allons voyager <\/strong>en Asie cet \u00e9t\u00e9 &#8211; <em>We\u2019re going to travel in Asia this summer<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Near future, already planned and paid for, not much can get in the way = le futur proche.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nous <strong>voyagerons<\/strong> quelque part un jour &#8211; <em>We\u2019ll travel somewhere one day<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Distant future, no date set or reservations made, can\u2019t guarantee that something won\u2019t prevent it from happening = le futur simple.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>J\u2019ai un appel manqu\u00e9 de ma soeur, je <strong>vais<\/strong> la <strong>rappeler<\/strong> en rentrant &#8211; <em>I have a missed call from my sister, I\u2019m going to call her back when I get home<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You plan to call her back, you\u2019re dead set on doing it, for example you might be worried that it was important = le futur proche.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>J\u2019ai un appel manqu\u00e9 de ma soeur, je la <strong>rappellerai<\/strong> en rentrant &#8211; <em>I have a missed call from my sister, I\u2019ll call her back when I get home<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is far more nonchalant, while you intend on calling her back, you\u2019re not going to write a note-to-self in case you forget = le futur simple.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.35nkun2\"><\/a>Le Conditionnel &#8211; The Conditional<\/h2>\n<p>The next French tense that it is important to know is the conditional tense. The conditional can be used in the present, past and future, but let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves! The most important is of course the conditional present, which is used in a variety of situations. It can be used to add formality and politeness, to give advice or suggestions, for wants and wishes, or for imaginary scenarios. We can compare it to the English \u201cwould\u201d and \u201ccould\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>You will see that the endings here are the same as the imperfect endings, but with the difference that instead of removing the original infinitive ending, we keep it, just like in the simple future, with each infinitive verb finishing with an \u201cR\u201d before adding the new ending.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.1ksv4uv\"><\/a>Conditional present verb endings<\/h3>\n<table width=\"903\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>ER verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>IR verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>RE verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Example verb<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Je<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Tu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Il\/elle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ait<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ait<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ait<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Nous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Vous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Ils\/elles<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">aient<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">aient<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendr<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">aient<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: inherit;\"><br \/><\/span>Before you look at the example sentences, you need to be familiar with what is known in French as the \u201csi clause\u201d. This is a sentence which uses \u201cif\u201d and always requires the conditional tense. For the present conditional we\u2019re going to use \u201csi\u201d + the imperfect tense followed by the present conditional. You can also use the French conditional tense on its own, as shown in the first example.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Je <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">pr\u00e9f\u00e9rerais<\/span> aller \u00e0 Bordeaux &#8211; <em>I would rather go to Bordeaux<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Si tu avais plus de temps tu <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">apprendrais<\/span> \u00e0 parler le mandarin &#8211; <em>If you had more time, you would learn Mandarin<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Si vous mangiez plus de l\u00e9gumes, vous <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">grandiriez<\/span> plus vite &#8211; <em>If you ate more vegetables, you would grow faster<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.44sinio\"><\/a>Le Conditionnel Pass\u00e9 &#8211; The Past Conditional<\/h2>\n<p>The past conditional is used to express regret and blame. It\u2019s a compound tense using a mixture of the conditional tense and past participles. It\u2019s formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb \u201cavoir\u201d in the conditional tense, with the endings as shown above, then adding the past participle of each verb.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.2jxsxqh\"><\/a>Past conditional tense verb endings<\/h3>\n<table width=\"903\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>ER verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>IR verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>RE verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Example verb:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Je<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span> aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span> fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span> attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Tu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span> aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span> fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ais<\/span> attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Il\/elle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ait<\/span> aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ait<\/span> fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ait<\/span> attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Nous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ions<\/span> aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ions<\/span> fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ions<\/span> attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Vous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iez<\/span> aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iez<\/span> fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iez<\/span> attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Ils\/elles<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">aient<\/span> aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00e9<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">aient<\/span> fin<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">i<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">aur<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">aient<\/span> attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">u<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>J\u2019<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">aurais aim\u00e9<\/span> aller avec toi &#8211;<em> I would have liked to go with you<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Si nous \u00e9tions embarrass\u00e9s nous <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">aurions rougi<\/span> &#8211; <em>If we were embarrassed we would have blushed<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il vous <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">aurait rendu<\/span> votre argent si vous l\u2019aviez demand\u00e9 &#8211; <em>He would have given you your money back if you had asked<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This French tense is frequently used with the irregular verbs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/pouvoir-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pouvoir<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/devoir-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">devoir<\/a> to show regret (could have, should have).<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.z337ya\"><\/a>Le Subjonctif &#8211; The Subjunctive<\/h2>\n<p>Last but not least, every French learner should know the basics of the subjunctive. It\u2019s by far the hardest thing to learn, so I\u2019m going to try to make this quick and as easy to understand as possible, while covering the essential points.<\/p>\n<p>The subjunctive is a mood that <strong>emphasizes<\/strong> the subjectivity of a sentence. It can show wishes, emotions, doubt, possibility, uncertainty and more. It\u2019s vital to remember that the subjunctive follows the word \u201cque\u201d but not every \u201cque\u201d must be followed by the subjunctive mood.<\/p>\n<p>Confused yet? Hang in there!<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.3j2qqm3\"><\/a>Subjunctive mood verb endings<\/h3>\n<table width=\"903\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\u00a0<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>ER verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>IR verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>RE verbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Example verb<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aimer<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">finir<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attendre<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Je<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">e<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">sse<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">e<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Tu<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">es<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">sses<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">es<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Il\/elle<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">e<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">sse<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">e<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Nous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ions<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Vous<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssiez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">iez<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>Ils\/elles<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">aim<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ent<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"206\">\n<p align=\"left\">fini<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ssent<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"background: transparent;\" width=\"204\">\n<p align=\"left\">attend<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">ent<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The best way to start learning the subjunctive mood is to remember when it\u2019s used, and then learn some of the most common phrases that introduce this tense.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.5tfa266hkzxh\"><\/a>When to use the subjunctive?<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>To express wants, wishes and desires e.g. vouloir que, pr\u00e9f\u00e9rer que<\/li>\n<li>To show needs and give orders e.g. il est n\u00e9cessaire que, il faut que<\/li>\n<li>To communicate moods, emotions and feelings e.g. \u00eatre content que, craindre que<\/li>\n<li>To convey doubt and uncertainty e.g. douter que, il se peut que<\/li>\n<li>For possibility and suppositions e.g. il est possible que, il semble que, s&#8217;attendre que<\/li>\n<li>To indicate other common moods e.g. il est normal que, il est important que, il vaut mieux que<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Examples:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Je veux <strong>qu<\/strong>\u2019elle me donne la t\u00e9l\u00e9commande &#8211; <em>I want her to give me the remote control<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il est n\u00e9cessaire <strong>que<\/strong> vous finissiez le rapport avant la r\u00e9union &#8211;<em> It\u2019s necessary for you to finish the report before the meeting<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Je crains <strong>que<\/strong> personne ne nous entende &#8211; <em>I fear that nobody can hear us<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Elle doute <strong>que<\/strong> tu chantes aussi bien que tu le dis &#8211; <em>She doubts that you can sing as well as you say you can<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il est possible <strong>que<\/strong> le public n\u2019applaudisse pas &#8211; <em>It\u2019s possible that the audience might not applaud<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il est normal <strong>que<\/strong> tu d\u00e9fendes ta famille &#8211; <em>It\u2019s normal for you to defend your family<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The most common term used to introduce the subjunctive is \u201c<em>il faut que<\/em>\u201d. Here are a few examples to help you use the subjunctive mood like a pro. Don\u2019t forget, this term is only ever used in the third person and could be literally translated as \u201cit must be that\u201d.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Il faut que tu demandes avant de s\u2019assoir &#8211; <em>You must ask before you sit down (literally: it must be that you ask before you sit down)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il faut que nous ob\u00e9issions la loi &#8211; <em>We must obey the law<\/em> <em>(literally: it must be that we obey the law)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il faut que le fromage fonde pour faire une fondue &#8211; <em>The cheese must melt to make a fondue (literally: it must be that cheese melts before making a fondue)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><a id=\"post-4600-_heading=h.1y810tw\"><\/a>Irregular verbs in French<\/h2>\n<p>One of the hardest things about the French language is learning the irregular verbs. It\u2019s best to learn each of the most common irregular verbs and their different forms by heart, as there are no rules to follow and few patterns to learn.<\/p>\n<p>The most common ones are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/french-etre-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00eatre<\/a> (to be), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/french-avoir-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">avoir<\/a> (to have), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/french-aller-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">aller<\/a> (to go), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/french-faire-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">faire<\/a> (to do\/make), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/pouvoir-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pouvoir<\/a> (can), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/devoir-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">devoir<\/a> (must), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/french-verb-vouloir-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vouloir<\/a> (to want), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/voir-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">voir<\/a> (to see) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/french-prendre-conjugation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prendre<\/a> (to take). If you\u2019re ready to tackle irregular verbs, then that would be a mighty fine place to start.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background: #000; border-radius: 10px; color: #fff; margin-bottom: 1.6em; padding: 20px 30px 30px;\">\n<div style=\"font-size: 2em; font-weight: bold;\">Learn French faster with Clozemaster ?<\/div>\n<p><strong>Clozemaster\u00a0<\/strong>has been designed to help you learn the language in context by filling in the gaps in authentic sentences. With features such as Grammar Challenges, Cloze-Listening, and Cloze-Reading, the app will let you emphasize all the competencies necessary to become fluent in French.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/languages\/learn-french-online\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Take your French to the next level. Click here to start practicing with real French sentences!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There comes a time in every language student\u2019s life where they\u2019re ready to throw in the towel. That time is usually when they figure out that there are over twenty different French tense and mood combinations to learn. Fear not, whether you\u2019re pulling your hair out trying to learn each one or are just starting &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/french-tenses\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Understanding French Tenses and When to Use Them<\/span>Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3817],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-french-grammar"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Understanding French Tenses and When to Use Them<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whether you\u2019re just starting out learning French tenses or pulling your hair out trying to learn all of them, this guide will help you learn the basics of each French tense, in the time it takes to have a cup of coffee. We\u2019re going to recap the present, whizz through the past, dive into the future, and even take a look at the more advanced French tenses.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/french-tenses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Understanding French Tenses and When to Use Them\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Whether you\u2019re just starting out learning French tenses or pulling your hair out trying to learn all of them, this guide will help you learn the basics of each French tense, in the time it takes to have a cup of coffee. 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