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Passe compose
The passé composé is one of the main past tenses in French,
often used to talk about actions or events that happened at a
specific time in the past. Here’s a quick guide:
1. Structure:
The passé composé is formed with:
An auxiliary verb (avoir or être) in the present tense.
The past participle of the main verb.
For example:
With avoir: "J'ai mangé" (I ate).
With être: "Je suis allé(e)" (I went).
2. Choosing the Auxiliary Verb:
Most verbs use avoir as the auxiliary verb.
Some verbs, usually those that indicate movement or change of
state (like aller, venir, naître, mourir), use être. Verbs conjugated
with être also require agreement in gender and number with the
subject (e.g., elle est allée, ils sont partis).

3. Forming the Past Participle:

-ER verbs: replace -er with -é (e.g., manger → mangé).
-IR verbs: replace -ir with -i (e.g., finir → fini).
-RE verbs: replace -re with -u (e.g., attendre → attendu).
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Irregular verbs: have unique past participles that must be

memorized (e.g., être → été, avoir → eu).
4. Usage:
Use the passé composé for actions that are completed in the
past, typically at a specific moment.
It’s often accompanied by time indicators like hier (yesterday), la
semaine dernière (last week), or il y a deux jours (two days ago).
Example Sentences:
Elle a visité Paris (She visited Paris).
Nous sommes partis à midi (We left at noon).
FUTURE TENSE
The futur simple tense in French is used to express actions that
will happen in the future. Here’s a quick guide to its key points:

1. Formation:
For regular verbs, add the following endings to the infinitive form
of the verb:
-er, -ir, -re verbs (remove the -e for -re verbs):
Je -ai, Tu -as, Il/Elle/On -a, Nous -ons, Vous -ez, Ils/Elles -ont
For irregular verbs, use their unique stems but still add the same
endings.
2. Examples:
Parler (to speak):
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Je parlerai, Tu parleras, Il/Elle parlera, Nous parlerons, Vous

parlerez, Ils/Elles parleront
Finir (to finish):

Je finirai, Tu finiras, etc.

3. Irregular Stems:
Some common irregular stems:

Être → ser- (Je serai)

Avoir → aur- (Tu auras)
Faire → fer- (Il fera)
Aller → ir- (Nous irons)
Venir → viendr- (Vous viendrez)
Pouvoir → pourr- (Ils pourront)
4. Usage:
The futur simple is used for actions that will happen in the distant
future, planned events, or to express certainty.
Example: Demain, je partirai pour Paris. (Tomorrow, I will leave for
Paris.)
5. Future Clues:
Often used with time expressions like demain (tomorrow), dans
une semaine (in a week), bientôt (soon), etc.
6. Futur Proche vs. Futur Simple:
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Futur Proche (near future) uses aller + infinitive to indicate

immediate future actions. Example: Je vais partir.
Futur Simple indicates future plans or more distant events.
Present tense
he présent tense in French is used to describe actions happening
right now, habitual actions, or general truths. Here’s a breakdown
of the key points:

1. Formation:
For regular verbs, add specific endings to the stem (the verb
without -er, -ir, or -re).
-er verbs (e.g., parler):
Je -e, Tu -es, Il/Elle/On -e, Nous -ons, Vous -ez, Ils/Elles -ent
-ir verbs (e.g., finir):
Je -is, Tu -is, Il/Elle/On -it, Nous -issons, Vous -issez, Ils/Elles -
issent
-re verbs (e.g., vendre):
Je -s, Tu -s, Il/Elle/On - (no ending), Nous -ons, Vous -ez, Ils/Elles
-ent
2. Examples:
Parler (to speak):
Je parle, Tu parles, Il/Elle parle, Nous parlons, Vous parlez,
Ils/Elles parlent
Finir (to finish):
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Je finis, Tu finis, Il/Elle finit, Nous finissons, Vous finissez, Ils/Elles

finissent
Vendre (to sell):
Je vends, Tu vends, Il/Elle vend, Nous vendons, Vous vendez,
Ils/Elles vendent
3. Irregular Verbs:
Some common irregular verbs have unique conjugations:

Être (to be):

Je suis, Tu es, Il/Elle est, Nous sommes, Vous êtes, Ils/Elles sont
Avoir (to have):
J'ai, Tu as, Il/Elle a, Nous avons, Vous avez, Ils/Elles ont
Aller (to go):
Je vais, Tu vas, Il/Elle va, Nous allons, Vous allez, Ils/Elles vont
Faire (to do/make):
Je fais, Tu fais, Il/Elle fait, Nous faisons, Vous faites, Ils/Elles font
4. Usage:
Current Actions: Je mange (I am eating).
Habitual Actions: Il lit chaque jour (He reads every day).
General Truths: L'eau bout à 100 degrés (Water boils at 100
degrees).
5. Special Notes:
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The present tense can sometimes translate to the present

progressive in English. Je travaille can mean "I work" or "I am
working."
Some verbs may have spelling changes in the stem to preserve
pronunciation (e.g., manger becomes nous mangeons to keep the
“g” soft).
Imparfait
The imparfait (imperfect) tense in French describes past actions
that were ongoing, repeated, or background descriptions. It’s
often used for "setting the scene" in the past. Here’s a summary
of its key points:
1. Formation:
 Start with the nous form of the verb in the present tense
and remove the -ons ending to get the stem.
 Add the following endings to the stem:
o Je -ais, Tu -ais, Il/Elle/On -ait, Nous -ions, Vous -iez,
Ils/Elles -aient
2. Examples:
 Parler (to speak):
o Je parlais, Tu parlais, Il/Elle parlait, Nous parlions, Vous
parliez, Ils/Elles parlaient
 Finir (to finish):
o Je finissais, Tu finissais, Il/Elle finissait, Nous finissions,
Vous finissiez, Ils/Elles finissaient
 Vendre (to sell):
o Je vendais, Tu vendais, Il/Elle vendait, Nous vendions,
Vous vendiez, Ils/Elles vendaient
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3. Irregular Verb:
 The only truly irregular verb in imparfait is être, which has
the stem ét-.
o Être:
 J'étais, Tu étais, Il/Elle était, Nous étions, Vous
étiez, Ils/Elles étaient
4. Usage:
 Ongoing or Repeated Past Actions: Used for actions that
were ongoing or habitual in the past.
o Quand j’étais jeune, je jouais au football. (When I was
young, I used to play soccer.)
 Background Descriptions: Used to describe weather, age,
physical appearance, or emotions in the past.
o Il faisait beau ce jour-là. (It was a beautiful day.)
 Simultaneous Past Actions: Often used for two actions that
were happening at the same time.
o Je lisais pendant qu’il étudiait. (I was reading while he
was studying.)
5. Clues for Imparfait:
 Often used with expressions like autrefois (formerly),
souvent (often), toujours (always), chaque jour (each day),
and pendant que (while).
6. Imparfait vs. Passé Composé:
 The imparfait describes ongoing or repeated past actions,
while passé composé describes specific, completed
actions in the past.
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o Example: Je regardais la télé quand il est arrivé. (I was

watching TV when he arrived.) Here, regardais
(imparfait) is the ongoing action, and est arrivé (passé
composé) is the sudden event.

”Ment”
In French, adverbs ending in -ment are commonly used to
describe how something is done. They are similar to English
adverbs ending in -ly (e.g., quickly, honestly). Here’s a quick
overview of how to form and use these adverbs:
1. Formation of -ment Adverbs:
 For adjectives ending in a vowel:
Simply add -ment to the adjective.
o Example: vrai (true) → vraiment (truly)
o Example: absolu (absolute) → absolument (absolutely)
 For adjectives ending in a consonant:
Use the feminine form of the adjective, then add -ment.
o Example: heureux (happy) → feminine: heureuse →
heureusement (happily)
o Example: lent (slow) → feminine: lente → lentement
(slowly)
 For adjectives ending in -ant or -ent:
Replace -ant with -amment and -ent with -emment.
o Example: constant (constant) → constamment
(constantly)
o Example: évident (evident) → évidemment (evidently)
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Note: These endings sound the same, even though they are
spelled differently.
2. Examples of Common -ment Adverbs:
 Doucement (gently)
 Franchement (frankly)
 Naturellement (naturally)
 Rapidement (quickly)
 Sérieusement (seriously)
3. Placement in a Sentence:
 With simple tenses (like présent, imparfait, or futur):
The adverb usually follows the verb it modifies.
o Example: Elle parle doucement. (She speaks gently.)
 With compound tenses (like passé composé):
Commonly placed between the auxiliary verb and the past
participle, though longer adverbs can go after the past
participle.
o Example: Il a vite terminé le travail. (He quickly finished
the work.)
4. Usage Notes:
 -ment adverbs are versatile and are used in both written
and spoken French.
 They can modify verbs, adjectives, or even entire sentences
to give more context about manner, degree, or time.
Experessions of avoir
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In French, the verb avoir (to have) is used in various idiomatic

expressions that may differ significantly from English. Here are
some key expressions with avoir:
1. Basic Expressions for Feelings or Needs:
 Avoir faim – to be hungry
o J’ai faim. (I am hungry.)
 Avoir soif – to be thirsty
o Elle a soif. (She is thirsty.)
 Avoir chaud/froid – to be hot/cold
o Nous avons froid. (We are cold.)
 Avoir sommeil – to be sleepy
o Ils ont sommeil. (They are sleepy.)
 Avoir besoin de – to need
o J’ai besoin de ton aide. (I need your help.)
 Avoir envie de – to feel like/want
o Il a envie de partir. (He wants to leave.)
2. Expressions for Physical Conditions:
 Avoir mal à – to have pain/ache
o J’ai mal à la tête. (I have a headache.)
 Avoir de la fièvre – to have a fever
o Elle a de la fièvre. (She has a fever.)
3. Expressions of Age and Measurement:
 Avoir [age] ans – to be [age] years old
o Il a 20 ans. (He is 20 years old.)
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 Avoir [measurement] de haut/de long/de large – to be

[measurement] high/long/wide
o La table a un mètre de large. (The table is one meter
wide.)
4. Expressions for States of Mind:
 Avoir peur (de) – to be afraid (of)
o J’ai peur des chiens. (I am afraid of dogs.)
 Avoir honte (de) – to be ashamed (of)
o Ils ont honte de leurs actions. (They are ashamed of
their actions.)
 Avoir raison / tort – to be right / wrong
o Tu as raison. (You are right.)
5. Additional Common Expressions:
 Avoir lieu – to take place
o La réunion a lieu demain. (The meeting takes place
tomorrow.)
 Avoir l’air – to look/seem (appearance)
o Elle a l’air fatiguée. (She looks tired.)
 Avoir de la chance – to be lucky
o Nous avons de la chance. (We are lucky.)
 Avoir du mal à – to have difficulty
o Il a du mal à comprendre. (He has trouble
understanding.)
6. Usage Note:
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 These expressions are unique to French, so in many cases,

the meaning may differ from a literal translation into English.
 Reflexive verbs in French (les verbes pronominaux) are
used when the subject performs an action on itself, meaning
the subject and object are the same. These verbs are
common for daily routines, emotional states, and actions
with a self-directed focus. Here’s an overview:
Reflexive verb
 1. Formation:
 Reflexive verbs are always paired with a reflexive pronoun
that corresponds to the subject:
 Je me (myself), Tu te (yourself), Il/Elle/On se
(himself/herself/oneself),
 Nous nous (ourselves), Vous vous (yourself/yourselves),
Ils/Elles se (themselves).
 Example: se laver (to wash oneself)
 Je me lave, Tu te laves, Il/Elle se lave, Nous nous lavons,
Vous vous lavez, Ils/Elles se lavent
 2. Common Reflexive Verbs:
 Se lever – to get up
 Je me lève tôt. (I get up early.)
 S’habiller – to get dressed
 Elle s’habille rapidement. (She gets dressed quickly.)
 Se laver – to wash (oneself)
 Il se lave les mains. (He washes his hands.)
 Se reposer – to rest
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 Nous nous reposons après le travail. (We rest after work.)

 S’amuser – to have fun
 Ils s’amusent bien. (They are having fun.)
 Se souvenir de – to remember
 Je me souviens de ce jour. (I remember that day.)
 3. Placement in Sentences:
 In simple tenses (e.g., présent, imparfait), place the
reflexive pronoun directly before the verb:
 Tu te réveilles à 7h. (You wake up at 7 a.m.)
 In compound tenses (e.g., passé composé), reflexive verbs
use être as the auxiliary. The reflexive pronoun goes before
the auxiliary verb, and the past participle agrees in gender
and number with the subject (if there’s no direct object).
 Elle s’est levée tôt. (She got up early.)
 Ils se sont lavés. (They washed themselves.)
 Note: If a direct object follows the verb, the past participle
does not agree.
 Example: Elle s’est lavé les mains. (She washed her hands.)
 4. Usage in Commands (Imperative):
 In the affirmative imperative (giving commands), the
reflexive pronoun follows the verb and is attached with a
hyphen. For tu commands, te becomes toi:
 Lève-toi ! (Get up!)
 Reposez-vous ! (Rest!)
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 In the negative imperative, the reflexive pronoun returns to

its normal position before the verb:
 Ne te lève pas ! (Don’t get up!)
 5. Types of Reflexive Verbs:
 True Reflexive Verbs: The subject performs the action on
itself.
 Je me lave. (I wash myself.)
 Reciprocal Verbs: The action is mutual, between two or
more subjects.
 Ils se parlent. (They talk to each other.)
 Idiomatic Reflexive Verbs: Used for certain expressions
where the reflexive form changes the meaning.
 S’entendre (to get along): Ils s’entendent bien. (They get
along well.)
 Se rendre compte de (to realize): Je me rends compte de
l’erreur. (I realize the mistake.)
 6. Common Reflexive Verbs to Know:
 Se préparer – to get ready
 Se coucher – to go to bed
 S’inquiéter – to worry
 Se fâcher – to get angry
 Se promener – to go for a walk
 Understanding reflexive verbs is essential for talking about
personal routines, mutual actions, and idiomatic expressions
in French.
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