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TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > French > Past Tenses
Past Tenses
Perfect tense:
| Use avoir
| OR
| Use être
|
| j'ai
|
| je suis
|
| tu as
|
| tu es
|
| il/elle a
|
| il/elle est
|
| nous avons
|
| nous sommes
|
| vous avez
|
| vous êtes
|
| ils/elles ont
|
| ils/elles sont
|
+ stem i.e. manger+ mang...
- -er: é
- -ir: i
- -re: u
| Verbs taking être in the passé composé
|
| Devenir | To become |
|
| Revenir | To come back |
|
| Mourir | To die |
|
| Rentrer | To re-enter or go home |
|
| Sortir* | To go out |
|
| Partir | To leave |
|
| Venir | To come |
|
| Aller | To go |
|
| Naître | To be born (active in French as opposed to the English passive) |
|
| Descendre* | To go/take down |
|
| Entrer | To enter |
|
| Retourner | To return |
|
| Tomber | To fall |
|
| Rester | To stay |
|
| Arriver | To arrive |
|
| Monter | To go up, get on |
|
| Passer (par) | To pass (by) |
|
Including all pronominal/reflexive verbs such as se detendre, se laver etc.
NOTE: when using etre, this verb implies movement, one therefore adds:
- -er: é
- -ir: i
- -re: u
add:
- -e with je if you are a girl, or with elle
- -es with elles
- -s with nous, vous, ils.
Examples
| j'ai mangé
| je suis allé/ée
|
| tu as mangé
| tu es allé
|
| il a mangé
| il/elle est allé/ allée
|
| nous avons mangé
| nous sommes allés
|
| vous avez mangé
| vous êtes allés
|
| ils ont mangé
| ils/elles sont allés/ allées
|
Verbs of movement
- aller - to go
- venir - to come
- descendre - to go up
- monter - to go down
Irregular verbs
- prendre - pris
- mettre - mis
- rire - rit
Comments
