THE PERFECT TENSE

THE PERFECT TENSE IS USED TO EXPRESS THE PAST THE PERFECT TENSE IS USED TO EXPRESS THE PAST. IT IS TRANSLATED AS “DID” OR “HAS DONE” IN ENGLISH. IN FRENCH THERE ARE TWO THINGS NEEDED TO FORM THE PERFECT TENSE. THIS IS SIMILAR TO HOW IT WORKS IN ENGLISH.

HE HAS DONE THIS IS THE PERFECT TENSE IN ENGLISH SUBJECT AUXILIARY VERB PAST PARTICIPLE TO FORM THE PERFECT TENSE IN FRENCH, WE NEED AN AUXILIARY VERB AND A PAST PARTICIPLE, JUST AS IN ENGLISH.

AVOIR ÊTRE HERE ARE THE PARTS OF AVOIR THERE ARE TWO VERBS THAT ARE USED AS AUXILIARY VERBS…… AVOIR ÊTRE AND (TO HAVE) (TO BE) MOST VERBS USE “AVOIR” AS THE AUXILIARY VERB, BUT SOME USE “ÊTRE”, (WE’LL DEAL WITH THIS LATER) HERE ARE THE PARTS OF AVOIR

J’AI I HAVE TU AS YOU HAVE IL/ELLE A HE/SHE HAS WE HAVE NOUS AVONS AVOIR - TO HAVE J’AI I HAVE TU AS YOU HAVE IL/ELLE A HE/SHE HAS WE HAVE NOUS AVONS YOU HAVE VOUS AVEZ THEY HAVE ILS/ELLES ONT

THE NEXT STEP IS TO FORM A PAST PARTICIPLE HERE’S HOW ………

JOU ER É FIN IR I VEND RE U TAKE AN INFINITIVE REMOVE THE ENDING 1 TAKE AN INFINITIVE JOU ER É THIS IS CALLED A STEM FIN IR I VEND RE U 2 REMOVE THE ENDING THESE ARE PAST PARTICIPLES 3 ADD ENDINGS

-ER É -IR I U -RE LEARN THESE ENDINGS!!! SO... PAST PARTICIPLE ENDS IN ………… VERB ENDS IN………………… -ER É -IR I U -RE LEARN THESE ENDINGS!!!

NOW YOU HAVE A PAST PARTICIPLE IT IS COMBINED WITH A PART OF “AVOIR” TO FORM THE PERFECT TENSE LET’S SEE HOW

PART OF PAST JOUÉ J’AI PARTICIPLE AVOIR = I PLAYED / I HAVE PLAYED

FINI IL A = HE FINISHED / HE HAS FINISHED PART OF PAST PARTICIPLE AVOIR = HE FINISHED / HE HAS FINISHED

NOUS AVONS VENDU = WE SOLD / WE HAVE SOLD PART OF PAST PARTICIPLE AVOIR = WE SOLD / WE HAVE SOLD

VOUS AVEZ VISITÉ = YOU VISITED / YOU HAVE VISITED PART OF PAST PARTICIPLE AVOIR = YOU VISITED / YOU HAVE VISITED

THAT’S HOW TO DO THE PERFECT TENSE THAT’S HOW TO DO THE PERFECT TENSE. HOWEVER THERE ARE SOME OTHER RULES YOU NEED TO KNOW…

NOT ALL VERBS FORM THEIR PAST PARTICIPLES WITH THE METHOD WE HAVE SEEN. SOME VERBS HAVE “IRREGULAR” PAST PARTICIPLES AND NEED TO BE LEARNT HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT ONES

LEARN THESE PAST PARTICIPLES MEANING INFINITIVE PARTICIPLE TO BE ÊTRE ÉTÉ TO DO/MAKE FAIRE FAIT SAVOIR SU TO KNOW DEVOIR TO HAVE TO DÛ POUVOIR PU TO BE ABLE TO TO SEE VOIR VU TO HAVE AVOIR EU LEARN THESE PAST PARTICIPLES

REMEMBER EARLIER WE SAID THERE ARE TWO VERBS WHICH CAN BE USED AS AN AUXILIARY VERB……… THERE ARE SOME VERBS WHICH USE “ÊTRE” INSTEAD OF “AVOIR”. LET’S SEE HOW THIS WORKS……

A ller V enir A rriver P artir R ester R etourner M onter D escendre E THERE ARE 13 VERBS WHICH USE “ÊTRE” AS THE AUXILIARY. HERE THEY ARE……… A ller V enir A rriver P artir R ester R etourner M onter D escendre E ntrer S ortir N aître M ourir T omber

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO LEARN THESE VERBS FORTUNATELY THERE ARE WAYS TO HELP……

A A ller V enir A A rriver P artir R R ester R etourner M M onter D 1 A A ller V enir A A rriver P artir R R ester R etourner M M onter D escendre E E ntrer S ortir N N aître M ourir T omber

AARMEN REMEMBERING THIS ODD SPELLING OF THE WORD “AMEN” IS ONE WAY OF HELPING TO REMEMBER THE “13 ÊTRE VERBS”. IT ALSO HELPS TO REMEMBER THE MEANINGS. DID YOU NOTICE HOW THE VERBS WERE ARRANGED IN TWO COLUMNS? THE MEANING OF THE VERB ON THE RIGHT IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE VERB ON THE LEFT LET’S HAVE A LOOK AT THEM AGAIN

TOMBER VENIR ALLER TO FALL TO GO TO COME ARRIVER PARTIR TO ARRIVE TO LEAVE RESTER RETOURNER TO STAY TO RETURN MONTER DESCENDRE TO GO UP TO GO DOWN ENTRER SORTIR TO GO IN TO GO OUT NAÎTRE MOURIR TO BE BORN TO DIE AND “TOMBER” FALLS DOWN BETWEEN THE REST!!

THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO HELP REMEMBER THE 13 ÊTRE VERBS THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO HELP REMEMBER THE 13 ÊTRE VERBS. HERE IS ANOTHER POPULAR WAY………

MONTER M RESTER R SORTIR S ALLER A NAÎTRE N VENIR V DESCENDRE D ENTRER E TOMBER T RETOURNER R ARRIVER A MOURIR M PARTIR P THE 13 VERBS ARE ALSO KNOWN AS THE “MRS. VAN DE TRAMP” VERBS

THESE 13 VERBS WORK IN THE SAME WAY AS HOW WE SAW PREVIOUSLY THESE 13 VERBS WORK IN THE SAME WAY AS HOW WE SAW PREVIOUSLY. FIRST YOU NEED TO MAKE THE PAST PARTICIPLE BUT THIS TIME IT IS COMBINED WITH PARTS OF “ÊTRE” INSTEAD OF “AVOIR”. ONLY THREE OF THE 13 VERBS HAVE AN IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE. HERE THEY ALL ARE……

THE 13 “ÊTRE” VERBS AND THEIR PAST PARTICIPLES INFINITIVE PAST PARTICIPLE INFINITIVE PAST PARTICIPLE ALLER ALLÉ VENIR VENU ARRIVER ARRIVÉ PARTIR PARTI RESTER RESTÉ RETOURNER RETOURNÉ MONTER MONTÉ DESCENDRE DESCENDU ENTRER ENTRÉ SORTIR SORTI NAÎTRE NÉ MOURIR MORT TOMBER TOMBÉ THESE ARE THE IRREGULAR ONES

JE SUIS I AM TU ES YOU ARE IL/ELLE EST HE/SHE IS WE ARE NOUS SOMMES ÊTRE – TO BE JE SUIS I AM TU ES YOU ARE IL/ELLE EST HE/SHE IS WE ARE NOUS SOMMES YOU ARE VOUS ÊTES THEY ARE ILS/ELLES SONT

PART OF PAST ALLÉ JE SUIS ÊTRE PARTICIPLE = I WENT

PART OF PAST PARTI IL EST ÊTRE PARTICIPLE = HE LEFT

THERE IS ONE MORE IMPORTANT THING THAT MUST BE DONE WHEN USING THE PERFECT TENSE WITH ÊTRE…… THE PAST PARTICIPLE MUST AGREE WITH THE SUBJECT. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?? LET’S SEE

YOU WILL HAVE SEEN THE USE OF AGREEMENTS BEFORE YOU WILL HAVE SEEN THE USE OF AGREEMENTS BEFORE. ADDING EXTRA LETTERS WHEN DESCRIBING SOMETHING FEMININE OR PLURAL. LIKE THIS……… IL EST PETIT ILS SONT PETITS ELLE EST PETITE ELLES SONT PETITES THESE SAME AGREEMENTS ARE ALSO USED WHEN USING ÊTRE IN THE PERFECT TENSE

PART OF PAST ALLÉE ELLE EST ÊTRE PARTICIPLE = SHE WENT

PART OF PAST ARRIVÉS ILS SONT ÊTRE PARTICIPLE = THEY ARRIVED

PART OF PAST RESTÉES ELLES SONT ÊTRE PARTICIPLE = THEY STAYED

ALSO ALL REFLEXIVE VERBS USE ÊTRE IN THE PERFECT TENSE. EG “SE LEVER” “SE REVEILLER” ETC. YOU FORM THE PERFECT TENSE IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY BUT YOU MUST INCLUDE THE CORRECT REFLEXIVE PRONOUN. HERE IS HOW TO DO IT……

ELLE S’EST LEVÉE = SHE GOT UP JE ME SUIS LEVÉ = I GOT UP TU T’ES LEVÉ = YOU GOT UP IL S’EST LEVÉ = HE GOT UP ELLE S’EST LEVÉE = SHE GOT UP NOUS NOUS SOMMES LEVÉS = WE GOT UP VOUS VOUS ÊTES LEVÉS = YOU GOT UP ILS SE SONT LEVÉS = THEY GOT UP ELLES SE SONT LEVÉES = THEY GOT UP

AND THAT’S THE PERFECT TENSE IN FRENCH AND THAT’S THE PERFECT TENSE IN FRENCH. IT MIGHT SEEM A LOT OF INFORMATION TO REMEMBER BUT EVERY TIME YOU GO TO FORM A VERB IN THIS TENSE THINK ABOUT THE KEY STEPS………

FORM THE PAST PARTICIPLE. IS IT REGULAR OR IRREGULAR? 1 DOES THE VERB USE “AVOIR” OR “ÊTRE”? 2 IF IT USES “ÊTRE” DOES THE PAST PARTICIPLE NEED TO AGREE? 3

FIN