Advanced Verb Forms

The Past Tenses

French has several ways to talk about the past. Understanding when to use each one is key to advanced communication.

#### Passé Composé (Completed Past)

Used for completed actions in the past.

Formation: avoir/être + past participle

Examples: - J'ai mangé (I ate/have eaten) - Elle est arrivée (She arrived) - Nous avons vu le film (We saw the movie)

Être Verbs (remember DR MRS VANDERTRAMP): - Devenir, Revenir, Mourir, Retourner, Sortir - Venir, Aller, Naître, Descendre, Entrer, Rentrer - Tomber, Rester, Arriver, Monter, Partir

#### Imparfait (Imperfect)

Used for ongoing past actions, descriptions, habits.

Formation: Stem from nous form + endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient)

Examples: - Quand j'étais petit(e) (When I was little) - Il pleuvait tous les jours (It rained every day) - Nous habitions à Dakar (We used to live in Dakar)

#### Choosing Between Passé Composé and Imparfait

``` Context: Hier, il pleuvait quand je suis sorti(e). (Yesterday, it was raining when I went out.) - pleuvait = ongoing background action (imparfait) - suis sorti(e) = specific completed action (passé composé) ```

The Future Tenses

#### Futur Simple

Formation: Infinitive + endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont)

Examples: - Je parlerai (I will speak) - Nous voyagerons (We will travel) - Ils comprendront (They will understand)

#### Futur Proche

Formation: aller + infinitive

Examples: - Je vais partir (I'm going to leave) - Elle va étudier (She's going to study)

The Subjunctive Mood

The subjunctive expresses doubt, emotion, desire, necessity.

#### Formation

Most verbs: Take ils form of present, remove -ent, add endings (-e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent)

Common Triggers: - Il faut que... (It's necessary that...) - Je veux que... (I want that...) - J'ai peur que... (I'm afraid that...) - Il est possible que... (It's possible that...)

Examples: - Il faut que tu viennes (You must come) - Je doute qu'il soit là (I doubt he's there) - Elle est contente que nous réussissions (She's happy we're succeeding)

The Conditional

Expresses what would happen under certain conditions.

Formation: Future stem + imperfect endings

Examples: - Je voudrais un café (I would like a coffee) - Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais une maison (If I were rich, I would buy a house) - Pourriez-vous m'aider? (Could you help me?)