Post on 28-Mar-2015
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
DONESUBJECT AUXILIARY
VERBPAST PARTICIPLE
TO FORM THE PERFECT TENSE IN FRENCH, WE NEED AN AUXILIARY VERB AND A PAST PARTICIPLE, JUST AS IN ENGLISH.
THIS IS THE PERFECT TENSE IN ENGLISH
THERE ARE TWO VERBS THAT ARE USED AS AUXILIARY VERBS……
ANDAVOIR ÊTREMOST VERBS USE “AVOIR” AS THE
AUXILIARY VERB, BUT SOME USE “ÊTRE”, (WE’LL DEAL WITH THIS LATER)
(TO HAVE)
(TO BE)
HERE ARE THE PARTS OF AVOIR
J’AITU AS
IL/ELLE A
NOUS AVONSVOUS AVEZILS/ELLES ONT
I HAVEYOU HAVE
HE/SHE HAS
WE HAVEYOU HAVETHEY HAVE
THE NEXT STEP IS TO FORM A PAST PARTICIPLE
HERE’S HOW ………
TAKE AN INFINITIVE
JOUERFINIRVENDRE
REMOVE THE ENDING
ADD ENDINGS
THIS IS CALLED A STEM
É
IU
THESE ARE PAST PARTICIPLES
PAST PARTICIPLE ENDS IN …………
VERB ENDS IN………………… -ER
-IR-RE
ÉIU
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
J’AI JOUÉ
= I PLAYED / I HAVE PLAYED
IL A FINI
= HE FINISHED / HE HAS FINISHED
NOUS AVONS VENDU
= WE SOLD / WE HAVE SOLD
VOUS AVEZ
VISITÉ
= YOU VISITED /YOU HAVE VISITED
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 LEARNTHERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT ONES
MEANING INFINITIVEPAST
PARTICIPLETO BE ÊTRE ÉTÉ
TO KNOW
SAVOIR SUTO DO/MAKE
FAIRE
FAIT
TO HAVE TO DEVOIR DÛTO BE ABLE TO POUVOI
RPU
TO SEE VOIR VUTO
HAVEAVOIR 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……
THERE ARE 13 VERBS WHICH USE “ÊTRE” AS THE AUXILIARY.
HERE THEY ARE………Alle
rVenirA
RMEN
rriveresteronterntreraître
PartirRetournerD
SM
escendreortirourirTombe
r
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO LEARN THESE VERBSFORTUNATELY THERE ARE WAYS TO HELP……
Aller
VenirA
RMEN
rriveresteronterntreraître
PartirRetournerD
SM
escendreortirourirTombe
r
AARMEN
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 LEFTLET’S HAVE A LOOK AT THEM AGAIN
ALLER VENIR
ARRIVERTO GO
TO ARRIVERESTERTO STAY
MONTERTO GO UPENTRER
TO GO INNAÎTRE
TO BE BORN
PARTIR
RETOURNER
DESCENDRE
SORTIR
MOURIR
TO COME
TO LEAVETO RETURN
TO GO DOWN
TO GO OUT
TO DIE
TOMBERTO FALL
AND “TOMBER” FALLS DOWN BETWEEN THE REST!!
THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO HELP REMEMBER THE 13 ÊTRE VERBS. HERE IS ANOTHER POPULAR WAY………
MONTER
RESTER SORTIRVENIR ALLER NAÎTREDESCENDRE
ENTRER TOMBERRETOURNE
RARRIVER
MOURIRPARTIR
M R SV A ND E TR A MP
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. 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
RESTER
MONTER
ENTRER
NAÎTRE
TOMBER
ARRIVÉ
RESTÉ
MONTÉ
ENTRÉ
NÉ
TOMBÉ
PARTIR PARTI
RETOURNER
RETOURNÉ
DESCENDRE
DESCENDU
SORTIR SORTI
MOURIR MORT
THESE ARE THE IRREGULAR ONES
JE SUISTU ES
IL/ELLE EST
NOUS SOMMESVOUS ÊTESILS/ELLES SONT
I AMYOU ARE
HE/SHE IS
WE AREYOU ARETHEY ARE
ALLÉ
= I WENT
JE SUIS
PARTI
= HE LEFT
IL EST
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. ADDING EXTRA LETTERS WHEN DESCRIBING SOMETHING FEMININE OR PLURAL. LIKE THIS………
IL EST PETIT
ELLE EST PETITE
ILS SONT PETITS
ELLES SONT PETITES
THESE SAME AGREEMENTS ARE ALSO USED WHEN USING ÊTRE IN THE PERFECT TENSE
ALLÉE
= SHE WENT
ELLE EST
ARRIVÉS
= THEY ARRIVED
ILS SONT
RESTÉES
= THEY STAYED
ELLES SONT
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……
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. 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?DOES THE VERB USE “AVOIR” OR “ÊTRE”?
IF IT USES “ÊTRE” DOES THE PAST PARTICIPLE NEED TO AGREE?