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French tense guides

Understand when to use each French tense, how to recognise it, and how to form it.

InfinitiveThe dictionary form of the verb, used after many other verbs and prepositions.›PresentUse the present for what is happening now, repeated habits, general truths, and near-future plans when context makes the time clear.›ImperfectUse the imperfect for background, descriptions, repeated past habits, and actions that were in progress.›FutureTalk about future events, predictions, promises, and plans stated as facts.›Simple pastA written-story past tense for completed events, common in literature and history but rare in conversation.›Conditional presentExpress what would happen, polite requests, advice, wishes, and imagined situations.›Subjunctive presentUse the present subjunctive after expressions of need, doubt, emotion, desire, judgment, or purpose.›Subjunctive imperfectA rare literary subjunctive for past contexts, mostly useful for reading formal or older texts.›ImperativeGive commands, instructions, suggestions, warnings, or invitations directly to someone.›Present participleA verbal form in -ant that describes an action as ongoing or characteristic.›Past participleA form used with avoir or être to build compound past tenses, and sometimes as an adjective.›GerundUse en + present participle to show while doing, by doing, or through doing another action.›

A focused French verb reference by Verbly.

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