Verbs
Grammar
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Explore 27 grammar articles covering tenses, moods, verb forms, and structures
Tenses & Moods
Verb Groups
Verb Forms
Grammar Structures
Present Indicative
Current or habitual action or state
Je lis un livre. / I read a book.
Recent Past
Action just completed (venir de + infinitive)
Je viens de manger. / I just ate.
Near Future
Imminent action (aller + infinitive)
Je vais partir. / I’m going to leave.
Imperative
Give orders or advice
Parle ! / Speak!
Past Compound with "avoir"
Completed action in the past with auxiliary avoir
J’ai mangé. / I ate.
Past Compound with "être"
Completed action (motion or reflexive) with être
Je suis parti. / I left.
Imperfect Indicative
Continuous or habitual past action
Je parlais. / I was speaking.
Simple Future
Future action
Je parlerai. / I will speak.
Present Conditional
Hypothesis or politeness in the present
Je parlerais. / I would speak.
Present Subjunctive
Doubt, wish, or emotion after "que"
Il faut que je parle. / It’s necessary that I speak.
Pluperfect
Action prior to another in the past
J’avais mangé. / I had eaten.
Past Conditional
Hypothesis about a past action
J’aurais parlé. / I would have spoken.
Future Anterior
Future action completed before another
J’aurai fini. / I will have finished.
Past Subjunctive
Doubt or wish about a past action after "que"
Il faut que j’aie fini./ It’s necessary that I have finished.
Past Simple
Completed past action (formal writing)
Je parlai. / I spoke.
First Group Verbs
Regular -er verbs
Je parle français. / I speak French.
Second Group Verbs
Regular -ir verbs that have "-issons" with "nous".
Nous finissons nos devoirs. / We finish our homework.
Third Group Verbs
Verbs in -ir (non -issons), -re, -oir, or irregular
Il vend sa voiture. / He sells his car.
Reflexive Verbs
Verbs with reflexive pronouns for actions on oneself
Je me lave. / I wash myself.
Past Participle
In compound tenses or as an adjective
Un livre lu. / A read book.
Present Gerund
Simultaneous action with en + present participle
En parlant, je mange. / While speaking, I eat.
Present Participle
Ongoing action, as an adjective or complement
Parlant fort, il attire l’attention. / Speaking loudly, he attracts attention.
Past Gerund
Past simultaneous action with en + ayant/étant + past participle
En ayant fini, je suis parti. / Having finished, I left.
Negation
Express negation with ne...pas, ne...rien, etc.
Je ne parle pas chinois. / I don’t speak Chinese.
The Pronoun "On"
Indefinite pronoun for “someone” or “we”
On va au cinéma. / We go to the cinema.
Present Passive Voice
When the subject undergoes the action in the present
Le livre est lu par Marie. / The book is read by Marie.
Past Passive Voice
When the subject underwent the action in the past
Le livre a été lu par Marie. / The book was read by Marie.