French Grammar
Tenses & Moods
15 articlesVerb Groups
4 articlesVerb Forms
4 articlesGrammar Structures
4 articlesPassé récentA1Recent Past
The recent past (passé récent) is used to describe actions that have just happened, formed with the present indicative of venir de + infinitive.
- Je viens de parler avec le client.
- I have just talked with the client.
- Nous venons de déjeuner.
- We have just had lunch.
The Passé récent expresses actions completed very recently, from a few minutes ago or today. It emphasizes the immediacy of the action, often more vivid than the Passé composé.
It’s common in spoken French, especially for casual and professional situations.
Formation of Recent Past
venir (au présent) + de + infinitif
The Passé récent is formed by conjugating venir in the present indicative, followed by de and the infinitive of the main verb.
| Example | Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| je viens de | je viens de parler | I have just spoken |
| tu viens de | tu viens de parler | you have just spoken |
| il/elle/on vient de | il vient de parler | he has just spoken |
| nous venons de | nous venons de parler | we have just spoken |
| vous venez de | vous venez de parler | you have just spoken (pl.) |
| ils/elles viennent de | ils viennent de parler | they have just spoken |
Examples
- Je viens d’envoyer un email.
- I have just sent an email.
- Il vient de voir un problème.
- He has just seen a problem.
- Elle vient de corriger le problème.
- She has just corrected the problem.
- Nous venons de vérifier les documents.
- We have just checked the documents.
- Il vient de passer un appel à Adrien.
- He has just made a call to Adrien.
- On vient de demander à Adrien de venir.
- We have just asked Adrien to come.
- Ils viennent de finir le rapport.
- They have just finished the report.