In French, there are several past tenses used to express actions that happened in the past. The three most commonly used past tenses are the passé composé, imparfait, and plus-que-parfait.
- Passé Composé: Used for completed actions or events that happened at a specific point in time. It is formed with the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the present tense and the past participle of the main verb.
- Imparfait: Used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, descriptions, or background information. It is formed by taking the nous form of the present tense, removing -ons, and adding the imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient).
- Plus-que-parfait: Used to describe actions that had been completed before another past action. It is formed with the imperfect tense of avoir or être and the past participle of the verb.
Understanding when and how to use these past tenses is key to telling stories and describing past events in French.
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Table of Contents
- Passé Composé
The passé composé is a French past tense used to express completed actions, events, or changes that happened at a specific time in the past.
- Imparfait
The imparfait is a French past tense used to express ongoing or habitual actions, describe settings, and talk about states of being in the past.
- Plus-que-parfait
The plus-que-parfait is a French past tense that expresses actions completed before another past action or point in time.
- Passé Simple (literary)
Passé simple, a literary French past tense used in formal writing, reported speech, and narrative storytelling.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
