A comprehensive overview of French past tenses, including passé composé, imparfait, plus-que-parfait, and passé simple, explaining their usage and formation.

French past tenses are a fundamental part of French grammar, allowing speakers to describe actions that have already occurred. There are several past tenses in French, each with its own specific usage: the passé composé for completed actions, the imparfait for ongoing or habitual past actions, the plus-que-parfait for actions that happened before another past action, and the passé simple for literary or formal writing. Understanding when and how to use these tenses is key to expressing past events accurately in French.

A2

Passé Composé

B1

Passé Simple (literary)

Imparfait

Plus-que-parfait

Passé Composé
Passé composé is a French past tense used to express completed actions, using auxiliary verbs “avoir” or “être” and past participles.
Imparfait
Imparfait is a French verb tense used to describe ongoing or habitual past actions, set the scene, or express what used to happen.
Plus-que-parfait
Plus-que-parfait is a French past tense used to indicate actions that had already been completed before another past action. It is formed with the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and the past participle.
Passé Simple (literary)
Passé simple is a literary past tense used in French for completed actions in writing, especially in novels, history, and formal narratives.

Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025

French

Past Tenses

A2

B1

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