Verbal aspects in French, including how the language expresses the nature of actions through grammatical structures like tenses and moods.
Verbal aspects in French refer to how the language expresses the nature, flow, or completeness of an action, such as whether it is ongoing, completed, habitual, or repeated. Unlike some languages that have specific aspectual verb forms, French primarily uses its tense system—combining simple and compound tenses along with moods like the indicative, subjunctive, and conditional—to convey different aspects. Key structures include the imperfect (imparfait) for ongoing or habitual past actions, the passé composé for completed actions, the plus-que-parfait for actions completed before another past action, and the use of the present participle or gerund for simultaneous or ongoing actions. Understanding French verbal aspects involves recognizing how these tenses and forms interact to express the speaker’s viewpoint on the timing and nature of the action.
A2
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Table of Contents
- Perfect Tenses
A comprehensive explanation of the three French perfect tenses (passé composé, plus-que-parfait, passé antérieur), including structure, usage, and examples.
- Progressive Tenses (être en train de)
Progressive tenses in French using être en train de to express actions currently in progress.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
