Grammar: Tenses and Verb Forms

Tenses are the backbone of GCSE French. To achieve a high grade, you must demonstrate confident and accurate use of at least three tenses (present, past, future), and for the top grades (grades 7–9), you should also include the imperfect and conditional tenses with ease. This lesson provides comprehensive conjugation tables, detailed rules, worked examples and exam tips for every tense you need at GCSE level.

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The Present Tense (Le présent)

The present tense describes what you do, what you are doing, or what happens regularly. It is the most frequently used tense and forms the foundation for understanding all other tenses.

Regular -ER verbs (first group)

Around 80% of French verbs are -ER verbs. Remove the -er ending and add the present tense endings.

Subject	Ending	jouer (to play)	parler (to speak)	regarder (to watch)
je	-e	joue	parle	regarde
tu	-es	joues	parles	regardes
il/elle/on	-e	joue	parle	regarde
nous	-ons	jouons	parlons	regardons
vous	-ez	jouez	parlez	regardez
ils/elles	-ent	jouent	parlent	regardent

Note: The endings -e, -es, -e, and -ent are all silent in spoken French. Only -ons and -ez are pronounced.

• Je joue au football le samedi. — I play football on Saturdays.
• Nous regardons la télévision le soir. — We watch television in the evening.
• Tu parles français très bien. — You speak French very well.

Regular -IR verbs (second group)

Remove the -ir ending and add the -IR verb present tense endings. Note the -iss- infix in the plural forms.

Subject	Ending	finir (to finish)	choisir (to choose)	remplir (to fill)
je	-is	finis	choisis	remplis
tu	-is	finis	choisis	remplis
il/elle/on	-it	finit	choisit	remplit
nous	-issons	finissons	choisissons	remplissons
vous	-issez	finissez	choisissez	remplissez
ils/elles	-issent	finissent	choisissent	remplissent

• Je finis mes devoirs à six heures. — I finish my homework at six o'clock.
• Nous choisissons un film pour ce soir. — We are choosing a film for tonight.

Regular -RE verbs (third group)

Remove the -re ending and add the -RE verb present tense endings. Note: the il/elle/on form has no ending added.

Subject	Ending	vendre (to sell)	attendre (to wait)	répondre (to answer)
je	-s	vends	attends	réponds
tu	-s	vends	attends	réponds
il/elle/on	—	vend	attend	répond
nous	-ons	vendons	attendons	répondons
vous	-ez	vendez	attendez	répondez
ils/elles	-ent	vendent	attendent	répondent

• Il vend sa voiture. — He is selling his car.
• J'attends le bus depuis dix minutes. — I have been waiting for the bus for ten minutes.

10 Key Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense

These are the most important irregular verbs in French. You must learn them by heart.

	être (to be)	avoir (to have)	aller (to go)	faire (to do/make)	pouvoir (can)
je	suis	ai	vais	fais	peux
tu	es	as	vas	fais	peux
il/elle/on	est	a	va	fait	peut
nous	sommes	avons	allons	faisons	pouvons
vous	êtes	avez	allez	faites	pouvez
ils/elles	sont	ont	vont	font	peuvent

	vouloir (to want)	devoir (must)	prendre (to take)	mettre (to put)	venir (to come)
je	veux	dois	prends	mets	viens
tu	veux	dois	prends	mets	viens
il/elle/on	veut	doit	prend	met	vient
nous	voulons	devons	prenons	mettons	venons
vous	voulez	devez	prenez	mettez	venez
ils/elles	veulent	doivent	prennent	mettent	viennent

• Je suis content parce que je vais en France. — I am happy because I am going to France.
• Elle fait ses devoirs tous les jours. — She does her homework every day.
• Nous pouvons aller au cinéma ce soir. — We can go to the cinema tonight.
• Ils veulent apprendre le français. — They want to learn French.
• Tu dois finir avant midi. — You must finish before noon.
• On prend le petit déjeuner à sept heures. — We have breakfast at seven o'clock.
• Je mets mon manteau parce qu'il fait froid. — I put on my coat because it is cold.
• Elles viennent de Paris. — They come from Paris.

Exam tip: The present tense of être and avoir must be completely automatic — you will need them as auxiliaries for the passé composé, and they appear in almost every sentence you write or speak.

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The Passé Composé (Perfect Tense)

The passé composé describes completed actions in the past — what you did, what happened. It is formed with a present tense auxiliary (avoir or être) + past participle.

Formation with avoir (the majority of verbs)

Verb group	Past participle rule	Example
-ER verbs	Remove -er, add -é	jouer → joué
-IR verbs	Remove -ir, add -i	finir → fini
-RE verbs	Remove -re, add -u	vendre → vendu

• J'ai joué au tennis hier. — I played tennis yesterday.
• Elle a fini son travail. — She finished her work.
• On a vendu la maison. — We sold the house.
• Nous avons regardé un bon film. — We watched a good film.

Key Irregular Past Participles

You must memorise these — they appear constantly in exams.

Infinitive	Past participle	English
faire	fait	done / made
boire	bu	drunk
lire	lu	read
mettre	mis	put
prendre	pris	taken
voir	vu	seen
dire	dit	said
écrire	écrit	written
avoir	eu	had
être	été	been
pouvoir	pu	been able to
vouloir	voulu	wanted
devoir	dû	had to
savoir	su	known
recevoir	reçu	received
ouvrir	ouvert	opened
offrir	offert	offered

• J'ai fait mes devoirs hier soir. — I did my homework last night.
• Elle a bu un café ce matin. — She drank a coffee this morning.
• Nous avons lu un article intéressant. — We read an interesting article.
• Il a mis la table pour le dîner. — He set the table for dinner.
• Tu as pris le bus ou le train ? — Did you take the bus or the train?
• J'ai vu un film fantastique au cinéma. — I saw a fantastic film at the cinema.
• On a dit la vérité. — We told the truth.
• Elle a écrit une lettre à sa correspondante. — She wrote a letter to her pen friend.

Formation with être — MRS VAN DER TRAMP

Certain verbs of movement and change of state use être as their auxiliary. The past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number (add -e for feminine, -s for plural, -es for feminine plural).

The MRS VAN DER TRAMP mnemonic gives you the full list:

Letter	Verb	Past participle	English
M	Monter	monté	went up
R	Rester	resté	stayed
S	Sortir	sorti	went out
V	Venir	venu	came
A	Aller	allé	went
N	Naître	né	was born
D	Descendre	descendu	went down
E	Entrer	entré	entered
R	Retourner	retourné	returned
T	Tomber	tombé	fell
R	Rentrer	rentré	went home
A	Arriver	arrivé	arrived
M	Mourir	mort	died
P	Partir	parti	left

Also: all reflexive verbs use être — Je me suis levé(e) (I got up), Elle s'est habillée (She got dressed).

Past participle agreement with être

Subject	Example	Translation
il (masculine singular)	Il est allé au cinéma.	He went to the cinema.
elle (feminine singular)	Elle est allée au cinéma.	She went to the cinema.
ils (masculine plural)	Ils sont allés au cinéma.	They (m.) went to the cinema.
elles (feminine plural)	Elles sont allées au cinéma.	They (f.) went to the cinema.
nous (mixed/masculine)	Nous sommes arrivés à midi.	We arrived at noon.
nous (all feminine)	Nous sommes arrivées à midi.	We (f.) arrived at noon.

• Ma sœur est née en deux mille dix. — My sister was born in 2010.
• Mes parents sont partis en vacances. — My parents went on holiday.
• Je me suis couché(e) à dix heures. — I went to bed at ten o'clock.

Exam tip: Forgetting the agreement with être is one of the most common errors at GCSE. In your writing, always check: did I use être? If yes, does the past participle agree with the subject? This is an easy mark to gain — or lose.

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The Imperfect Tense (L'imparfait)

The imperfect describes ongoing, repeated or habitual actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of mind. Think of it as "was doing", "used to do", or "it was…".

Formation

Take the nous form of the present tense, remove -ons, and add the imperfect endings:

Subject	Ending	jouer (jou-)	finir (finiss-)	vendre (vend-)
je	-ais	jouais	finissais	vendais
tu	-ais	jouais	finissais	vendais
il/elle/on	-ait	jouait	finissait	vendait
nous	-ions	jouions	finissions	vendions
vous	-iez	jouiez	finissiez	vendiez
ils/elles	-aient	jouaient	finissaient	vendaient

The only exception: être — the stem is ét- (not from the nous form).

Subject	être (ét-)
je	étais
tu	étais
il/elle/on	était
nous	étions
vous	étiez
ils/elles	étaient

Key uses of the imperfect

1. Descriptions: Il faisait beau et le ciel était bleu. — The weather was nice and the sky was blue.
2. Ongoing states: J'étais fatigué(e) après le voyage. — I was tired after the journey.
3. Habitual actions: Quand j'étais petit(e), je jouais au parc tous les jours. — When I was little, I used to play in the park every day.
4. Setting the scene: Il y avait beaucoup de monde et tout le monde riait. — There were lots of people and everyone was laughing.

Passé composé vs. imperfect — the key distinction

Passé composé	Imperfect
Single, completed action	Ongoing, repeated or habitual action
J'ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.)	Je mangeais une pomme quand… (I was eating an apple when…)
Il a plu hier. (It rained yesterday.)	Il pleuvait tous les jours. (It rained/used to rain every day.)
What happened?	What was happening? / What was it like?

• Quand j'étais en vacances, il faisait très chaud et je nageais tous les jours. — When I was on holiday, it was very hot and I used to swim every day.
• Hier, je regardais la télé quand le téléphone a sonné. — Yesterday, I was watching TV when the phone rang.

Exam tip: Using the imperfect alongside the passé composé is the single most effective way to demonstrate tense variety and reach the higher mark bands. A simple formula: use the imperfect for the background/setting and the passé composé for the actions/events.

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The Future Tense (Le futur simple)

The future tense describes what will happen.

Formation

Infinitive + future endings (for -RE verbs, drop the final -e first):

Subject	Ending	jouer	finir	vendre (vendr-)
je	-ai	jouerai	finirai	vendrai
tu	-as	joueras	finiras	vendras
il/elle/on	-a	jouera	finira	vendra
nous	-ons	jouerons	finirons	vendrons
vous	-ez	jouerez	finirez	vendrez
ils/elles	-ont	joueront	finiront	vendront

8 Key Irregular Future Stems

Verb	Irregular stem	je form	English
être	ser-	je serai	I will be
avoir	aur-	j'aurai	I will have
aller	ir-	j'irai	I will go
faire	fer-	je ferai	I will do/make
pouvoir	pourr-	je pourrai	I will be able to
vouloir	voudr-	je voudrai	I will want
devoir	devr-	je devrai	I will have to
savoir	saur-	je saurai	I will know

Also useful: venir → viendr- (je viendrai), voir → verr- (je verrai), envoyer → enverr- (j'enverrai).

• L'année prochaine, j'irai en France avec ma famille. — Next year, I will go to France with my family.
• Quand je serai plus grand(e), je serai médecin. — When I am older, I will be a doctor.
• Il fera beau demain. — The weather will be nice tomorrow.
• Nous aurons beaucoup de temps libre pendant les vacances. — We will have lots of free time during the holidays.
• Tu pourras venir chez moi samedi ? — Will you be able to come to my house on Saturday?

Exam tip: The future tense endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont) are the same as the present tense of avoir (without the av-). This can help you remember them.

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The Conditional Tense (Le conditionnel)

The conditional describes what would happen or what you would like. It is used for politeness, hypothetical situations and wishes.

Formation

Future stem + imperfect endings

Subject	Ending	jouer (jouer-)	être (ser-)	avoir (aur-)	faire (fer-)
je	-ais	jouerais	serais	aurais	ferais
tu	-ais	jouerais	serais	aurais	ferais
il/elle/on	-ait	jouerait	serait	aurait	ferait
nous	-ions	jouerions	serions	aurions	ferions
vous	-iez	joueriez	seriez	auriez	feriez
ils/elles	-aient	joueraient	seraient	auraient	feraient

Uses

1. Politeness: Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît. — I would like a coffee, please.
2. Wishes: J'aimerais visiter le Japon un jour. — I would love to visit Japan one day.
3. Hypothetical: Si j'avais le temps, je lirais plus. — If I had the time, I would read more.
4. Opinions: Ce serait formidable de voyager autour du monde. — It would be wonderful to travel around the world.

• Si je gagnais à la loterie, j'achèterais une grande maison. — If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.
• Nous pourrions aller à la plage s'il faisait beau. — We could go to the beach if the weather were nice.
• Il devrait étudier davantage pour ses examens. — He should study more for his exams.

Exam tip: The conditional is a "high-grade" tense. Including even one conditional sentence (Je voudrais…, Ce serait…, Si je pouvais, je…) in your writing or speaking shows the examiner you can handle complex grammar.

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The Near Future (Le futur proche)

The near future uses aller (present tense) + infinitive to express what you are going to do. It is simpler than the future simple and perfectly acceptable at GCSE.

Subject	aller	+ infinitive	Translation
je	vais	manger	I am going to eat
tu	vas	jouer	you are going to play
il/elle/on	va	partir	he/she/one is going to leave
nous	allons	voyager	we are going to travel
vous	allez	finir	you are going to finish
ils/elles	vont	regarder	they are going to watch

• Ce soir, je vais regarder un film. — Tonight, I am going to watch a film.
• Nous allons visiter Paris le week-end prochain. — We are going to visit Paris next weekend.
• Elle va commencer un nouveau travail en septembre. — She is going to start a new job in September.

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The Recent Past (Le passé récent)

The recent past uses venir de (present tense) + infinitive to express what you have just done.

Subject	venir de	+ infinitive	Translation
je	viens de	manger	I have just eaten
tu	viens de	finir	you have just finished
il/elle/on	vient de	partir	he/she has just left
nous	venons de	regarder	we have just watched
vous	venez de	arriver	you have just arrived
ils/elles	viennent de	téléphoner	they have just phoned

• Je viens de finir mes devoirs. — I have just finished my homework.
• Il vient d'arriver à la gare. — He has just arrived at the station.
• Nous venons de manger, donc on n'a pas faim. — We have just eaten, so we are not hungry.

Exam tip: Using venir de + infinitive is an easy way to show the examiner you can express the recent past without needing the full passé composé. Pair it with a near future sentence for impressive tense range: Je viens de rentrer et je vais me coucher. (I have just come home and I am going to go to bed.)

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The Imperative (L'impératif)

The imperative is used to give commands, instructions or advice. It exists in three forms: tu (informal singular), nous (let's), and vous (formal/plural).

Formation

Use the present tense forms but drop the subject pronoun. For -ER verbs, the tu form drops the final -s.

Verb	tu form	nous form	vous form
parler	Parle !	Parlons !	Parlez !
finir	Finis !	Finissons !	Finissez !
attendre	Attends !	Attendons !	Attendez !

Irregular imperatives

Verb	tu	nous	vous
être	Sois ! (Be!)	Soyons !	Soyez !
avoir	Aie ! (Have!)	Ayons !	Ayez !
savoir	Sache ! (Know!)	Sachons !	Sachez !

• Écoute bien ! — Listen carefully! (tu)
• Finissez vos devoirs ! — Finish your homework! (vous)
• Allons à la plage ! — Let's go to the beach!
• Sois sage ! — Be good! (tu)
• N'oubliez pas vos livres ! — Don't forget your books! (vous)
• Ne parle pas en classe ! — Don't talk in class! (tu)

Exam tip: The imperative appears in reading and listening texts (instructions, recipes, advice columns). Being able to recognise it will help you decode texts. In writing, you can use it in informal letters or advice-giving tasks.

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Common Errors and How to Avoid Them

Error	Why it is wrong	Correct version
J'ai allé	Aller uses être, not avoir	Je suis allé(e)
Elle est allé	Missing agreement (feminine subject)	Elle est allée
Je suis mangé	Manger uses avoir, not être	J'ai mangé
Il a sorti	Sortir (movement) uses être	Il est sorti
Nous jouons → nous jouions (imperfect stem)	Correct stem from nous jouons → jou-	Je jouais (not jouiais)
Je serai (conditional)	Confusing future and conditional endings	Future: je serai / Conditional: je serais
Je va manger	Wrong conjugation of aller	Je vais manger
Il faisait → il a faisait	Mixing auxiliary with imperfect	Il faisait (imperfect has no auxiliary)

Exam tip: Before submitting any piece of writing, check every verb. Ask yourself: (1) Is the tense correct for what I am trying to say? (2) Is the conjugation accurate? (3) If passé composé, did I use avoir or être? (4) If être, does the past participle agree? These four checks can recover several marks.

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Summary of All Tenses

Tense	When to use	Formation	Example
Present	Now / regularly	Stem + present endings	Je joue
Passé composé	Completed past action	Avoir/être + past participle	J'ai joué / Je suis allé(e)
Imperfect	Ongoing/habitual past, descriptions	Nous stem + imperfect endings	Je jouais
Future simple	Will happen	Infinitive + future endings	Je jouerai
Conditional	Would happen	Future stem + imperfect endings	Je jouerais
Near future	Going to happen	Aller + infinitive	Je vais jouer
Recent past	Just happened	Venir de + infinitive	Je viens de jouer
Imperative	Commands	Present form (no subject)	Joue ! / Jouez !

Exam tip: For the highest marks in writing and speaking, aim to use at least four tenses naturally. A proven formula: Normalement… (present), Le week-end dernier… (passé composé), C'était… (imperfect), L'année prochaine… (future or conditional). This approach virtually guarantees you hit the tense variety descriptors in the mark scheme.