Past tenses: perfect and imperfect
விளையாடிக் கற்றுக்கொள்ளுங்கள்
ஆற்றல் சம்பாதிக்க இந்த கேள்விகளுக்குப் பதிலளியுங்கள், பின்னர் மீன் பிடித்து ஆராயுங்கள். கணக்கு தேவையில்லை.
பாட குறிப்புகள்
Perfect construction
- Use a present auxiliary plus a participle: j’ai parlé, elle est arrivée. The participle alone does not form the passé composé.
- Regular examples are parlé, fini and vendu. Learn irregular été, eu, fait, pris, vu, bu, lu, écrit and mis separately; spelling classes do not make every -ir or -re verb regular.
Auxiliary and verb construction
- Avoir is used with most verbs in these active examples, including movement verb marcher: j’ai marché. Selected intransitive verbs such as aller, arriver, partir and rester use être; pronominal constructions also use être.
- Construction matters: elle est sortie contrasts with elle a sorti le livre; je suis monté/montée contrasts with j’ai monté les valises. A movement mnemonic is not a universal rule.
Choose by construction
Negation
- Standard ne/n’ and pas surround the conjugated auxiliary: je n’ai pas mangé and je ne suis pas allé/allée. The participle remains after pas.
- In elle ne s’est pas lavée, se elides to s’ before est and stays before the auxiliary. Spoken French may omit ne, but practise the complete written construction here.
Negate the auxiliary
Imperfect formation
- Take present nous minus -ons, then add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Nous jouons gives je jouais; nous avons gives nous avions; nous faisons gives ils faisaient.
- Être uses the exceptional stem ét-, giving j’étais and il était. Keep the subject and ending matched; je jouai is a different tense from je jouais.
Build the imperfect
Imperfect viewpoint
- The imperfect can present a past description, habit, feeling or action in progress without viewing its completion: il faisait beau; je jouais le samedi.
- Those meanings do not invariably require the imperfect. A bounded series can use the perfect: j’ai travaillé tous les jours cet été. Explain the viewpoint in its context rather than just spotting repeated action.
Viewpoint rather than a keyword
Both tenses in an account
- Il pleuvait quand je suis arrivé/arrivée presents background rain and a completed arrival. Select arrivé or arrivée for the speaker’s agreement.
- Samedi, il pleuvait. J’ai regardé un film. Le film était intéressant. J’ai préparé du thé. This invented account combines background and completed events without requiring personal disclosure.
An imagined Saturday
Time expressions
- Hier is yesterday; la semaine dernière is last week; autrefois is formerly; d’habitude is usually. Read these expressions within the whole sentence.
- Hier, il pleuvait and Hier, il a plu toute la journée use the same time expression with different viewpoints. No isolated marker mechanically decides the tense.
Understand the time phrase
Participle agreement
- Non-pronominal être examples agree with their subjects: elle est allée; ils sont arrivés. Avoir does not agree with its subject in elle a mangé, but a preceding direct object can matter: les pommes qu’elle a mangées.
- Pronominal agreement depends on the role of the pronoun and object: elle s’est lavée; elle s’est lavé les mains (direct object follows); elles se sont parlé (se is indirect). Using être is not sufficient to add subject agreement automatically.
Agreement needs the construction
Participle reference forms
- The base masculine singular forms include parlé, fini, vendu, écrit and fait. A question requesting this reference form is different from one requesting agreement in a sentence.
- Faite, finie or finis can be valid agreement forms in an appropriate context. Check the construction and reference before treating a different ending as an impossible French word.
Learn reference participles
ஸ்லைடுகள்
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பயிற்சி கேள்விகள்
இலவச முன்னோட்டம் — 36-இல் 8 கேள்விகள். அனைத்தையும் பார்க்க பதிவு செய்யவும்.
1.What is the base masculine singular past participle of parler?
Easy- Aparlé
- Bparlu
- Cparlir
- Dparlis
2.What is the base masculine singular past participle of finir?
Easy- Afiné
- Bfinu
- Cfinis
- Dfini
3.What is the base masculine singular past participle of vendre?
Easy- Avendi
- Bvendis
- Cvendu
- Dvendé
4.What is the base masculine singular past participle of être?
Easy- Aeté
- Bété
- Cêté
- Détu
5.What is the base masculine singular past participle of avoir?
Easy- Aeu
- Bavu
- Cavoir
- Daué
6.What is the base masculine singular past participle of voir?
Easy- Avoi
- Bvoié
- Cvoit
- Dvu
7.What is the base masculine singular past participle of boire?
Easy- Aboiré
- Bboit
- Cbu
- Dboi
8.What is the base masculine singular past participle of lire?
Easy- Alit
- Blu
- Cli
- Dlis
Unlock all 36 questions & more
இந்த தலைப்பிற்கான ஒவ்வொரு கேள்வியையும், ஸ்லைடுகளையும், ஃப்ளாஷ் கார்டுகளையும் மற்றும் திருப்புதல் குறிப்புகளையும் பார்க்க இலவச கணக்கை உருவாக்கவும்.
