Verb conjugation is an important part of learning to speak French. The 21 verb forms in French represent differences in tense and mood, and they’re the keys to unlocking effective communication. Knowing when and how to use each French tense plays an integral role in what you understand and how well you can express yourself.
Twenty-one French tenses for verbs is a lot, but memorizing all of them at once isn’t necessary. We’ll give you a concise explanation of the different French verb tenses in the passé (past), présent (present), and futur (future). We’ll also provide a framework for understanding the indicatif (indicative), subjonctif (subjunctive), conditionnel (conditional), and impératif (imperative) moods.
Table of Contents
Why are verb tenses important in French?
Verb tenses in French are important because each tells you a necessary detail about the action in the sentence.
Verb tense tells you when an action happens
Verb tense tells you the difference between an action that’s already completed and something that has yet to happen.
- Je suis allée au supermarché, et j’ai acheté du beurre. (passé composé) = I went to the grocery store, and I bought some butter.
- J’irai au supermarché, et j’achèterai du beurre. (futur simple) = I will go to the grocery store, and I will buy some butter.
Verb tense helps order events
Specific tenses can help you put events in order.
- J’avais écrit six lettres quand ils m’ont répondu. (plus-que-parfait) = I had written six letters when they replied to me.
Verb tense provides a focus or background information
Even when both French tenses are in the past timeframe, such as the passé composé vs. l’imparfait, tense can change the focus on the event or on the background information.
- Hier, j’ai étudié. Ma mère m’a téléphoné. (passé composé) = Yesterday, I studied. My mom called me.
- Hier, j’étudiais quand ma mère m’a téléphoné. (imparfait followed by passé composé) = Yesterday I was studying when my mom called me.
In the first example, it sounds like two unrelated, completed events. In the second example, the use of the imperfect implies that the mother’s phone call interrupted the study time.
French verb tense chart
This at-a-glance overview will help you begin to understand why there are so many French tenses for verbs. We’ll give you deeper descriptions and examples of each tense later on.
| Verb Tense | Use |
| le présent | what’s happening now |
| le passé composé | completed events in the past |
| l’imparfait | description or background information, habitual actions in the past |
| le passé simple | literary simple past tense |
| le futur simple | what will happen |
| le plus-que-parfait | what had happened |
| le passé antérieur | literary form of the plus-que-parfait |
| le futur antérieur | what will have happened |
| le subjonctif présent | unknown outcomes or suggestions |
| le subjonctif passé | doubt or judgment over what has happened |
| le subjonctif imparfait | literary subjunctive past tense |
| le subjonctif plus-que-parfait | literary subjunctive of the plus-que-parfait |
| le conditionnel présent | what would happen |
| le conditionnel passé i | what would have happened |
| le conditionnel passé ii | literary conditional past tense |
| l’impératif présent | command |
| l’impératif passé | command for something to be done by a specific time |
| l’infinitif présent | basic unconjugated verb form |
| l’infinitif passé | helping verb in the unconjugated form plus the past participle |
| le participe présent | impersonal form similar to “-ing” verbs in english |
| le participe passé | impersonal past participle; uses a helping verb to form other tenses |
Indicative French tenses for verbs
In French, just like in English, l’indicatif (the indicative) is the most commonly used mood. This mood is used to discuss facts and to ask questions in the past, present, or future. No judgment, doubt, or imposition: These are just descriptions of reality.
- Il est resté chez les voisins. = He stayed at the neighbors’ house.
- Mes fils jouent au foot, donc ma famille est très occupée. = My sons play soccer, so my family is very busy.
- Il pleut aujourd’hui, mais il va faire beau demain. = It’s raining today, but it’s going to be beautiful tomorrow.
Le présent (the present tense)
The French présent tense in the indicative form is used to talk about something happening in the current moment. It can also indicate what usually happens or what does happen. Present tense indicative verbs in French can be regular (and follow a pattern) or irregular (breaking the typical rules). Many common verbs in French are irregular! Just because a verb is irregular in French doesn’t necessarily mean it will be an irregular verb in English, and vice-versa.
- Je danse avec mes amis = I dance with my friends. / I am dancing with my friends.
- Nous mangeons du chocolat. = We eat chocolate. / We are eating chocolate.
French doesn’t have a separate present continuous verb form like in English, so “I dance” and “I am dancing” are represented by the same verb: je danse. If you want to emphasize the present moment, you can say that you are currently dancing using the phrase être en train de (to be in the action of/to be in the middle of doing something).
- Je suis en train de danser. = I am dancing (right now).
Le passé composé (the past perfect tense)
The passé composé is a compound tense made of an auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and a past participle. Use it to express specific, completed events in the past. This form is used to narrate the main events of a story.
- Ce matin j’ai mangé le petit-déjeuner, et après, j’ai regardé la télé.= This morning I ate breakfast, and afterward, I watched TV.
- Hier, j’ai travaillé de 8h à 20h.= Yesterday, I worked from 8:00am to 8:00pm.
There are certain cases where the past participle must follow French gender rules and match the subject in number, such as when the auxiliary verb is être (to be), when the verb is reflexive, or when the direct object comes in front of the helping verb.
- Mes sœurs sont arrivées à 21h.= My sisters arrived at 9pm.
- Elles se sont réveillées très tôt. = They woke up very early.
- J’ai trouvé la banane, et je l’ai mangée. = I found the banana, and I ate it.
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