simon weiner

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.   

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. 

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. 

Japanese culture is known for its love of all things considered “cute,” so much that the Japanese word kawaii (cute) has entered the popular lexicon! Perhaps it’s no surprise that the Japanese language has many words that may sound cute to English speakers. Some of these cute Japanese words may be English-based words with Japanese pronunciation (a cognate), slang words, and various onomatopeias.

In future Japanese conversations, try incorporating a couple of these words to add some fun! If you’d like to know other useful expressions for interactions with native Japanese people, try learning through Rosetta Stone. The intuitive, immersive method helps you learn words and phrases in a way that sticks better than just memorization.

Things cute Japanese words might have in common with English

You’ll find many words on this list with repeating sounds, like pika pika and tsubu tsubu. In English, these are called reduplications and we don’t have a lot of them (“bye-bye” and “choo choo” might be examples). In Japanese, though, it is common to use repetitive sounds in everyday conversation. Also, their variety of cute Japanese words that repeat is much more expansive.

Grammatically, these repetitive words can be used individually as a reaction word. To emphasize the feeling, you can add da ne after the phrase, like pika pika da ne. Other examples are included in textbooks like the Genki and Tobira series. However, there are many more–and many cute words in Japanese–to explore!

1. Yabai (やばい)

Pronunciation: yah-bai

Yabai might be the most important slang term in Japanese. While it originally meant “bad” or “dangerous,” now it has positive meanings such as “amazing” or “cool.” It can be used for almost anything as long as the feelings are strong.

The flexibility of yabai can be compared to that of “sick” in English slang. The literal meaning of sick is negative, and it can be used to indicate disgust or even to say something is “amazing” or “cool.”

Yabai is an i-adjective and will be applied that way grammatically.

2. Meccha (めっちゃ)

Pronunciation: meh-CHAH

In contrast to yabai, meccha is straightforward slang. It simply means “very” or “extremely.” If you’re already used to the word totemo, try replacing it with meccha in your sentences. Just keep in mind that your sentences will be more casual.

3. Bimyou (微妙)

Pronunciation: bee-MYOHH

Depending on the situation, bimyou can be translated as “subtle,” “sensitive,” or “iffy.” Although it’s usually left out of textbooks, it’s a common and helpful Japanese word. You can use it when you don’t know how to express your feelings about something.

Bimyou is an na-adjective and will follow those grammar rules:

4. Pika pika (ピカピカ)

Pronunciation: pee-kah pee-kah

This fun Japanese word refers to something “gleaming” or “shining,” especially after being polished. Those familiar with the Pokemon franchise may find this word familiar. The mascot’s name is Pikachu. Since pika pika can be used as the sound for an electric spark, it became part of Pikachu’s name. The chu part is the sound a mouse makes, essentially the Japanese equivalent of “squeak.”

Most often, pika pika describes something freshly polished or brand new.

>> Find out how long it takes to learn Japanese!

5. Kira kira (キラキラ)

Pronunciation: kee-rah kee-rah

At first glance, this word is similar to pika pika, as kira kira means “sparkling” or “glittering.” However, they are used in different situations, making this a good chance to explore the bimyou (subtle) differences in the examples below.

There’s also an interesting trend of parents giving their children quirky names, known as kira kira names that “sparkle” more than the average name. Many of these names resemble little of a traditional name, such as Jedi (from Star Wars), Bullet Train (shinkansen), Sadness (kanashimi), Pikachu, and Drool (yodare). There are too many unusual kira kira names to list, but these give you an idea.

Used in the standard way, kira kira is often paired with the verbs kagayaku or hikaru, which are synonyms meaning “to shine” or “to glitter.”