Download French Verbs booklet - Frederick Bremer School

AQA GCSE
FRENCH VERBS
AND TENSES
GCSE FRENCH VERBS AND TENSES – this booklet will help you manage verbs and tenses
successfully.
Use it whenever you are preparing speaking and writing for Controlled Assessments to be more
accurate and to vary your language more and impress the examiner and achieve a better grade!
1. Personal Pronouns – This is the first thing you need to know before anything else about verbs.
The personal pronouns in French are different to English especially you.
SINGULAR
PRONOUNS
Je
J’
Tu
Il
Elle
On
I
I (before a vowel or h)
You – singular / informal
He
She
One/We (generalising)
PLURAL
PRONOUNS
Nous
Vous
Ils
Elles
We
You ( plural / formal )
They (masculine)
They (feminine)
2. Tenses – Now you have to get to grips with CONJUGATING verbs – this means knowing how to use them in
different tenses (past, present and future) with each personal pronoun (I, you, he, she etc.
There are different tenses and they are different to English – there is only one simple present and past
e.g. There is only one way of saying
I do and I am doing – je fais
I did and I have done – j’ai fait
PAST
Le passé simple
I did/have done
j’ai fait
L’imparfait
I was doing/used to do
je faisais
PRESENT
FUTURE
Le présent
Le future proche
I do /am doing
je fais
I am going to do
je vais faire
Le future simple
I will do
je ferai
3. The Infinitive
The infinitive form of a verb is the verb in its basic form when it is not conjugated with a
personal pronoun. Je cours tous les jours – I run everyday is not the infinitive because it is
conjugated in the present tense with I – je.
The infinitive is also the version of the verb which will appear in the dictionary (e.g. courir
(run) / jouer (play) / faire (do)
The infinitive form of a verb is usually preceded by to, but not always (e.g. to see, to play, to
do).
Look at these examples:
J’aime courir le matin - I like to run in the morning
J’ai besoin de courir tous les jours - I need to run every day.
Je peux courir très vite - I can run fast
Je dois courir pour rester en forme - I must run to stay fit.
When the verb is conjugated with I, you, he, she etc. there are verbs that follow a pattern,
regular verbs and unfortunately ones that don’t play by the rules, irregular verbs.
Infinitives on the AQA vocabulary list * The verbs in bold are all regular verbs
Health
manger – to eat
aider – to help
mener – to lead
aller bien/mieux – to be well/better
se passer – to spend (time)
(s’)arrêter – to stop
prendre – to take
avertir – to warn
se relaxer – to relax
avoir mal – to hurt
renoncer – to give up
avoir peur – to fear
reprendre connaissance
–
boire – to drink
consciousness
désintoxiquer – to detox from drugs/alcohol
respirer – to breathe
(se) détendre – to unwind/relax
sauvegarder – to save (a life)
s’entraîner – to train
sentir – to feel/smell
épuiser – to exhaust
tousser – to cough
se droguer – to take drugs
tuer – to kill
fumer – to smoke
vivre – to live
gâcher – to waste/spoil
goûter – to taste/try
s’inquiéter – to worry
Relationships and Choices
aggresser – to attack
appeler - to call
(s’) appeler – to be called
avoir…ans – to be ….years old
baiser – to kiss
bavarder – to chat
brutaliser – to bully
cacher – to hide
compter sur – to rely on
connaître – to know (a person/place)
consacrer – to devote
contribuer – to contribute
critiquer – to criticise
(se) débrouiller – to sort oneself out/manage
déranger – to disturb
(se) disputer – to argue
douter – to doubt
(s’)entendre avec– to get on with
envahir – to invade
épouser – to marry
éviter – to avoid
féliciter – to congratulate
fêter – to celebrate
gêner – to bother
(s’)habituer à – to be used to
hésiter – to hesiter
humilier – to humiliate
loger – to stay/reside
lutter – to fight/struggle
menacer – to threaten
mourir – to die
naître – to be born
to
regain
(se) plaindre – to complain
plaire - please
pleurer – to cry
porter – to carry/wear
realiser – to realise/achieve
réflechir – to reflect/think about
refuser – to refuse
remercier – to thank
Free Time and the Media
acheter – to buy
aller – to go
(s’)amuser – to have fun/enjoy
annuler - to cancel
chanter – to sing
choisir – to choose
cliquer – to click
contrôler – to check/control
courir – to run
danser – to dance
déchirer- to tear up
dépenser – to spend (money)
dérouler …en bas/en haut – to roll down/up
deviner – to guess
donner – to give
échanger – to exchange
effacer – to erase/rub out/delete
emballer – to pack/wrap
(s’)ennuyer – to get bored
envoyer – to send
essayer - to try
faire du lèche-vitrine – to window shop
faire les économies- to save (money)
faire les courses – to go shopping
faire les magasins – to go shopping
feuilleter – to skim through
gagner – to win/earn
imprimer – to print
jouer – to play
respecter – to respect
rêver – to dream
rire – to laugh
(se) séparer – to separate
signer – to sign
surveiller – to watch/supervise/mind
tomber amoureux de – to fall I love with
laisser – to leave
lancer – to throw/launch
lire – to read
marquer (un but) – to score (a goal)
mettre de l’argent à côté – to put money aside
mettre en ligne – to publish/post online
nager – to swim
patiner – to skate
pousser – to push
(se) promener – to go for a walk
regarder – to watch
recevoir – to receive/get
rembourser – to reimburse
replacer – to replace
remplir – to fill
remporter (un prix) to win a prize
(se) rencontrer – to meet
sauter – to jump
sortir – to go out
suggérer – to suggest
surfer – to surf
taper – to type
télécharger – to download
tirer – to pull
toucher – to touch
vendre – to sell
venir – to come
voir – to see
Holidays
(s’)approcher – to approach/get nearer
atterrir – to land
(se) baigner – to swim
chercher – to look for
commander – to order
composter – to validate/stamp a ticket
conduire – to drive
confirmer – to confirm
coûter – to cost
décoller – to take off
diriger – to steer/pilot/direct
doubler – to double/dub/overtake
durer – to last
expliquer – to explain
(se) garer – to park
indiquer – to indicate
louer – to hire/rent
marcher – to work(function)/walk
(se) mettre en route – to set off/get on the
road
Home and Local Area
allumer – to light/switch on
appuyer – to lean/press
(s’)asseoir – to sit down
(se) coucher – to go to bed
descendre – to go down
donner sur – to look out on
dormir – to sleep
entrer – to enter
éteindre – to put out/turn off
faire du babysitting – to do babysitting
faire du jardinage – to do gardening
faire du ménage – to do housework
garder - to look after
habiter – to live
Environment
augmenter – to increase
construire – to bulid
croire – to believe
cultiver – to grow
détruire – to destroy
paraître – to appear
partager – to share
partir – to leave
partir en vacances – to go on holiday
quitter – to leave (house/hotel)
ralentir – to slow down
recommender – to recommend
remarquer –to notice
réserver – to reserve
revenir – to return/go back
stationner – to park
suivre – to follow
tourner – to turn
visiter – to visit
voler – to fly
voyager – to travel
laver – to wash
(se) lever – to get up
mettre – to put (on)
monter – to climb/go up
montrer – toshow
nettoyer – to clean
(se) réveiller – to wake up
téléphoner – to telephone
(se) trouver – to find/be located
disparaître – to disappear
endommager – to damage
gaspiller – to waste
jeter – to throw
produire – to produce
ramasser – to pick up
recycler - to recycle
réduire – to reduce
School and Future Plans
apprendre – to learn
commencer – to start
comprendre – to understand
copier – to copy
demander – to ask
dessiner – to draw
détester – to hate
discuter – to discuss
échouer – to fail
écouter – to listen
empêcher – to prevent
enseigner – to teach
étudier – to study
finir – to finish
frapper – to hit/strike
mentir – to lie
organiser – to organise
oublier – to forget
Current and Future Jobs
choisir – to choose
décider – to decide
devenir – to become
distribuer – to distribute/deliver/give out
livrer – to deliver
réutiliser – to reuse
sauver – to save
parler – to speak
passer – to sit (an examination)
penser- to think
perdre – to lose
poser (une question) – to ask (a question)
pouvoir – to be able to (can)
préparer – to prepare
punir – to punish
redouble – to re-sit a year
répeter – to repeat
répondre –to reply
réussir – to pass/succeed
réviser – to revise
savoir – to know
(se) taire – to be quiet/shut up
traduire – to translate
travailler – to work
utiliser – to use
(se) rappeler - to remember
répondre – to reply
améliorer – to improve
assurer – to assure
4. Le Présent (The Present) – Regular Verbs
When to use it: To talk about what is happening at the moment
To talk about what happens usually/normally
Time phrases:
Tous les jours (everyday), chaque jour (everyday), le matin (in the mornings), parfois,
(sometimes), lundi ( on Monday) , le weekend ( at the weekend) etc.
Regular Verbs
1) ER verbs: take off the –ER and add the endings –parler – to speak
je parle
tu parles
il parle
elle parle
nous parlons
vous parlez
ils parlent
ells parlent
I speak / am speaking
You speak / are speaking (sing/informal)
he speaks / is speaking
she speaks / is speaking
we speak / are speaking
you speak / are speaking (pl/formal)
they speak (m/mixed)
they speak (f)
2) IR verbs: take off the –IR and add the endings – finir – to finish
je finis
I finish/ am finishing
tu finis
You finish / are finish ing (sing/informal)
il finit
he finishes / is finishing
elle finit
she finishes/ is finishing
nous finissons
we finish / are finishing
vous finissez
you finish / are finishing (pl/formal)
ils finissent
they finish (m/mixed)
ells finissent
they finish (f)
3) RE verbs: take off the –RE and add the endings - vendre – to sell
je vends
I sell/ am selling
tu vends
You sell / are selling (sing/informal)
il vend
he sells / is selling
elle vend
she sells/ is selling
nous vendons
we sell / are selling
vous vendez
you sell / are selling (pl/formal)
ils vendent
they sell (m/mixed)
elles vendent
they sell (f)
5. Le Présent (The Present) – Irregular Verbs – the most common irregular verbs
aller (to go)
je vais
tu vas
il/elle/on va
nous allons
vous allez
ils/elles vont
je vais au
cinema ( I go
to the cinema)
connaître (to know a person or place)
je connais
tu connais
il/elle/on connaît
nous connaissons
vous connaissez
ils/elles connaissent
avoir (to have)
j’ai
tu as
il/elle/on a
nous avons
vous avez
ils/elles ont
j’ai les
cheveux
blonds (I have
blond hair)
boire (to drink)
je bois
tu bois
il/elle/on boit
nous buvons
vous buvez
ils/elles boivent
je bois du
coca
(I drink
coke)
devoir (to have to / must)
je dois I have to / I must
tu dois
je dois aller au
il/elle/on doit
collège
nous devons
(I must go to
school)
vous devez
ils/elles doivent
dire (to say/to tell)
je dis
tu dis
il/elle/on dit
nous disons
vous disez
ils/elles disent
faire (to do/ to make
+ activity expressions)
je fais
tu fais
je fais la
il/elle/on fait
cuisine;
il fait ses
nous faisons
devoirs
vous faîtes
ils/elles font
lire (to read)
pouvoir (to be able/can/may)
je peux I can / I am able to / I may
tu peux
il/elle/on peut
je peux
nous pouvons
venir (I can
come)
vous pouvez
ils/elles peuvent
prendre (to take / to have food)
je prends
tu prends
il/elle/on prend
ils prennent
nous prenons
un café
(they’re
vous prenez
having coffee)
ils/elles prennent
savoir (to know something)
je sais I know (how)
tu sais
il/elle/on sait
je sais nager
nous savons
(I know how
vous savez
to swim)
ils/elles savent
venir (to come)
je viens
tu viens
il/elle vient
nous venons
vous venez
ils/elles viennent
vouloir (to want to)
je veux
tu veux
je veux jouer au
il/elle veut
foot ( I want to
nous voulons
vous voulez
play football)
ils/elles veulent
voir (to see)
je vois
tu vois
il/elle voit
nous voyons
vous voyez
ils/elles voient
Other irregular verbs to watch out for: if you come across them, look in
the dictionary to find out how to use them!
The following verbs you must LEARN THEM BY HEART
mettre (to put), courir (to run), apprendre (to learn) recevoir (to
receive), rire (to laugh), sourire (to smile), conduire (to drive), croire
(to believe), naître (to be born), mourir (to die)
g. je connais Paris / Mme Carpenter
être (to be + adjective/noun)
je suis I am (e.g. clever)
tu es you are
il/elle/on est he is
nous sommes we are
vous êtes you are
ils/elles sont they are
(Careful: don’t use for I am plus verb
e.g. I am playing = je joue)
partir (to leave)
je pars
tu pars
il/elle/on part
nous partons
vous partez
ils/elles partent
je pars à cinq
heures
(I leave at 5
o’clock)
Samedi, je vois
mon copain (on
Saturday, I see
my friend.)
mon ami
vient chezmoi ( my
friend comes
to my house)
je lis
tu lis
il/elle/on lit
nous lisons
vous lisez
ils/elles lisent
(remember:
le lit = bed!!)
6a Le Passé Composé (Past Perfect Tense)
When to use it:
To talk about something that happened or has happened in the past and is now
finished e.g. I played / I have played
Time phrases:
La semaine dernière (last week), hier (yesterday), etc.
Le passé composé is made up of 2 parts:
1) The auxilary verb or helping verb (the present tense of AVOIR or ÊTRE)
+
2) The past participle or PP (donné, parlé, sorti, fait, etc)
Le Passé Simple with Regular AVOIR Verbs
The present tense of avoir (helping verb) + the past participle (PP)
Donner – to give
(PP – donné )
J’ai donné – I gave
I have given
Tu as donné – You gave
Finir- to finish
(PP – fini )
J’ai fini – I finished
I have finished
Tu as fini – You finished
Vendre – to sell
(PP – vendu)
J’ai vendu – I sold
I have sold
Tu as vendu- you sold
Il/Elle a donné – He/She gave
Il/Elle a fini – He /She finished
Il/Elle a vendu – He/She sold
Nous avons donné – We gave
Nous avons fini – We finished
Nous avons vendu – We sold
Vous avez donné – You gave
Vous avez fini – You finished
Vous avez vendu- You sold
Ils/Elles ont donné – They gave
Ils/Elles ont fini – They finished
Ils/Elles ont vendu- They sold
6b Le Passé Simple with Irregular AVOIR verbs
There is a group of irregular verbs that take AVOIR in le passé composé. These verbs are formed
with:
Present tense of avoir ( Helping Verb) + the irregular past participle (PP)
Irregular past participles:
Infinitive
PP
avoir:
to have:
eu
e.g. j’ai eu – I had /I have had
être:
to be:
été
e.g. il a bu – he drank / he has drunk
boire:
to drink:
bu
connaître: to know:
connu
courir:
to run:
couru
e.g. elle a couru – he ran/he has run
croire:
to believe: cru
devoir:
to have to: dû
dire:
to say/tell: dit
e.g. nous avons dit – we said / we have said
écrire:
to write:
écrit
faire:
to make/do: fait
e.g. ils ont fait – they did / they have done
lire:
to read:
lu
mettre:
to put:
mis
ouvrir:
to open:
ouvert
pouvoir:
to be able: pu
e.g. tu as pu – you could/have been able
prendre:
to take:
pris
recevoir:
to receive: reçu
savoir:
to know:
su
e.g. ils ont su – they knew/they have known
voir:
to see:
vu
vouloir:
to want:
voulu
e.g. vous avez voulu – you wanted/you have wanted
Examples:
Prendre – to take
J’ai pris
Tu as pris
Il/Elle a pris
Nous avons pris
Vous avez pris
Ils/Elles ont pris
Avoir- to have
J’ai eu
Tu as eu
Il/Elle a eu
Nous avons eu
Vous avez eu
Ils/Elles ont eu
Être – to be
J’ai été
Tu as été
Il/Elle a été
Nous avons été
Vous avez été
Ils/Elles ont été
6c Le Passé Simple with ÊTRE Verbs
A small group of verbs take the present tense of “être” as their helping verb. They usually some sort
of transition or movement e.g. go, leave,arrive
Present tense of être ( Helping Verb) + (PP) past participle
être - to be
je suis ….
tu es …
il est…
elle est..
on est …
nous sommes…
vous êtes…
ils sont….
elles sont ...
Infinitive
Mourir:
Retourner:
Sortir:
to die:
to return:
to go out:
PP
mort
retourné
sorti
Venir:
Arriver:
Naître :
to come:
to arrive:
to be born:
venu
arrive
né
Descendre: to go down: descendu
Entrer:
to enter:
entré
Tomber:
Rester:
Aller:
Monter:
Partir:
to fall:
to stay:
to go out:
to go up:
to leave:
tombé
resté
allé
monté
parti
e.g. il est mort – he died/he has died
e.g. elle est sortie – she went out/has gone out
e.g. Je suis arrivé(e) – I arrived/have arrived
e.g. Tu es entré – you entered/have entered
e.g. nous sommes resté(e)s – we stayed/have stayed
e.g. ils sont partis – they left/have left
*The past participle must 'agree with' who did the action.
So if the person was female you must add an extra -e to the end of the past participle: e.g. elle est
partie - she left.
If two or more females did the action you must add -es: e.g. elles sont parties - they left.
If one male did the action, then the past participle does not change: e.g. il est parti - he left.
If two or more males did the action add -s: e.g. ils sont partis - they left.
7. L’Imparfait ( The Imperfect Tense)
When to use it:
To talk about something that was happening or used to happen in the past or to
describe the way something was in the past (the weather was fine last Tuesday).
Phrases:
Pendant que je lisais le livre, il est rentré (While I was reading the book, he came
back)
Quand j’étais jeune (when I was young)
Il faisait du soleil pendant mes vacances ( It was sunny during my holiday)
How to form l’imparfait:
1) Take the “nous” part of the present tense: e.g nous donnons – we give
2) Drop the –ons: e.g donn 3) Add the endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient, -aient
Examples:
Parler- to speak
Je parlais
Tu parlais
Il/Elle parlait
Nous parlions
Vous parliez
Ils/Elles parlaient
Finir – to finish
Je finissais
Tu finissais
Il/Elle finissait
Nous finissions
Vous finissiez
Ils/Elles finissaient
*There is only one irregular verb in l’imparfait
Être – to be
J’étais
I was / I used to be
Tu étais
You were/ used to be
Il/Elle était
He/She was / used to be
Nous étions
We were/ used to be
Vous étiez
You were / used to be
Ils/Elles étaient They were / used to be
Lire- to read
Je lisais
Tu lisais
Il/Elle lisait
Nous lisions
Vous lisiez
Ils/Elles lisaient
8. Le Futur Proche ( Near future Tense )
When to use it:
To talk about what we are going to do.
Time phrases:
Ce soir (this evening), ce week-end (this weekend), le week-end prochain (next
weekend), l’année prochaine (next year), etc.
Le future proche is made up of 2 parts:
1) Aller (to go) in the present tense
+
2) The infinitive (verb in its unchanged form ending in –er, -ir, -re)
Pronoun
Aller
Infinitive
Je
I
vais
am going
Tu
You
Il/Elle
He/She
Nous
We
Vous
You (pl)
Ils/Elles
They
vas
are going
va
is going
allons
are going
allez
are going
vont
are going
écouter – to listen
regarder – to watch
faire – to do
jouer – to play
aller – to go
voir – to see
chanter – to sing
danser – to dance
étudier – to study
visiter –to visit
parler – to speak
retrouver –to meet
9. Le Futur Simple (Simple Future Tense)
When to use it:
To describe what will happen at a certain time in the future.
Time phrases:
Demain (tomorrow), la semaine prochaine (next week).
Regular Verbs
Regular –er, -ir and –re* verbs all follow the same rules in the future:
1) Take the infinitive (title) of the verb: e.g donner, finir
2) Add the endings : -ai, -as, -a , -a, -ons, -ez, -ont, -ont
* There is a slight difference for –re verbs. Before adding the endings
you must take off the “e”. For example: vendre = to sell / I will sell = Je vendrai
Parler – to speak
Je parlerai
Tu parleras
Il/Elle parlera
Nous parlerons
Vous parlerez
Ils/Elles parleront
Partir - to leave
Je partirai
Tu partiras
Il/Elle partira
Nous partirons
Vous partirez
Ils/Elles partiront
Prendre – to take
Je prendrai
Tu prendras
Il/Elle prendra
Nous prendrons
Vous prendrez
Ils prendront
Futur Simple: Irregular Verbs
For irregular verbs in the futur simple, you only need to learn the stem as the endings are the same.
For example: être: ser / I will be: je serai
Irregular verbs:
Infinitive
aller:
to go:
avoir:
to have:
envoyer:
to send:
devoir:
to have to:
être:
to be:
faire:
to make/do:
pleuvoir:
to rain:
pouvoir:
to be able:
recevoir:
to receive:
savoir:
to know:
voir
to see :
future stem future
ir:
j'irai
aur:
j'aurai
enverr:
j'enverrai
devr:
je devrai
ser:
je serai
fer:
je ferai
pleuvr :
il pleuvra
pourr:
je pourrai
recevr
je recevrai
saur:
je saurai
verr :
je verrai
I will go
I will have
I will send
I will have to
I will be
I will do/make
It will rain
I will be able to
I will receive
I will know
I will see
10. Le Conditionnel ( The Conditional Tense)
When to use it: To talk about things that would happen in the future if another condition is met.
*You should already know Je voudrais – I would like
Regular verbs
Regular –er, -ir and –re* verbs all follow the same rules in the conditional:
1) Take the infinitive of the verb, e.g donner, finir
2)Add the endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient, -aient
(These are the same endings as l’imparfait!)
* There is a slight difference for –re verbs. Before adding the endings
you must take off the “e”. For example: boire = boir / I would drink = je boirais
Donner – to give
Je donnerais
Tu donnerais
Il/Elle donnerait
Nous donnerions
Vous donneriez
Ils/Elles donneraient
Finir - to finish
Je finirais
Tu finirais
Il/Elle finirait
Nous finirions
Vous finiriez
Ils/Elles finiraient
Prendre – to take
Je prendrais
Tu prendrais
Il/Elle prendrait
Nous prendrions
Vous prendriez
Ils/Elles prendraient
Le Conditionnel: Irregular verbs
If you know the irregular stems for the futur simple, you know them for le conditionnel (they are
exactly the same!)
Use the irregular stems from the future tense and add the endings:
Infinitives
Stem
Conditional
aller:
to go:
ir:
j'irais - I would go
avoir:
to have:
aur:
j'aurais – I would have
envoyer:
to send:
enverr:
j'enverrais – I would send
devoir:
to have to: devr:
je devrais - I would have to/should
être:
to be:
ser:
je serais - I would be
faire:
to make/do: fer:
je ferais - I would do/make
pleuvoir:
to rain:
pleuvr
:il pleuvrait – It would rain
pouvoir:
to be able: pourr:
je pourrais - I would be able to/might
revevoir:
to receive: recevr
je recevrais – I would receive
11a Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs are quite common in French but less so in English. You can recognise them in English,
when you say ‘myself, yourself…’ after the verb or ‘get, gets’ before a verb:
I wash myself I get washed he gets showered
we get ready
they ask themselves
In French they use the equivalent of ‘myself’ but it goes directly before the verb:
je me lave (I myself wash)
se laver (to get washed/to wash oneself):
je me lave
tu te laves
il se lave
I get washed/I wash myself
you get washed
he gets washed
elle se lave she gets washed
nous nous lavons
vous vous lavez
ils se lavent
elles se lavent
we get washed/we wash ourselves
you (lot) get washed
they get washed
they get washed
Here’s a list of some common reflexives verbs in French
se préparer
s’habiller
se maquiller
se réveiller
se brosser
se promener
se disputer
s’intéresser à
se blesser
to get ready
to get dressed
to put on makeup
to wake up
to brush
to go for a walk
to argue
to be interested in
to injure oneself
se demander
se lever
s’amuser
se coucher
se peigner
se reposer
s’entendre
se casser
se fouler
to ask oneself/wonder
to get up
to have fun
to go to bed
to comb
to rest
to get on
to break/to scarper
to sprain oneself
s’arrêter
se doucher
s’embêter
s’appeler
se fâcher
se raser
se présenter
se dépêcher
s’entraîner
to stop (oneself)
to get showered
to get bored
to be called/name is
to get angry
to shave
to introduce oneself
to hurry up
to train
11b Reflexive verbs in the perfect tense (passé composé)
Reflexive verbs in the past tense use être as the helping verb and then you add the PP.
Remember the PP has to agree with the personal pronoun – e for feminine and s for plural.
s’amuser – to have fun/enjoy oneself
je me suis amusé(e)
I enjoyed myself
tu t’es amusé(e)
You enjoyed yourself
il s’est amusé
He enjoyed himself
elle s’est amusée
She enjoyed herself
nous nous sommes amuse(é)s
vous vous êtes amuse(é)(s )
ils se sont amusés
elles se sont amusées
We enjoyed ourselves
You enjoyed yourself/selves
They enjoyed themselves
They enjoyed themselves
12 Useful Extras – Try to use some of these verb phrases in your work to impress the examiner !
a. These are good for descriptions and opinions !
C’est
Ce sera
c’était
Il y a
Il y aura
Il y avait
It is
It will be
It was
There is or there are
There will be
There were or used to be
b. After having…..
To say after having done something you need :
Après + avoir or être (helping verb) + PP
e.g. Après avoir fini mes devoirs
- After having finished my homework..
Après être arrivé(e) au collège - After having arrived at school…
Après s’être douché(e)
- After having showered…
c. Have just done….
To say you have just done something you need :
Personal Pronoun + verb venir + de/d’ + infinitive
e.g. Je viens de vendre ma maison
- I have just sold my house
Il vient de sortir avec ses amis
- He has just gone out with his friends
Nous venons d’acheter une voiture - We have just bought a car
d. To have to/must/be necessary to do something
To say you have to /must you can use
Il (+ pronoun -me/te/vous )+ verb falloir + infinitive
e.g. Il faut porter un uniforme
- It is necessary to/You must wear a uniform
Il ne faut pas manger en classe - You must not eat in class
Il me faut partir à 8 heures
- I have to leave at 8 o’clock
Il te faut prendre un comprimé - You must take a tablet
e. While/By doing something….
En + present participle ( ______ ing _______ ant)
The present participle is formed by dropping the ending –ons from the nous form of the present
tense and adding –ant.
e.g. nous parlons
nous finissons
nous répondons
nous dormons
- we speak
- we finish
- we reply
-we sleep
parlant - speaking
finissant - finishing
répondant - replying
dormant - sleeping
Only avoir, être and savoir are irregular
avoir- to have
être- to be
savoir – to know
ayant - having
étant - being
sachant - knowing
e.g. En faisant du jogging, je reste en forme - By jogging, I stay fit
Je me bronze en lisant un magazine – I sunbathe while reading a magazine
mon frère regarde la télé en mangeant - My brother watches the TV while eating.
13 Verbs and Negatives
When you want express a negative in French you need to make a sandwich of ne and pas or another
adverb (e.g. jamais/plus/rien) with the verb in the centre.
You have already used ne ….. pas
e.g. je n’ai pas de - I don’t have.. je n’aime pas .. I don’t like je ne joue pas au foot – I don’t play
football.
Different negatives
ne ….. pas - not
ne …..ni…..ni – neither…..nor
ne …..plus - no longer
ne….nulle part - nowhere
ne ….. jamais - never
ne….. guère - hardly
ne….rien - nothing
ne …..que – only
ne ….personne – nobody
Negatives in different tenses
NE…PAS = not/do not
Présent
Passé Composé
Imparfait
Je ne joue pas
Je n’ai pas joué
Je ne jouais pas
Je n’écoute pas
Je n’ai pas écouté
Je n’écoutais pas
NE…RIEN/RIEN…NE=nothing
Je ne mange rien
Je n’ai rien mangé
Je ne mangeais rien
Je ne fais rien
Je n’ai rien fait
Je ne faisais rien
Rien ne marche
Rien n’a marché
Rien ne marchait
NE…PERSONNE/PERSONNE…NE=nobody
Je ne vois personne
Je n’ai vu personne Je ne voyais personne
Je n’aime personne
Je n’ai aimé
Je n’aimais personne
personne
Personne ne danse
Personne n’a dansé Personne ne dansait
NE…JAMAIS = never
Je ne lis jamais
Je n’ai jamais lu
Je ne lisais jamais
Je ne fume jamais
Je n’ai jamais fumé Je ne fumais jamais
NE..PLUS= no longer, no more
Je ne bois plus
Je n’ai plus bu
Je ne buvais plus
Je ne chante plus
Je n’ai plus chanté
Je ne chantais plus
Je n’ai plus de problème Je n’ai plus eu de
Je n’avais plus de
problème
problème
Futur
Je ne jouerai pas
Je n’écouterai pas
Je ne mangerai rien
Je ne ferai rien
Rien ne marchera
Je ne verrai personne
Je n’aimerai personne
Personne ne dansera
Je ne lirai jamais
Je ne fumerai jamais
Je ne boirai plus
Je ne chanterai plus
Je n’aurai plus de
problème