langue the past tenses © 2008 robert baylis. the past tenses when talking about events in the...

LangueThe past tenses

© 2008 Robert Baylis

The past tensesWhen talking about events in the recent past, English is more relaxed in its approach to tense usage than French, which requires you to choose very carefully between the perfect, imperfect and pluperfect tenses.


The past tenses

The perfect (le passé composé) tense is used if you want to say:

• I have played tennis. • I played tennis.• I did play tennis.• I have been playing tennis.

These four phrases are translated into French by one phrase:

J’ai joué au tennis.


The past tenses

The imperfect (l’imparfait) tense is used to talk about actions that occurred in the past over a long period of time or were habitual:

• I was playing tennis.• I used to play rugby when I was at school.• The courts were green.


Examples:imparfait or passé composé?

• I went to Paris in May. passé composé• She saw the film. passé composé• I was watching TV. imparfait• They were negotiating. imparfait• It was good weather. imparfait• She has been swimming. passé composé• You used to like snails. imparfait


Past tenses

The pluperfect (le plus-que-parfait) tense is used to talk about actions that are either firmly lodged in the past or have happened before another action in the past:

• He had taken a lot of drugs whilst at university.

• I had driven to Paris the night before I went for interview.


Pluperfect, imperfect or perfect?

• I had seen the film in Paris. pluperfect• We liked the town. perfect• She used to drive a Tigra. imperfect• She’d already been to Glastonbury.

pluperfect• It was sunny. imperfect• I’d wanted to play with her for a long time.

pluperfect


How do the tenses work?

The way these tenses relate to one another may seem quite confusing.

One way to get an overview of them is to think about how they fit together on a timeline...


Clinic:Tenses

Past (definite) Actual Possible

Pre

sen

t

(Su

bju

nct

ive)

Co

nd

itio

nal

Fu

ture

Plu

per

fect

Imp

erfe

ct

Per

fect

play

play

would play

will playhad played

was playing

have played

je joue

je joue

je jouerais

je joueraij’avais joué

je jouais

j’ai joué


Clinic:Tenses


Pre

sen

t

(Su

bju

nct

ive)

Co

nd

itio

nal

Fu

ture

Plu

per

fect

Imp

erfe

ct

Per

fect

I have played

I did play

I played

I have been playing

j’ai joué


Clinic:Tenses


Pre

sen

t

(Su

bju

nct

ive)

Co

nd

itio

nal

Fu

ture

Plu

per

fect

Imp

erfe

ct

Per

fect

I was playing

I used to play

I played

je jouais


Past (definite) Actual Possible..

Pre

sen

t

(Su

bju

nct

ive)

Co

nd

itio

nal

Fu

ture

Plu

per

fect

Imp

erfe

ct

Per

fect

I had played

j’avais joué


langue the past tenses © 2008 robert baylis. the past tenses when talking about events in the...

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