Linguafy|Language learning just got interesting

Past - Perfect Grammar - Lesson 1/1

 

 

 

Lesson 1

 

 

The perfect tense is used to talk about something that has happened in the past which has been completed (such as 'j'ai fait mes devoirs'='I did my homework'.)

 

To form the perfect tense, just use this simple formula:

 

 

Subject + Conjugation of avoir/être + Past participle

 

So, how is the past participle formed, I hear you ask. Well, for most verbs, you chop off the ending of the verb (either -ER, -IR, or -RE), and add the following endings accordingly:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: These are the endings for all subjects - they do not change depending on who you're talking about.

 

However, there are some irregulars. Once you know them well, it'll be much easier to speak with ease.

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, this means you say the subject first (je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils, elles), conjugate avoir or être (which one depends on the verb), then add the past participle of the verb on the end, and that's it!

 

 

How do I know whether to use avoir or être?

 

Easy peasy. To help you remember when to use each verb, just remember that avoir is used for every single verb, except the following, which take être: (TIP: use the acronym DR MRS VANDERTRAMP.)

 

Devenir=To become

Revenir=To come back

Monter=To climb

Rentrer=To return

Sortir=To go out

Venir=To come

Arriver=To arrive

Naître=To be born

Descendre=To go down

Entrer=To enter

Retourner=To return

Tomber=To fall

Rester=To stay

Aller=To go

Mourir=To die

Partir=To leave

 

Examples:

 

'Nous sommes allés au cinéma hier'='We went to the cinema yesterday'

'J'ai mangé un repas de carottes et de viande'='I ate a meal of carrots and meat'

'Ils ont cru que j'y ai été'='They believed that I was there'

 

Here are some cool phrases that go hand in hand with the perfect tense:

• Hier=Yesterday

• Avant-hier=The day before yesterday

• Il y a une heure=An hour ago

• Plus tôt=Earlier

• La semaine dernière=Last week

• Le lundi/mardi/mercredi/jeudi/vendredi/samedi/dimanche dernier=Last Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday

• Le week-end/le weekend dernier=Last weekend

• Le mois dernier=Last month

• L'année dernière=Last year