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 Je I
PRONOUNS J’ I (before a vowel or h)
Tu You – singular / informal
SINGULAR Il He
SINGULAR Elle She
On One/We (generalising)
PLURAL Nous We
PRONOUNS Vous You ( plural / formal )
Ils They (masculine)
Elles 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 PRESENT FUTURE
Le passé simple L’imparfait Le présent Le future proche Le future simple

I did/have done I was doing/used to do I do /am doing I am going to do I will do

j’ai fait je faisais je fais je vais faire 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
aider – to help manger – to eat
aller bien/mieux – to be well/better mener – to lead
(s’)arrêter – to stop se passer – to spend (time)
avertir – to warn prendre – to take
avoir mal – to hurt se relaxer – to relax
avoir peur – to fear renoncer – to give up
boire – to drink reprendre connaissance – to regain
désintoxiquer – to detox from drugs/alcohol consciousness
(se) détendre – to unwind/relax respirer – to breathe
s’entraîner – to train sauvegarder – to save (a life)
épuiser – to exhaust sentir – to feel/smell
se droguer – to take drugs tousser – to cough
fumer – to smoke tuer – to kill
gâcher – to waste/spoil vivre – to live
goûter – to taste/try
s’inquiéter – to worry

Relationships and Choices (se) disputer – to argue

aggresser – to attack douter – to doubt
appeler - to call (s’)entendre avec– to get on with
(s’) appeler – to be called envahir – to invade
avoir…ans – to be ….years old épouser – to marry
baiser – to kiss éviter – to avoid
féliciter – to congratulate
bavarder – to chat fêter – to celebrate
brutaliser – to bully gêner – to bother
cacher – to hide (s’)habituer à – to be used to
compter sur – to rely on hésiter – to hesiter
connaître – to know (a person/place) humilier – to humiliate
consacrer – to devote loger – to stay/reside
contribuer – to contribute lutter – to fight/struggle
critiquer – to criticise menacer – to threaten
(se) débrouiller – to sort oneself out/manage mourir – to die
déranger – to disturb naître – to be born
(se) plaindre – to complain respecter – to respect
plaire - please rêver – to dream
pleurer – to cry rire – to laugh
porter – to carry/wear (se) séparer – to separate
realiser – to realise/achieve signer – to sign
réflechir – to reflect/think about surveiller – to watch/supervise/mind
refuser – to refuse tomber amoureux de – to fall I love with
remercier – to thank

Free Time and the Media

acheter – to buy laisser – to leave
aller – to go lancer – to throw/launch
(s’)amuser – to have fun/enjoy lire – to read
annuler - to cancel marquer (un but) – to score (a goal)
chanter – to sing mettre de l’argent à côté – to put money aside
choisir – to choose mettre en ligne – to publish/post online
cliquer – to click nager – to swim
contrôler – to check/control patiner – to skate
courir – to run pousser – to push
danser – to dance (se) promener – to go for a walk
déchirer- to tear up regarder – to watch
dépenser – to spend (money) recevoir – to receive/get
dérouler …en bas/en haut – to roll down/up rembourser – to reimburse
deviner – to guess replacer – to replace
donner – to give remplir – to fill
échanger – to exchange remporter (un prix) to win a prize
effacer – to erase/rub out/delete (se) rencontrer – to meet
emballer – to pack/wrap sauter – to jump
(s’)ennuyer – to get bored sortir – to go out
envoyer – to send suggérer – to suggest
essayer - to try surfer – to surf
faire du lèche-vitrine – to window shop taper – to type
faire les économies- to save (money) télécharger – to download
faire les courses – to go shopping tirer – to pull
faire les magasins – to go shopping toucher – to touch
feuilleter – to skim through vendre – to sell
gagner – to win/earn venir – to come
imprimer – to print voir – to see
jouer – to play
Holidays
(s’)approcher – to approach/get nearer paraître – to appear
atterrir – to land partager – to share
(se) baigner – to swim partir – to leave
chercher – to look for partir en vacances – to go on holiday
commander – to order quitter – to leave (house/hotel)
composter – to validate/stamp a ticket ralentir – to slow down
conduire – to drive recommender – to recommend
confirmer – to confirm remarquer –to notice
coûter – to cost réserver – to reserve
décoller – to take off revenir – to return/go back
diriger – to steer/pilot/direct stationner – to park
doubler – to double/dub/overtake suivre – to follow
durer – to last tourner – to turn
expliquer – to explain visiter – to visit
(se) garer – to park voler – to fly
indiquer – to indicate voyager – to travel
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 laver – to wash
appuyer – to lean/press (se) lever – to get up
(s’)asseoir – to sit down mettre – to put (on)
(se) coucher – to go to bed monter – to climb/go up
descendre – to go down montrer – toshow
donner sur – to look out on nettoyer – to clean
dormir – to sleep (se) réveiller – to wake up
entrer – to enter téléphoner – to telephone
éteindre – to put out/turn off (se) trouver – to find/be located
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 disparaître – to disappear
construire – to bulid endommager – to damage
croire – to believe gaspiller – to waste
cultiver – to grow jeter – to throw
détruire – to destroy produire – to produce
ramasser – to pick up réutiliser – to reuse
recycler - to recycle sauver – to save
réduire – to reduce

School and Future Plans

apprendre – to learn parler – to speak
commencer – to start passer – to sit (an examination)
comprendre – to understand penser- to think
copier – to copy perdre – to lose
demander – to ask poser (une question) – to ask (a question)
dessiner – to draw pouvoir – to be able to (can)
détester – to hate préparer – to prepare
discuter – to discuss punir – to punish
échouer – to fail redouble – to re-sit a year
écouter – to listen répeter – to repeat
empêcher – to prevent répondre –to reply
enseigner – to teach réussir – to pass/succeed
étudier – to study réviser – to revise
finir – to finish savoir – to know
frapper – to hit/strike (se) taire – to be quiet/shut up
mentir – to lie traduire – to translate
organiser – to organise travailler – to work
oublier – to forget utiliser – to use

Current and Future Jobs

choisir – to choose (se) rappeler - to remember
décider – to decide répondre – to reply
devenir – to become améliorer – to improve
distribuer – to distribute/deliver/give out assurer – to assure
livrer – to deliver
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 I speak / am speaking

tu parles You speak / are speaking (sing/informal)
il parle he speaks / is speaking
elle parle she speaks / is speaking
nous parlons we speak / are speaking
vous parlez you speak / are speaking (pl/formal)
ils parlent they speak (m/mixed)
ells parlent 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)
aller (to go) avoir (to have) boire (to drink)
je vais j’ai je bois
tu vas tu as tu bois je bois du
il/elle/on va je vais au il/elle/on a j’ai les il/elle/on boit coca
cinema ( I go (I drink
nous allons to the cinema)
nous avons cheveux nous buvons coke)
blonds (I have
vous allez vous avez blond hair) vous buvez
ils/elles vont ils/elles ont ils/elles boivent
connaître (to know a person or place) devoir (to have to / must) dire (to say/to tell)
je connais je dois I have to / I must je dis
tu connais tu dois tu dis
il/elle/on connaît il/elle/on doit je dois aller au il/elle/on dit
collège
nous connaissons nous devons (I must go to nous disons
vous connaissez vous devez school) vous disez
ils/elles connaissent ils/elles doivent ils/elles disent
g. je connais Paris / Mme Carpenter

être (to be + adjective/noun) faire (to do/ to make lire (to read)
je suis I am (e.g. clever) + activity expressions)
tu es you are je fais je lis
il/elle/on est he is tu fais tu lis (remember:
je fais la
nous sommes we are il/elle/on fait cuisine; il/elle/on lit le lit = bed!!)

vous êtes you are nous faisons il fait ses nous lisons
devoirs
ils/elles sont they are vous faîtes vous lisez
(Careful: don’t use for I am plus verb ils/elles font ils/elles lisent
e.g. I am playing = je joue)
partir (to leave) pouvoir (to be able/can/may) prendre (to take / to have food)
je pars je peux I can / I am able to / I may je prends
tu pars je pars à cinq
tu peux tu prends
il/elle/on part heures il/elle/on peut je peux
il/elle/on prend ils prennent
(I leave at 5
nous partons o’clock)
nous pouvons venir (I can nous prenons un café
(they’re
vous partez vous pouvez come) vous prenez having coffee)
ils/elles partent ils/elles peuvent ils/elles prennent
savoir (to know something) venir (to come) vouloir (to want to)
je sais I know (how) je viens je veux
tu sais tu viens mon ami tu veux je veux jouer au
vient chez-
il/elle/on sait il/elle vient moi ( my il/elle veut
je sais nager foot ( I want to
nous savons (I know how
nous venons friend comes nous voulons
to my house)
vous savez to swim) vous venez vous voulez play football)
ils/elles savent ils/elles viennent ils/elles veulent

voir (to see) Other irregular verbs to watch out for: if you come across them, look in
je vois the dictionary to find out how to use them!
tu vois Samedi, je vois The following verbs you must LEARN THEM BY HEART
mon copain (on
il/elle voit Saturday, I see
mettre (to put), courir (to run), apprendre (to learn) recevoir (to
nous voyons my friend.) receive), rire (to laugh), sourire (to smile), conduire (to drive), croire
vous voyez (to believe), naître (to be born), mourir (to die)
ils/elles voient
5. Le Présent (The Present) – Irregular Verbs – the most common irregular verbs

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 Composé with Regular AVOIR Verbs

The present tense of avoir (helping verb) + the past participle (PP)

Donner – to give Finir- to finish Vendre – to sell

(PP – donné ) (PP – fini ) (PP – vendu)
J’ai donné – I gave J’ai fini – I finished J’ai vendu – I sold
I have given I have finished I have sold
Tu as donné – You gave Tu as fini – You finished 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 Composé 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
boire: to drink: bu e.g. il a bu – he drank / he has drunk
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 Avoir- to have Être – to be
J’ai pris J’ai eu J’ai été
Tu as pris Tu as eu Tu as été
Il/Elle a pris Il/Elle a eu Il/Elle a été
Nous avons pris Nous avons eu Nous avons été
Vous avez pris Vous avez eu Vous avez été
Ils/Elles ont pris Ils/Elles ont eu Ils/Elles ont été

6c Le Passé Composé 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 PP
Mourir: to die: mort e.g. il est mort – he died/he has died
Retourner: to return: retourné
Sortir: to go out: sorti e.g. elle est sortie – she went out/has gone out

Venir: to come: venu

Arriver: to arrive: arrive e.g. Je suis arrivé(e) – I arrived/have arrived
Naître : to be born: né

Descendre: to go down: descendu

Entrer: to enter: entré e.g. Tu es entré – you entered/have entered

Tomber: to fall: tombé

Rester: to stay: resté e.g. nous sommes resté(e)s – we stayed/have stayed
Aller: to go out: allé
Monter: to go up: monté
Partir: to leave: parti 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 Finir – to finish Lire- to read

Je parlais Je finissais Je lisais
Tu parlais Tu finissais Tu lisais
Il/Elle parlait Il/Elle finissait Il/Elle lisait
Nous parlions Nous finissions Nous lisions
Vous parliez Vous finissiez Vous lisiez
Ils/Elles parlaient Ils/Elles finissaient Ils/Elles lisaient

*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

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 vais écouter – to listen

I am going regarder – to watch
Tu vas faire – to do
You are going jouer – to play
Il/Elle va aller – to go
He/She is going voir – to see
Nous allons chanter – to sing
We are going danser – to dance
Vous allez étudier – to study
You (pl) are going visiter –to visit
parler – to speak
Ils/Elles vont
retrouver –to meet
They are going

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 Partir - to leave Prendre – to take

Je parlerai Je partirai Je prendrai
Tu parleras Tu partiras Tu prendras
Il/Elle parlera Il/Elle partira Il/Elle prendra
Nous parlerons Nous partirons Nous prendrons
Vous parlerez Vous partirez Vous prendrez
Ils/Elles parleront Ils/Elles partiront 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 future stem future
aller: to go: ir: j'irai I will go
avoir: to have: aur: j'aurai I will have
envoyer: to send: enverr: j'enverrai I will send
devoir: to have to: devr: je devrai I will have to
être: to be: ser: je serai I will be
faire: to make/do: fer: je ferai I will do/make
pleuvoir: to rain: pleuvr : il pleuvra It will rain
pouvoir: to be able: pourr: je pourrai I will be able to
recevoir: to receive: recevr je recevrai I will receive
savoir: to know: saur: je saurai I will know
voir to see : verr : je verrai 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 Finir - to finish Prendre – to take

Je donnerais Je finirais Je prendrais
Tu donnerais Tu finirais Tu prendrais
Il/Elle donnerait Il/Elle finirait Il/Elle prendrait
Nous donnerions Nous finirions Nous prendrions
Vous donneriez Vous finiriez Vous prendriez
Ils/Elles donneraient Ils/Elles finiraient 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 I get washed/I wash myself nous nous lavons we get washed/we wash ourselves
tu te laves you get washed vous vous lavez you (lot) get washed
il se lave he gets washed ils se lavent they get washed

elle se lave she gets washed elles se lavent they get washed

Here’s a list of some common reflexives verbs in French

se préparer to get ready se demander to ask oneself/wonder s’arrêter to stop (oneself)

s’habiller to get dressed se lever to get up se doucher to get showered
se maquiller to put on makeup s’amuser to have fun s’embêter to get bored
se réveiller to wake up se coucher to go to bed s’appeler to be called/name is
se brosser to brush se peigner to comb se fâcher to get angry
se promener to go for a walk se reposer to rest se raser to shave
se disputer to argue s’entendre to get on se présenter to introduce oneself
s’intéresser à to be interested in se casser to break/to scarper se dépêcher to hurry up
se blesser to injure oneself se fouler to sprain oneself s’entraîner 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 We enjoyed ourselves

vous vous êtes amuse(é)(s ) You enjoyed yourself/selves
ils se sont amusés They enjoyed themselves
elles se sont amusées 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 It is
Ce sera It will be
c’était It was

Il y a There is or there are

Il y aura There will be
Il y avait 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 - we speak parlant - speaking

nous finissons - we finish finissant - finishing
nous répondons - we reply répondant - replying
nous dormons -we sleep dormant - sleeping

Only avoir, être and savoir are irregular

avoir- to have ayant - having

être- to be étant - being
savoir – to know 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 Futur
Je ne joue pas Je n’ai pas joué Je ne jouais pas Je ne jouerai pas
Je n’écoute pas Je n’ai pas écouté Je n’écoutais pas Je n’écouterai pas
NE…RIEN/RIEN…NE=nothing
Je ne mange rien Je n’ai rien mangé Je ne mangeais rien Je ne mangerai rien
Je ne fais rien Je n’ai rien fait Je ne faisais rien Je ne ferai rien
Rien ne marche Rien n’a marché Rien ne marchait Rien ne marchera
NE…PERSONNE/PERSONNE…NE=nobody
Je ne vois personne Je n’ai vu personne Je ne voyais personne Je ne verrai personne
Je n’aime personne Je n’ai aimé Je n’aimais personne Je n’aimerai personne
personne
Personne ne danse Personne n’a dansé Personne ne dansait Personne ne dansera
NE…JAMAIS = never
Je ne lis jamais Je n’ai jamais lu Je ne lisais jamais Je ne lirai jamais
Je ne fume jamais Je n’ai jamais fumé Je ne fumais jamais Je ne fumerai jamais
NE..PLUS= no longer, no more
Je ne bois plus Je n’ai plus bu Je ne buvais plus Je ne boirai plus
Je ne chante plus Je n’ai plus chanté Je ne chantais plus Je ne chanterai plus
Je n’ai plus de problème Je n’ai plus eu de Je n’avais plus de Je n’aurai plus de
problème problème problème