Mood is a grammatical form of a verb that shows the speaker’s attitude towards an action. The moods in French are as follows:
- indicative (indicatif),
- imperative (impératif),
- conditional
- subjunctive (subjunctif).
In French, each mood has several tense forms. The tense in which the verb is located determines the moment of speech to which the action refers.
Indicative
The speaker is aware of the action as real, definite, which occurs in the present, past or future time. The indicative mood has the greatest use in language.
In French, the main forms of the indicative mood are:
- present to express the present tense
- passé composé, imparfait, plus-que-parfait, passé simple to express the past tense
- futur simple, futur antérieur to express the future tense
Imperative mood
An inducement to a certain action, a request, a wish or an order. It exists in three forms: second person singular and plural, first person plural. In the imperative mood, the subject pronoun is not used.
Fais! - Do it! Choisis! - Choose!
Faites! - Do it! Choisissez! - Choose!
Faisons! - Let's do! Choisissons! - Let's choose!
Regarde! - Look! Regardez! - Look!
Regardons! - Let's see! (Let's get a look!)
Reflexive verbs:
Lève-toi! - Get up! Levez-vous! - Get up! Levons-nous! - Let's get up!
Conditional mood
Indicates an action that may be possible, contemplated, or desired. This mood denotes an action, the possibility of which depends on specific and specific conditions.
The conditional mood has two tenses: le Conditionnel présent and le Conditionnel passé. Both tenses are translated by one form of the conditional mood.
Le Conditionnel présent coincides in form with le Futur dans le passé.
Il pourrait etre là. - He's probably there.
Il voudrait lire ce roman. — He would like to read this novel.
Si j'étais fort, je t'aidais. - If I were strong, I would help you.
Le Conditionnel passé is formed with the help of the auxiliary verbs avoir or être, which are found in le Conditionnel présent and le Participe passé of the conjugated verb.
Si tu étais venu au stade, tu aurais assisté à un match splendide. — If you came to the stadium, you would be present at a great match.
Si j'avais eu ton numéro, je t'aurais téléphoné le soir. - If I had your number, I would call you in the evening.
Subjunctive mood
Shows that the speaker views the action not as a real fact, but as expected or desired. It is usually used after impersonal phrases and verbs expressing will, command, prohibition (vouloir, prier, il faut, il semble), as well as in subordinate clauses after some conjunctions and allied words.
Il faut que j'aille à la poste. - I need to go to the post office.
Je veux que vous écoutiez l'instructeur. - I want you to listen to the instructor.
Le Subjonctif présent is formed by adding to the stem of the third person plural of the indicative mood (Indicatif) the endings: -е, -es, -е, -ions, -iez, -ent.
Exceptions to this rule are the verbs avoir, être and some others: parler, finir, mettre.
Il n'y a personne qui puisse l'aider. - Nobody can help him.
Je serais bien content qu’il soit là. “I would be very pleased if he were there.”
Je ne suis pas sûr qu’il fasse beau demain. — I'm not sure that the weather will be good tomorrow.
Il me demande que je revienne le lendemain. — He asks me to come back the next day.
Que personne ne sorte! - So that no one comes out! (let no one leave!)
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French has many more tenses than Russian. They are divided into simple and complex. Simple tenses are formed on their own, without an auxiliary verb, complex tenses - with the help of an auxiliary verb. French has four auxiliary verbs: avoir - to have, être - to be, aller - to go and venir - to come. The last two are used in the formation of tenses of the immédiat group: the nearest past (venir) and the near future (aller). The remaining tenses are constructed using avoir or être, which stand in a specific tense.
As you may have guessed, we are talking about the indicative mood or Indicatif in French. The indicative mood includes quite a few verb tenses, which we will talk about below.
Present tense in French
In previous articles, we talked about the fact that the French language has three groups of verbs. To conjugate verbs in Présent, you need to know certain endings. In the first and second groups they are stable, but in the third they vary.
Present tense endingsArriver – to come – I groupe
J'arrive
tu arrives
il, elle arrive
nous arrivos
vous arrivez
ils, elles arrive
Rougir – blush – II groupe
Je rougis
tu rougis
il, elle rougit
nous rougissons
vous rougissez
ils, elles rougissent
Ouvrir – open – III groupe
J'ouvre
tu ouvres
il, elle ouvre
nous ouvrons
vous ouvrez
ils, elles ouvrent
For more information, see the conjugation of various French verbs on our website in a special section.
Past tenses in French
There are several past tenses in French.
Imparfait is an unfinished past tense or an imperfect past tense. Endings: ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient.
Dessiner – draw – I groupe
Je dessinais
tu dessinais
il, elle dessinait
nous desinions
vous dessiniez
ils, elles dessinaient
Finir – finish – II groupe
Je finissais
tu finissais
il, elle finissait
nous finissions
vous finissiez
ils, elles finissaient
Offrir – offer – III groupe
J'offrais
tu offrais
il, elle offrait
nous offences
vous offriez
ils, elles offraient
Passé composé – compound past tense. Auxiliary verb avoir or être in the present tense + participe passé of the conjugated verb.
Partager – divide (aux.avoir)
J'ai partage
tu as partage
il, elle a partage
nous avons partage
vous avez partage
ils, elles ont partage
Entrer – to enter (aux.être)
Je suis entre
tu es entre
il, elle est entré(e)
nous sommes entres
vous etes entres
ils, elles sont entré(e)s
Passé simple - simple past tense. Used only in written speech. Each group of verbs has its own endings. See our website for more details.
Parler – talk – I groupe
Je parlai
tu parlas
il, elle parla
nous parlâmes
vous parlates
ils, elles parlerent
Obéir – obey – II groupe
J'obéis
tu obeis
il, elle obéit
nous obéîmes
vous obéîtes
ils, elles obéirent
Pouvoir – to be able – III groupe
Je pus
tu pus
il, elle put
nous pûmes
vous putes
ils, elles pure
Plus-que-parfait is a long-gone tense. Auxiliary verb avoir or être in Imparfait + participe passé of the conjugated verb.
Partager - to divide
J'avais partage
tu avais partage
il, elle avait partage
nous avions partage
vous aviez partage
ils, elles avaient partage
Passé antérieur – used only in writing. Auxiliary verb avoir or être passé simple + participe passé of the conjugated verb.
Prendre – take, take
J'eus price
tu eus price
il, elle eut price
nous eûmes price
vous eûtes price
ils, elles eurent price
Passé immédiat – just past tense. The verb venir is in the present tense + de + the infinitive of the conjugated verb.
Prévenir – to warn
Je viens de prévenir
tu viens de prévenir
il, elle vient de prévenir
nous venons de prévenir
vous venez de prévenir
ils, elles viennent de prévenir
Passé immédiat dans le passé - used only in verb tense agreement. Verb venir in Imparfait + de + infinitive of the conjugated verb
Je venais de lire
tu venais de lire
il, elle venait de lire
nous venoins de lire
vous veniez de lire
ils, elles venaient de lire
Future tenses in French
There are also several future tenses in French.
Futur simple - simple future tense. Verb infinitive + endings ai, as, a, ons, ez, ont.
Rajeunir - to look younger
Je rajeunirai
tu rajeuniras
il, elle rajeunira
nous rajeunirons
vous rajeunirez
ils, elles rajeuniront
Futur dans le passé - used only in verb tense agreement. Verb infinitive + endings Imparfait.
Nier – to deny
Je neierais
tu nierais
il, elle nierait
nous nierions
vous nieriez
ils, elles nieraient
Futur antérieur - used only in writing. Auxiliary verb avoir or être in Futur simple + participe passé of the conjugated verb.
Avouer - to acknowledge
J'aurai avoué
tu auras avoué
il, elle aura avoué
nous aurons avoué
vous aurez avoué
ils, elles auront avoué
Futur proche - near future tense. The verb aller in Présent + the infinitive of the conjugated verb.
Chanter - to sing
Je vais chanter
tu vas chanter
il, elle va chanter
nous allons chanter
vous allez chanter
ils, elles vont chanter
Futur proche dans le passé - used in agreeing verb tenses. The verb aller in Imparfait + the infinitive of the conjugated verb.
Louer - to praise
J'allais louer
tu allais louer
il, elle allait louer
nous allions low
vous alliez louer
ils, elles allaient louer
This is the indicative mood in French. As you can see, friends, there are many times, but they are all necessary and important.
The imperative mood or Impératif in French is used to indicate a request or order, as well as to indicate wishes, threats, advice and other imperative phenomena.
If in Russian the imperative mood exists only in the second person singular and plural, then in French it is used in three persons: the second person singular - tu, and the first and second person plural - nous, vous.
The ease of the French imperative mood lies in the fact that the forms of the imperative of French verbs completely coincide with the forms of their present tense in the indicative mood. However, there is one peculiarity: when forming the second person singular imperative, verbs of the first group and verbs of the third group (for example, aller - to go, cueillir - to collect), as well as verbs ending in -frir, -vrir lose their final s .
How is the imperative mood formed?
It's very simple, friends! The imperative mood of verbs of the first group:
- Chante! – Sing! Chantons! - Let's sing! Chantez! – Sing!
- Parle! - Speak! Parlons! - Let's talk! Parlez! - Speak!
- Repete! - Repeat! Repétons! - Let's repeat! Repétez! – Repeat!
- Répétez la dernière proposition, s’il vous plaot.– Repeatlast thingoffer, Please. (request)
- Parlez donc, il ne faut pas se taire! - Speakor, Notnecessarykeep silent! (order)
Imperative of verbs of the second group:
- Obeis! - Obey! Obéissons! - We obey! Obéissez! - Obey!
- Obéissons àcequedisentnosparents! – Let's obey what our parents say!
Verbs of the third group in the imperative mood:
- Bois! - Drink!Buvons! - Let's have a drink!Buvez! - Drink!
- Buvezpournotresanté! - Drink to our health!
But: Va! (aller) Offre! (offrir) Cueille! (cueillir)
Please note that there are the following exceptions to the rules that you should remember:
- Avoir (to have) - aie! ayons! ayez!
- être (to be) - sois! soyons! soyez!
- Savoir (to know) - sache! sachons! sachez!
Negative form of the imperative mood:
- Ne parle pas! - Notspeak! Neparlonspas! – We’re not talking!Ne parlez pas! - Do not speak!
- Ne parlez pas si vite, je ne vous comprends pas. – Don’t talk so fast, I don’t understand you.
In the formation of the imperative mood of reflexive verbs in French, pay attention:
- if the imperative is in the affirmative form, then the reflexive particle is placed after the verb in its stressed (tonic) form, which coincides with the unstressed (atonic) form only in the first and second person plural (Promenons-nous! - Let's take a walk! Asseyez-vous! - Take a seat !). Therefore, for the second person singular the stressed form is used (Calme-toi! - Calm down!)
- if the imperative is in a negative form, then the reflexive particle is placed before the verb immediately after the negative particle ne and is used in its unstressed form. (Ne te plains pas! – Don’t complain! Ne nous doutons pas! – Let’s not doubt! Ne vous taisez pas! – Don’t be silent!)
Where to use the imperative mood?
The imperative mood in French is used in the second person singular and plural to express an order, request, prohibition, advice, wish:
- Finissez tout de suite! - Stop itNowor!
- Ne me cherchez pas! - Notlook forme!
- Donne-moi ta main! - Giveto memyhand!
- N'oubliezpasvosparents! - Don't forget your parents!
The imperative in the first person plural is used to express a proposal, an invitation:
- Soyons ici encore un peu! - Let's stayHeremoreA little!
- Passons à l'action! - Let's move on to action!
So far we have talked about the simple form of the imperative mood. But in French there is also a complex form.
The complex form of the imperative is used less frequently in speech. It is formed by adding to the imperative form of the verb avoir or etre (depending on the conjugation) the past participle of the conjugated verb. For example: Aie parlé! Ayez cherche! Sois venu(e)! Soyez parti(e,s,es)!
The complex form of the imperative mood is used for:
denoting an action completed before a certain point in the future.
- Ayezrédigévotrearticleavantcinqheuresetvousserezrecompensé. – Write your article before five o’clock and you will be rewarded.
giving the action an aspect of completeness:
- Ayez fini ce rapport à sept heures. – Finish this report at seven o’clock.
So we discussed the French imperative, friends. Give orders, express a request or advice in French, because now you know the imperative mood!
Mode indication. Pésent de l'indicatif
Indicative
Present indicative tense
- Indicatif denotes a real action in the present, past or future.
- Each tense has a primary meaning and secondary meanings that arise in the context.
Forms and meaning of Present
is formed as follows:
Infinitive stem + ending | Examples | |
| Igroupmarcher | —
e-ons — e-ent | je march e nous march ons tu march es vous march ez il march e ils march ent |
| IIgrouprougir | -is -iss-ons -is -iss-ez -it -iss-ent | je rougis nous rougissons tu rougis vous rougissez il rougit ils rougissent |
| IIIgroupcourier | -s -e -x -ons -s -es -x -ez -t -e -t(d) -ent | je cours nous courons tu cours vous courez il court ils court |
Exceptions:
1- e units h.- j'ai je vais je suis
2- e units h. – tu as tu vas tu es
3- e units h.- il a il va il estil vainc
2- e pl. h. - vous etesvous faites vous dites
3- e pl. h. - ils ontils vont ils sont ils font
denotes an action that occurs at the moment of speech:
J'ai Besoin d'une pile pour ma radio. I need a battery for the radio.
Vous classez vos papiers? Are you sorting out your papers?
Pré sentin context means
a common, repeated action often indicated by the circumstances of the time:
| souvent d'habitude tous les dimanches | chaque jour toujours |
Tous les matins, je fais ma gymnastique. Every morning I do exercises.
Tu n' écoutes jamais ce qu'on te dit.You never listen to what they tell you.
À la maison nous dejeunonsà midi. At home we have lunch at noon.
timeless action (in laws, rules, sayings, ...):
Le soleil se lèveà l'est. The sun rises in the east.
L'habitude est une second nature . Habit — second nature.
On n' attrape pas les mouches avec du vinaigre. Anger Nothing Not you will achieve.
the recent past, which is expressed by a combination of terminal verbs arrivequitter, party, sortir, … with the circumstance of time:
— Où est Paul? — WherePaul?
—Il sort à l'instant. — He just went out.
— Elle sort de chez moi à l’instant . SheonlyWhatleft.
the near future, which is indicated by the circumstances of time:
J' enfile mon manteau et je vous rejoins. I put on my coat and join you.
Monique revient ce soir. Monica is coming back todayIn the evening.
L'été prochain, nous partons pour l'Espagne. This in summer We let's go V Spain.
Alos, c’est promis, tu m’ appelles.So we agreed, you will call me.
future action depending on the condition (after the conjunction si instead of Futur simple ):
S'il pleut je resterai chez moi. If it rains I I'll stayHouses.
Si tu es en retard, je partiraisans toi. If you're late, I'll leave without you.
advice, request, order:
Vous allez tout droit, puis vous tournezà gauche. You go straight, then turn left.
Toi, tu rests ici. You're staying here
to denote long-term situations or actions:
Il deviant dur d'oreille. He hears worse and worse.
Cette semaine nous aménageons le grenier. This week we are furnishing the attic.
to describe a chain of events in the past in order to “revive” them in the present tense, i.e. to talk about the past:
Il s'était évanoui. Je le saisis et je le souleve, je le transport et je l' along sur son lit... Helostconsciousness.I grab him, lift him, carry him and lay him on his bed. .
