Indicative Tenses in French

Overview of the indicative tenses

This overview of the indicative tenses presents, in a single table, all the tenses that belong to the indicative mood in French. This allows you to view all the indicative conjugations in one place and review the usage rules for each tense.

In addition, you’ll find many exercises at the bottom of the page to help you practise French tenses.

Le présent

The présent is the tense used to talk about facts, current situations and repeated actions in the present.

Examples:

J’habite à Paris.I live in Paris.
Tu es rousse.You’re a redhead.
Nous sommes en chemin.We’re on our way.

It is also used to express a scheduled future action.

Example:

Je t’appelle dans cinq minutes.I’ll call you in five minutes.

Check out our page on the présent to learn when and how to use this tense correctly and to review its conjugation rules.

Le passé composé

The passé composé is used to talk about action that were completed in the past and emphasises their consequences in the present. It’s very common in spoken French.

Examples:

J’ai parlé avec Marie.I spoke with Marie.

Luc a mangé tout le gâteau.Luc ate the whole cake.

Elles sont parties à la mer.They went to the seaside.

Feel free to check out our page on the passé composé to learn more and practise with the exercises.

L’imparfait

The imparfait describes states and actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past. It’s used to tell stories and report on past actions, mostly in written contexts.

Example:

J’aimais écouter les oiseaux chanter.I loved listening to the birds sing.

Tu découvrais le jardin avec curiosité.You were exploring the garden with curiosity.

Vous dansiez librement.You were dancing freely.

You will find everything you need to know about the imparfait on our page dedicated to this tense.

Le passé récent

The passé récent is used to talk about completed actions or an event that have just happened.

Examples:

Je viens de terminer un livre génial.I’ve just finished an amazing book.

Nous venions de sortir quand il s’est mis à pleuvoir.We had just gone out when it started to rain.

Ils viennent d’arriver à l’instant.They’ve just arrived.

Check out our page on the passé récent to learn when and how to use this verbal periphrasis correctly.

Le passé simple

The passé simple is used to talk about a completed, one-time action in the past. This tense is mainly used in written language.

Examples:

Je partis sans me retourner.I left without looking back.

Tu finis ton repas en silence.You finished your meal in silence.

Nous vendîmes tous nos tableaux.We sold all our paintings.

Learn more about the passé simple on our page dedicated to this tense and its conjugation rules.

Le plus-que-parfait

The plus-que-parfait is used to talk about an action or situation that took place before another past action.

Examples:

J’avais terminé de lire mon livre.I’d finished reading my book.

Elle était partie à l’aube.She’d left at dawn.

Nous nous étions promenés dans la forêt.We’d taken a walk in the forest.

Feel free to visit our page on the plus-que-parfait to learn how to use this tense correctly and review its conjugation rules.

Le passé antérieur

The passé antérieur is rarely used today – it’s the literary equivalent of the plus-que-parfait and is used to indicate that an action occurred before another action in the past.

Examples:

Aussitôt qu’elle eut compris l’erreur, elle la corrigea.As soon as she had understood the mistake, she corrected it.

Quand nous eûmes fini de dîner, nous rangeâmes la table.When we had finished dinner, we cleared the table.

Dès qu’elles eurent terminé leur travail, elles partirent se promener.As soon as they had finished their work, they went for a walk.

Our page on the passé antérieur contains all the information you need to use this tense correctly.

Le futur proche

The futur proche is used to talk about an action or situation planned for the near future. It highlights both the intention to do something and the imminence of the action.

Examples:

Je vais préparer le petit-déjeuner.I’m going to prepare breakfast.

Martine va partir au travail dans 1 heure.Martine is going to leave for work in an hour.

Vous allez regretter votre choix.You’re going to regret your choice.

You will find all the information you need to master this verbal periphrasis on our page dedicated to the futur proche.

Le futur simple

The futur simple is used to talk about future plans or intentions, as well as to make predictions about what may occur in the future.

Examples:

Je viendrai à 19 heures.I’ll come over at 7 p.m.

Tu réussiras haut la main.You’ll succeed easily.

Nous signerons les documents demain.We’ll sign the documents tomorrow.

Visit our page on the futur simple to learn when and how to use this tense correctly, as well as its conjugation rules.

Le futur antérieur

The futur antérieur indicates an action that will be completed before a specific moment in the future.
It expresses the idea or assumption that an action will have been completed at or by a certain point in the future.

Examples:

J’aurai terminé dans 1 heure.I will have finished in an hour.

Lou sera partie avant que tu n’arrives.Lou will have left before you arrive.

Nous aurons dansé toute la nuit.We will have danced all night.

Check out our page on the futur antérieur to learn how to use this tense and its conjugation rules.

Le conditionnel

The conditionnel (present and past) can be used either as a tense or as a mood. When it functions as a tense in the indicative, it expresses the future from a past point of view.

Examples:

Je savais que je pourrais réussir. (cond. présent)I knew that I would be able to succeed.

Tu as dit que tu viendrais nous aider. (cond. présent)You said you would come to help us.

Vous pensiez que vous auriez terminé avant midi. (cond. passé)You thought you would have finished before noon.

Check out our page on the conditionnel to learn how to distinguish the tense from the mood, and to learn how to conjugate it in both the past and the present.