| Simple Tenses | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tense | Usage | English Tense | Example Français | English Translation |
| Le Présent de l'Indicatif | An action or state of being at the present time | Present Continuous | Je vais à l'école maintenant | I am going to school now |
| Present | Je pense; donc, je suis | I think; therefore, I am | ||
| Habitual action | Present | Je vais à la bibliothèque tous les jours | I go to the library every day | |
| A general or universal truth | Present | Voir c'est coire | Seeing is believing | |
| Vividness when talking about the past (historical present) | ||||
| A near future | Present | Il arrive demain | He arrives tomorrow | |
| An action which began in the past and continues to the present | Present Perfect | Je suis ici depuis decembre | I have been here since December | |
| L'Imparfait de l'Indicatif | An action that was going on in the past at the same time as another action | Past Continuous | Il lisait pendant que j'écrivais | He was reading while I was writing |
| An action that was going on in the past when another action occurred | Past Continous | Il lisait quand je suis arrivé | He was reading when I arrived | |
| An action performed habitually in the past | Nous allions à la plage tous les jours | We would go to the beach every day | ||
| Je pêchais tous les samedis | I used to fish every Saturday | |||
| A desription of a physical or mental condition in the past | Past | Il était vivant quand j'ai été la | It was alive when I was there | |
| An action that occurred in the past and lasted for a certain period of time before another | Past Perfect Continuous | J'attendais l'autobus depuis dix minutes quand il est arrivé | I had been waiting for the bus for ten minutes when it arrived | |
| Le Passé Simple | ||||
| Le Futur | An action that will take place in the future | Future | J'y penserai | I will think about it |
| Present | Quand j'irai au marché, j'achèterai du pain dès que j'arriverai | When I go to the store, I will buy some bread as soon as I arrive | ||
| Le Conditionnel Présent | An action you would do if it were possible | Conditional | Je ferais le travail si j'avais le temps | I would do the work if I had the time |
| To soften a request | Conditional | Je voudrais du thé | I would like some tea | |
| Le Présent du Subjonctif | ||||