Past, present, future in French
Yesterday, today, tomorrow: a French sentence can tell what happened, what is happening or what will happen. How can you tell when the action takes place?
This lesson takes about 10 minutes. You can take a break after each part.
Before you start
Learning objectives
- I can tell if a French sentence is in the past, the present or the future.
- I can choose the French word that tells when the action happens.
When does the action happen?
Three moments
The past is before: “Hier, j’ai joué au ballon.” (Yesterday, I played ball.)
The present is now: “Je joue au ballon.” (I am playing ball.)
The future is later: “Demain, je jouerai au ballon.” (Tomorrow, I will play ball.)
The verb changes
To show the moment, the French verb changes its form:
| past | j’ai joué | I played | |
|---|---|---|---|
| present | je | joue | I play |
| future | je | jouerai | I will play |
The verb and the time words go together.
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Words that tell the time
Time words
Some words tell when the action happens.
Past: hier (yesterday), avant-hier (the day before yesterday), autrefois (long ago). Present: aujourd’hui (today), maintenant (now), en ce moment (right now). Future: demain (tomorrow), plus tard (later), la semaine prochaine (next week).
With the right verb
The time word must match the verb: “Demain, nous irons à la piscine.” (Tomorrow, we will go to the pool.) You cannot say “Hier, nous irons…”
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Review game
Final assessment
To master the lesson, you need at least 60% correct answers.
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Summary
- A sentence can be in the past (before), the present (now) or the future (later). The verb changes its form with the moment.
- Hier and autrefois tell the past; maintenant and en ce moment tell the present; demain and plus tard tell the future. The time word matches the tense of the verb.
