Verbs — AQA GCSE French

Students must master regular (-er, -ir, -re) and irregular verbs, including reflexive verbs, across all singular and plural persons. This includes forming negatives (e.g., 'ne...pas' around the conjugated verb) and interrogatives using intonation, 'est-ce que', or inversion. Understanding modes of address is crucial: 'tu' for informal singular and 'vous' for formal or plural. Impersonal verbs, which only use 'il', such as 'il faut' (it is necessary), must be understood. Finally, students must know how to use verbs followed by an infinitive, whether directly (e.g., 'je veux partir'), with 'à' (e.g., 'j'apprends à nager'), or with 'de' (e.g., 'j'essaie de lire').

The present tense in French is used to describe actions happening now, regular habits, or general truths. To form the present tense of regular verbs, remove the infinitive ending (-er, -ir, or -re) to find the stem, then add the appropriate endings. For example, regular -er verbs take -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent (e.g., 'je parle', 'nous parlons'). Regular -ir verbs take -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent, and -re verbs take -s, -s, nothing, -ons, -ez, -ent. Students must also confidently conjugate high-frequency irregular verbs in the present tense, such as 'être' (je suis), 'avoir' (j'ai), 'aller' (je vais), and 'faire' (je fais), across all subject pronouns.

The perfect tense (le passé composé) is used to describe completed actions in the past. It is formed using two parts: an auxiliary verb (either the present tense of 'avoir' or 'être') and a past participle. Most verbs use 'avoir' (e.g., j'ai mangé - I ate). A specific group of verbs, often indicating movement or a change of state (like aller, venir, arriver, partir), use 'être' (e.g., je suis allé(e) - I went). Reflexive verbs also use 'être'. When using 'être', the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject (adding -e for feminine, -s for plural). Regular past participles end in -é for -er verbs, -i for -ir verbs, and -u for -re verbs, but many common verbs have irregular past participles (e.g., faire -> fait, boire -> bu).

The imperfect tense (l'imparfait) describes ongoing past actions, habits, or background information such as weather, age, and feelings. You must know how to use the imperfect forms of 'avoir' (to have), 'être' (to be), and 'faire' (to do/make). The conjugations for 'avoir' are: j'avais, tu avais, il/elle/on avait, nous avions, vous aviez, ils/elles avaient. For 'être', the stem is irregular: j'étais, tu étais, il/elle/on était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils/elles étaient. For 'faire', the forms are: je faisais, tu faisais, il/elle/on faisait, nous faisions, vous faisiez, ils/elles faisaient. These are essential for phrases like 'il faisait beau' (the weather was nice) or 'j'avais cinq ans' (I was five years old).

The specification requires you to recognise (R) other common verbs in the imperfect tense. The imperfect is used for descriptions, habits, and ongoing actions in the past (translating to 'was doing' or 'used to do'). You can recognise the imperfect tense by its distinctive endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. These endings are added to a stem, usually formed by taking the 'nous' form of the present tense and removing the '-ons' (e.g., nous jouons -> jou- -> je jouais). When reading or listening, spotting these endings helps you identify that the action took place in the past and was continuous or habitual. For example, 'je regardais' means 'I was watching' or 'I used to watch', distinguishing it from the perfect tense.

The immediate future tense (le futur proche) describes actions that are going to happen in the near future, translating to 'going to' do something. It is formed using two components: the present tense of the verb 'aller' (to go) followed by an infinitive verb (ending in -er, -ir, or -re). The conjugations of 'aller' are: je vais, tu vas, il/elle/on va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont. For example, 'je vais manger' means 'I am going to eat', and 'nous allons partir' means 'we are going to leave'. To make it negative, place 'ne' and 'pas' around the conjugated form of 'aller', such as 'je ne vais pas jouer' (I am not going to play). This tense is highly regular and useful for expressing future plans.

The simple future (le futur simple) describes actions that will happen in the future. At Foundation tier it is a receptive feature: learners recognise and understand it in reading and listening. At Higher tier it is also used productively. It is formed from the infinitive (with the final e removed from -re verbs) plus -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez or -ont; irregular stems include ir- for aller, fer- for faire, ser- for être and aur- for avoir. For example, je mangerai means 'I will eat'.

The conditional tense is used to express what would happen or what you would like to do. For this specification, you must be able to use and understand the conditional forms of 'vouloir' (to want) and 'aimer' (to like/love). These are highly useful for expressing polite requests, desires, and preferences. The stem for 'vouloir' is 'voudr-' and for 'aimer' it is 'aimer-'. The conditional endings are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Therefore, 'je voudrais' translates to 'I would like' (often used when ordering food or buying tickets), and 'j'aimerais' translates to 'I would like' or 'I would love' (often used to express a wish, such as 'j'aimerais visiter Paris').

The pluperfect (le plus-que-parfait) describes an action completed before another past action. It is a receptive feature at both tiers: learners recognise and understand it in reading and listening rather than being required to produce it. It combines the imperfect of avoir or être with a past participle: j'avais fini means 'I had finished' and elle était partie means 'she had left'. Recognise the imperfect auxiliary forms and the agreeing past participle when être is used.

The passive voice changes the focus of a sentence from the person doing the action to the person or thing receiving the action. For this specification, you only need to recognise the passive voice in the present tense during reading and listening tasks (receptive use). It is formed using the present tense of the verb 'être' (suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont) followed by a past participle. The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. The agent (who is doing the action) is often introduced by the preposition 'par' (by). For example, in the sentence 'La porte est ouverte par le professeur' (The door is opened by the teacher), 'est ouverte' is the present passive.

The imperative mood in French is used to give commands, instructions, or advice. It exists in three forms: 'tu' (singular informal), 'nous' (let's), and 'vous' (plural or formal). To form the imperative for regular verbs, take the present tense form and drop the subject pronoun. For '-er' verbs in the 'tu' form, the final 's' is also dropped to form words like 'parle', except when followed by the pronouns 'y' or 'en' (e.g., 'vas-y'). Irregular verbs like 'être' (sois, soyons, soyez), 'avoir' (aie, ayons, ayez), and 'savoir' (sache, sachons, sachez) have unique imperative forms. Negative commands place 'ne' and 'pas' around the verb (e.g., 'ne parle pas').

At Foundation tier the present participle is recognised in reading and listening; at Higher tier it can also be produced. It is normally formed from the nous present-tense stem by replacing -ons with -ant, for example jouons to jouant. With en it can express 'while' or 'by' doing something, as in en écoutant. The irregular forms are étant, ayant and sachant. In the verb or gerund use it is invariable; do not add adjective agreement to en + present participle.

This section introduces the overarching concept of verb tenses in French, which indicate when an action occurs: in the past, present, or future. Understanding how to identify and form different tenses is crucial for comprehending narratives and expressing oneself accurately. Students must learn to recognise tense markers, such as specific endings or auxiliary verbs, to determine the timeframe of a text. In guided reading, learners should focus on scanning texts for these verb forms to establish the chronological sequence of events. Mastery of tenses allows students to distinguish between completed actions, ongoing situations, and future plans, which is essential for tackling complex reading passages and answering comprehension questions.

The future tense in French expresses actions that will happen. There are two main forms: the near future (le futur proche) and the simple future (le futur simple). The near future is formed with the present tense of 'aller' plus an infinitive (e.g., 'Je vais manger' - I am going to eat), often used for immediate or certain plans. The simple future uses the infinitive (dropping the 'e' for -re verbs) as the stem, adding the endings -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont (e.g., 'Je mangerai' - I will eat). Several common verbs have irregular future stems, such as 'aller' (ir-), 'avoir' (aur-), 'être' (ser-), and 'faire' (fer-). Both forms are essential for discussing future plans, predictions, and intentions in both spoken and written French.

The imperfect tense (l'imparfait) is used to describe past states, habits, and ongoing actions without a defined end. It translates to 'was/were doing' or 'used to do'. To form it, take the 'nous' form of the present tense, drop the '-ons', and add the imperfect endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. For example, 'nous parlons' becomes 'je parlais' (I was speaking / I used to speak). The only irregular stem is 'être', which uses the stem 'ét-' (e.g., 'j'étais' - I was). It is essential for setting the scene in past narratives, often used alongside the perfect tense which describes specific, completed actions, providing background details like weather or emotions.

The conditional mood is used to express what 'would' happen under certain conditions, often used for polite requests, wishes, or hypothetical situations. To form the conditional, use the future stem (usually the infinitive for -er and -ir verbs, and the infinitive minus the final 'e' for -re verbs) and add the imperfect endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. For example, 'je parlerais' (I would speak). Irregular future stems also apply to the conditional, such as 'ir-' for 'aller' (j'irais) or 'aur-' for 'avoir' (j'aurais). It is frequently used with 'si' (if) clauses, where the imperfect is followed by the conditional to describe hypothetical scenarios.

The pluperfect tense (le plus-que-parfait) is used to describe an action that had happened before another past action took place. It translates to 'had done' something. To form the pluperfect, use the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb ('avoir' or 'être') followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example, 'j'avais mangé' (I had eaten) or 'j'étais allé(e)' (I had gone). The rules for choosing between 'avoir' and 'être', as well as past participle agreements with 'être' and preceding direct objects, are exactly the same as in the perfect tense. It is a complex structure that adds depth to past narratives by clarifying the sequence of events.

The passive voice is used to focus on the recipient of an action rather than the doer. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. For GCSE French, students must recognise the passive voice in the future, imperfect, and perfect tenses, as indicated by the (R) for receptive use. It is formed using the relevant tense of 'être' followed by the past participle, which must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example, future: 'la porte sera fermée' (the door will be closed); imperfect: 'les lettres étaient écrites' (the letters were being written); perfect: 'le gâteau a été mangé' (the cake was eaten). The agent is often introduced by 'par'.

At Higher tier, the perfect infinitive describes an action completed before another action, often translated as 'after having done' something. It is formed with après followed by the infinitive of avoir or être and the main verb's past participle: après avoir mangé means 'after having eaten' and après être allé means 'after having gone'. When être is used, the past participle agrees with the subject, for example après être rentrée for a feminine subject. Recognise and use this structure accurately.

The present participle in French is equivalent to the English "-ing" form of a verb. It is formed by taking the nous form of the present tense, dropping the -ons ending, and adding -ant (e.g., jouer -> jouons -> jouant). There are three irregulars: être (étant), avoir (ayant), and savoir (sachant). The present participle is frequently used after the preposition en to mean "while", "by", or "upon" doing something. For example, en écoutant de la musique means "while listening to music". This structure is excellent for describing two simultaneous actions performed by the same subject, adding fluency and complexity to sentences.

The present subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, necessity, emotion, or uncertainty. At GCSE, students are only required to recognise (R) the present subjunctive in commonly used expressions, rather than produce it from scratch. Key phrases that trigger the subjunctive include il faut que (it is necessary that), bien que (although), and je veux que (I want that). For example, in the sentence il faut que je fasse mes devoirs (I must do my homework), fasse is the subjunctive form of faire. Recognising these set phrases and their corresponding irregular subjunctive verb forms (like soit for être or ait for avoir) is essential for understanding complex texts.