French A2 - Essential Grammar, Tense Mastery & Daily Expressions

Formed with aller (conjugated in present tense) + infinitive verb. Used for actions that will happen very soon or are planned. (e.g., Je vais manger. - I am going to eat.)

Used for commands, requests, or advice. Formed by dropping the subject pronoun from the tu, nous, vous forms of the present tense. For -er verbs in tu form, drop the final s. (e.g., Mange! - Eat!, Finissons! - Let's finish!, Allez! - Go! (plural/formal)).

Used for completed actions or events in the past, often with a clear beginning and end. It describes specific, single occurrences. (e.g., J'ai mangé une pomme hier. - I ate an apple yesterday.)

Used for ongoing, habitual, or descriptive actions in the past. It describes states, repeated actions, or background information. (e.g., Quand j'étais petit, je jouais souvent. - When I was little, I often played.)

Passé Composé for specific, completed actions (what happened). Imparfait for descriptions, habits, or ongoing actions (what was happening/used to happen).

Most verbs use avoir as their auxiliary verb. The past participle does not agree with the subject when avoir is used, unless there's a preceding direct object. (e.g., J'ai mangé. - I ate., Elle a vu le film. - She saw the film.)

Used for verbs of motion, change of state, and all reflexive verbs. These are often remembered with the acronym DR & MRS VANDERTRAMP: Devenir, Revenir, Monter, Rester, Sortir, Venir, Aller, Naître, Descendre, Entrer, Rentrer, Tomber, Retourner, Arriver, Mourir, Partir.

When être is the auxiliary verb, the past participle always agrees in gender and number with the subject. (e.g., Elle est allée. - She went., Ils sont partis. - They left., Nous sommes parties. - We (f.) left.)