Grammar · Both
Essential French Tenses
Tense control is a major mark driver. Master high-frequency patterns before rare exceptions.
Core tenses
• Present – habits and current facts
• Perfect (passé composé) – completed past (avoir/être + past participle)
• Near future – aller + infinitive
• Simple future – infinitive stem + endings (Higher often expects this)
• Imperfect – descriptions and ongoing past (Higher)
Exam tip
Decide the time frame before writing.
Check agreements with être verbs and past participles.
Time markers: hier, demain, d’habitude, plus tard.
Worked example
Near future of “I am going to study”?
Solution: Je vais étudier.
Practice questions
1. How do you form the near future?
2. Perfect tense needs what two parts?