Present, past and future in French
French marks time mainly through verb endings, so learning how tenses change shape unlocks talking about yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Part of your national curriculum
- Grammar and vocabulary: Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
Key learning points
- • The present tense
- • The near future: aller + infinitive
- • The past with 'avoir' + past participle
This lesson at a glance
- 25 minutes
- 19 parts to scroll through
- 3 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 19
Visual introductionPicture this
Present, past and future in French
French marks time mainly through verb endings, so learning how tenses change shape unlocks talking about yesterday, today and tomorrow.
In a nutshell
Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 19
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · The present tense
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 19
Learn
The present tense
Regular -er verbs like 'jouer' (to play) follow a pattern: je joue, tu joues, il/elle joue, nous jouons, vous jouez, ils/elles jouent. This describes things happening now or generally true, such as 'Je joue au tennis' (I play tennis).
Reset break
Part 4 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 19
Learn
The near future: aller + infinitive
To talk about the near future, French often uses 'aller' (to go) plus an infinitive, similar to English 'going to': 'Je vais jouer' means 'I am going to play'. This is simpler than the full future tense and is used constantly in everyday spoken French.
Quick check
Part 6 of 19
Quick check
Part 7 of 19
Reset break
Part 8 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 19
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · The past with 'avoir' + past participle
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 19
Learn
The past with 'avoir' + past participle
The perfect tense (passé composé) is usually formed with 'avoir' plus a past participle: 'J'ai joué' means 'I played' or 'I have played'. Regular -er verbs form their past participle by changing the ending to -é, so 'jouer' becomes 'joué'.
Quick check
Part 11 of 19
Reset break
Part 12 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 13 of 19
Worked example
Worked example: three tenses, one verb
Take 'parler' (to speak). Present: 'Je parle français' (I speak French). Near future: 'Je vais parler français' (I am going to speak French). Past: 'J'ai parlé français' (I spoke French). Notice only the verb form changes — the rest of the sentence stays the same.
Challenge round
Part 14 of 19
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 15 of 19
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
To talk about the near ____, French often uses 'aller' (to go) plus an infinitive, similar to English 'going to': 'Je vais jouer' means 'I am going to play'.
Reset break
Part 16 of 19
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 17 of 19
Game · Recall cards
Which sentence is in the past?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 18 of 19
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Present, past and future in French
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Which sentence is in the past?
2. The past participle of 'faire' is...
3. How do you say 'I am going to play' in French?
4. What is the past participle of the regular -er verb 'jouer'?
Lesson round-up
Part 19 of 19
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
Not played
Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 19 · Watch & discover
How this is going
- Not looked at yet
Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied