How French works
We have seen in Unit 2 that the verb indicates the action of a sentence. This action can be a physical activity such as walking, a mental activity like thinking or else a condition like being or feeling.
Verbs can also be used with other verbs to give information about aspects such as time (I will go). In this case the verb will is said to modify the verb go.
All actions of course happen in time, and verbs are situated in time primarily by means of tense.
In French the present tense can indicate that the action is happening at the time of talking or narrating:
Pierre enseigne dans un lycée
Pierre teaches in a Sixth Form college
The perfect tense can indicate that the action happened in the past and is completed at the time referred to:
Pierre a enseigné dans un lycée
Pierre taught in a Sixth Form college
The imperfect tense can indicate that the action happened in the past and is still continuing at the time referred to:
A cette époque-là Pierre enseignait dans un lycée
At that time Pierre taught in a Sixth Form college
The future tense can indicate that the action will happen in the future:
Pierre enseignera dans un lycée
Pierre will teach in a Sixth Form college
The above forms are said to be in the indicative mood as they are used when considering something as a fact or probability. Other verb moods include the subjunctive, which is used when the action of the verb is coloured with an attitude such as doubt, need, wishing, feeling or opinion:
Je veux que tu viennes avec moi
I want you to come with me
The conditional, which is used when the action of the verb is seen as a hypothesis rather than real:
Je viendrais avec toi si j'avais le temps
I would come with you if I had the time
The imperative, which is used when instructing or inviting someone to do something:
Viens avec moi!
Come with me
Tenses are also classified according to how they are formed. Some tenses are made up of one verb (as in enseigne, enseignera) and these are called simple tenses. Others are made up of two or more verbs (as in a enseigné), and these are called compound tenses.
In French compound tenses are made up of two elements. One (or more) auxiliary verbs, which in French will be a form of the verbs avoir or être: il a enseigné, elle est allée. And a past participle (such as enseigné or allée).
Past participles in French can also be used without auxiliaries, in which case they are like adjectives :
Le magasin est fermé
The shop is closed
Compound tenses in English differ in so far as the participle used can be a present participle :
Pierre is working in a bank in Paris
Pierre travaille dans une banque à Paris
Note that French never uses the present participle in this way, i.e. you cannot write *Pierre est travaillant dans une banque.
However, in common with English, present participles in French are used to shorten a longer clause :
Etant fatigué, il est rentré chez lui
[i.e. Comme il était fatigué...]
Being tired, he went home [i.e. As he was tired...]
The infinitive is the basic form of a verb such as to give in English or donner in French from which other forms are derived. It is this form that is listed in dictionaries to name a verb (in English the to is not included). Infinitives are most often used with other verbs called semi-auxiliaries (verbs expressing notions such as possibility, wishing etc.):
Elle veut aller au cinéma
[veut = semi-auxiliary, aller = infinitive]
She wants to go to the cinema
Infinitives can never be used with a subject (i.e. you cannot say *je donner, *la femme donner, etc.). When using a verb with a subject, the verb must be given a particular ending corresponding to the subject and the tense (i.e. je donne, tu donnais). This is called conjugating a verb.
The stem is the part of a verb, usually derived from the infinitive, which has unchanged spelling, and to which different endings may be added to form a conjugated verb. For example, to conjugate the verb parler (to speak) in the present tense, take the stem parl- and add the appropriate endings.
In addition to tense, the endings serve to indicate number (whether the subject is singular or plural ) and person : 1st person = I, we; 2nd person = you; 3rd person = he, she, it, they.
Voice is the area of grammar relating to the active and passive forms. The active voice indicates that the grammatical subject carries out the action of the verb:
Le chien a mordu le facteur
[subject = le chien]
The dog bit the postman
The passive voice indicates that the grammatical subject is the participant affected by the action:
Le facteur a été mordu par le chien
[subject = le facteur]
The postman was bitten by the dog