Let's do some grammar today. In previous lessons, you already learned the different verb tenses in French. In today's lesson, we will learn how to combine them in the most effective way. Aside from this topic, we will also learn new words and phrases related to making plans.
❑ The phrase "Concordance des temps" means "sequence of tenses." It is actually used to express the chronological relationship between different verbs in a sentence, more specifically a verb in the principal clause and the subordinate clause.
❑ To maximize this lesson, we will only talk about the past tenses in the indicative mood. This is one of the most common situations you may encounter in French.
❑ When the verb of the principal clause is in the past tense (imperfect, perfect, or historical past tense), the principal rules are:
Listen to Week 18 Day 1 Track 1
• We use the imperfect tense in the subordinate clause to express simultaneity (two actions happening at the same time).
J'ai entendu le vent soufflait.
J'entendais le vent soufflait.
I heard the wind was blowing.
• We use the pluperfect in the subordinate clause to express anteriority
Il m'a raconté que Marie avait disparu.
Il me racontait que Marie avait disparu.
He told me that Marie had disappeared.
• We use the perfect tense/historical past in the subordinate clause to express brevity
Je dormais quand il est arrivé
I was sleeping when he arrived.
• We use the present conditional (also called the "future tense in the past") to express posteriority
J'ai appris qu'il ne reviendrait plus.
I was informed that he would not come back again.
Speaking Practice 1
Dialogue
Now, for some vocabulary. Making plans is quite a common occurrence no matter where you are in the world. Here are some common ways to make plans in French, as well as how to answer the invitations. Let's check them all out.
Listen to Week 18 Day 1 Track 3
Qu'est-ce que tu fais (ce weekend) ? What are you doing (this weekend)?
Rien de spécial. Nothing special.
Pas grand-chose. Not much.
On fait ... ? Shall we...?
On pourrait (aller à la piscine). We could (go to the pool).
On (joue au parc) ? Shall we (play at the park)?
Tu veux (aller au ciné)? You want (to go to the movies)?
On va au ciné ? How about going to the movies?
avoir envie de to feel like
Tu as envie de faire du vélo ? Do you feel like going bike riding?
Ça te dit de jouer au foot ? Do you feel like playing soccer?
Tu as envie de (faire du vélo) ? Do you feel like (going bike riding)?
When you'd love to go, here's how to accept an invitation:
Listen to Week 18 Day 1 Track 4
D'accord. Okay.
Bonne idée ! Good idea!
Si tu veux. If you want.
Pourquoi pas ? Why not?
Oui, volontiers ! Yes, gladly.
Oui, je veux bien. Yes, I'd really like to.
Où est-ce qu'on se retrouve ? Where are we meeting?
On se retrouve au / à la ... We're meeting at the...
Ça va être amusant / marrant. It's going to be fun.
Speaking Practice 2
When you don't feel like going out, here are some words you can use. How to refuse the invitation:
Listen to Week 18 Day 1 Track 5
Ça ne me dit rien. I don't feel like it.
Désolé(e), je n'ai pas le temps. Sorry, I don't have the time.
Je suis très occupé(e). I'm very busy.
T'es chic mais... You're great but...
Je ne peux pas parce que... I can't because...
Additional Vocabulary
Listen to Week 18 Day 1 Track 7
| French | English | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| faire des bénéfices | to make a profit | L'entreprise a commencé à faire des bénéfices et à être vraiment compétitive. | The company started to make a profit and to be really competitive. |
| une action | a share | C'est une action en faveur de la jeunesse. | It is a share in favor of the youth. |
| subir une perte | to make a loss | La société a subi une perte l'année dernière, et a dû réduire ses effectifs. | The company made a loss last year and had to downsize. |
| un homme/une femme d’affaires | a businessman | Votre patron est un homme d'affaires très astucieux qui connaît la valeur des relations. | Your boss is a very astute businessman who knows the value of relationships. |
| les marchandises (fpl) | merchandise | Les marchandises sont temporairement stockées dans l'entrepôt voisin. | The merchandise is temporarily stored in the neighboring warehouse. |
| l’effondrement financier (m) | financial collapse | Nos experts pensent que nous serons bientôt au bord de l'effondrement financier si nous ne parvenons pas à un accord. | Our experts believe that we will soon be on the verge of financial collapse if we don't come to an agreement. |
| faire des économies | to save money | Nous vous conseillons de penser à acheter le vôtre afin de faire des économies. | We advise you to think about buying your own in order to save money. |
| mettre sur pied | to set up, to spearhead | Le gouvernement a mis sur pied un programme d'apprentissage. | The government has set up an apprenticeship program. |
| dans le monde entier, partout dans le monde | all over the world | Cet homme est connu dans le monde entier. | This man is known all over the world. |
| être débordé(e) de | to be buried under (work, assignments) | Malgré le fait qu'il soit débordé de travail, il a tenu à assister au concours afin d'encourager sa fille. | Although he was buried under work, he insisted on attending the competition to encourage his daughter. |
| trié sur le volet | specially selected, handpicked | Harold a été trié sur le volet pour être le meilleur de sa promotion. | Harold was handpicked to be the best of his class. |
| imputer quelque chose à | to ascribe something to, to charge something to | Le patron nous impute la responsabilité de l'échec de la mission. | The boss ascribes blame for the failure of the mission to us. |
| avaliser | to back, to guarantee, to endorse | Qu'ils le veulent ou pas, le directeur avalisera la proposition. | Whether they want it or not, the director will endorse the proposal. |
| le fournisseur | supplier, provider | N'hésitez pas à contacter le fabricant ou le fournisseur si vous avez la moindre préoccupation. | Do not hesitate to contact the manufacturer or the supplier if you have any concerns. |
| doter | to endow, to equip | Ce financement est indispensable pour doter nos équipes d'intervention des outils dont elles ont besoin. | This funding is essential to equip our intervention teams with the tools they need. |
| être doté(e) de | to have at one’s disposal, to be endowed with | Nous sommes dotés des équipements nécessaires pour mener à bien la mission. | We are endowed with the necessary equipment to carry out the mission. |
| mener à bonne fin | to bring to a successful conclusion | Il est dans notre intérêt de mener à bonne fin cet accord. | It is in our best interests to bring this agreement to a successful conclusion. |
| les frais d’entretien (m) | maintenance costs | Cet argent est destiné à couvrir les frais d'entretien du mobilier de bureau et du mobilier spécialisé. | This money is intended to cover the maintenance costs of office furniture and specialized furniture. |
| redouter de faire | to dread doing | Le chef redoutait de faire son discours. | The leader dreaded giving his speech. |
| le/la responsable | manager, person in charge, official | Il a été affecté à un autre secteur par le responsable. | He was assigned to another sector by the manager. |
Speaking Practice 3
A Quick Recap of this Lesson-
Un petit résumé de la leçon
- Use the imperfect tense in the subordinate clause to express two actions happening at the same time.
- Use the pluperfect in the subordinate clause to express anteriority.
- Use the perfect tense/historical past in the subordinate clause to express brevity.
- Use the present conditional (also called the "future tense in the past") to express posteriority
Sharpen Your Knowledge with Exercises
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Answer the questions about the dialogue.
Responses