A. Présent: your base
Je mange / Je bois / Je vais. The standard present tense
Être en train de…. “to be in the middle of doing”
Être sur le point de…. “to be about to”
Native speakers use them constantly.
Part 03 · For every learner
Learn the tenses the smart way.
Most people learn tenses as a pile of separate things to memorise. That's exhausting. A lot of tenses share roots or endings with tenses you already know. Learn them in the right order and each new one is 50% easier.
B. Futur: your building block
Futur proche (je vais… I am going to…)
Futur simple (je mangerai / je boirai / j'irai… I will eat / drink / go)
Why it matters: the futur simple root is the exact same root you reuse for the conditional.
C. Conditionnel présent: reuse what you just learned
Same root as the futur simple. That's it. This unlocks the three “si… alors (if… then)” structures:
Type
Structure
Example
1. Real
si + présent → futur simple
Si j'ai le temps, j'irai au concert.
2. Hypothetical
si + imparfait → conditionnel présent
Si j'avais un chien, je l'appellerais Max.
3. Regret
si + plus-que-parfait → conditionnel passé
Si j'avais su, je serais venu(e).
D. Passé: the right order
Imparfait (habits, descriptions). Uses the same endings as the conditionnel you just learned.
Passé composé (completed past actions). Present of avoir/être + past participle.
Plus-que-parfait (“the past before the past”). Imparfait of avoir/être + past participle.
Passé simple. NOT spoken. Recognition only: understand it when reading, never produce it.
The whole chain, in one glance
START
Futur simple root
One root to learn (often the infinitive).
REUSE ROOT
Conditionnel
Same root, new endings.
REUSE ENDINGS
Imparfait
Conditionnel endings, only the root changes.
COMBINE
Passé composé & plus-que-parfait
Passé composé = présent + past participle. Plus-que-parfait = imparfait + past participle.
UNLOCKS
3 si…alors
You're really only memorising two new things (one root, one set of endings) and reusing them four times over!