The Perfect tense is a very important tense in German grammar. We use it almost always, when speaking about the past. On this page, I shall explain to you how to construct the Perfect tense and when to use it. I shall show you the whole thing first using the example sentence „Ich lerne Deutsch“ (I learn German).
The rule for creating the Perfect tense is as follows:
Auxiliary verb (conjugated) + Past Participle (at the end of the sentence)
„Auxiliary verb“ („Hilfsverb“) here means that at position 2 in the main clause (where the conjugated verb is ALWAYS found) there is a verb that helps us to construct the perfect tense in German grammar. The auxiliary verb does not have any meaning by itself, it has only a grammatical function.
Because of this, there are fundamentally only two possible verbs that one can use as the auxiliary verb for constructing the Perfect Tense, namely the verb „haben“ and the verb „sein“. Let me explain to you when to use „haben“ and when to use „sein“.
Firstly, an example:
Present tense: I learn German/ I am learning German.
When we want to put this easy sentence into the Perfect tense, the following happens:
What happens?
The verb „lernen“ becomes the past participle and moves from position 2 to the END of the sentence. To Position 2 now comes the auxiliary verb „haben“ in conjugated form, so „Ich habE“, with an „e“.
This structure always remains the same: auxiliary verb in Position 2, past participle at the end of the sentence, as with much longer sentences:
For you, it is important to note that the actual meaning of the sentence is not shown by the conjugated verb in Position 2 anymore but by the past participle at the end of the sentence. Only the auxiliary verb is ever found in Position 2; mostly we use the auxiliary verb „haben“, and with regular / weak verbs we only EVER use the auxiliary verb „haben“.
When do we use the auxiliary verb „sein“?
The answer to this question is, at first glance, quite simple:
Rule:
Verbs about Movement and Change of state use the verb „sein“. And how can we best remember this? Very simple! Be creative and write the verb „sein“ in such a way that you could associate with movement! I am sure, that there are many creative people out there who can do that pretty well. I myself have always thought of this picture here:
And what does this mean exactly?
Here are some examples of Verbs of Movement: to go „gehen“, to travel „fahren“, to run „rennen“, to fly „fliegen“ and so on. If we construct the Perfect tense with these verbs, thus we have to use the auxiliary verb „sein“ in conjugated form in Position 2 and, again, the corresponding Past Participle at the END of the sentence:
What are Verbs of Change of State?
Verbs of Change of State express when a subject’s state changes from ‚State A‘ to ‚State B‘! Here are a few examples (all sentences in the table are in the present tense):
The verbs „sterben“, „einschlafen“, „verwelken“ and obviously many more are thus so-called Verbs of Change of State and form the Perfect Tense with the auxiliary verb „sein“.
And here once more an overview in the form of a table
So far so good. In my experience, however, German students now find it difficult to tell whether they are dealing with verbs of Movement or of Change of State.
Furthermore, there are some verbs that you really can’t say whether they are Verbs of Movement or not, for example with the verb „spielen“. Most people associate that verb with movement, and inspite of this, when constructing the Perfect tense with this verb you use „haben“.
In addition, there are often regional differences. In Austria, some verbs take a different Auxiliary Verb when constructing the Perfect Tense to Germany. So there is always lots for German Students to be confused by!
When do you use the Perfect Tense?
Firstly you must remember, that the Perfect tense conveys the meaning of the past in exactly the same way as the Imperfect tense (Präteritum). There is no difference! It does not matter; both of the following sentences mean exactly the same thing:
65 million years ago, the Dinosaurs died out…
Vor 65 Millionen Jahren sind die Dino Saurier ausgestorben. (Perfekt)
Vor 65 Millionen Jahren starben die Dino Saurier aus. (Präteritum)
The statements made with both grammatical times/tenses mean exactly the same. The difference is only in the communicative context of the sentence.
We have to distinguish between a formal, public, literary context and a more easy informal context.
Generally the rule is that you use the Imperfect tense in a formal context, for example in literature written in a serious tone such as Newspapers, scientific work or in a serious public speech.
If it is meant to be received in a more casual manner, we use the Perfect tense. When we email our friends, for example, or in normal everyday speech and so on.
Now you also understand why the Perfect tense is so important in German grammar. If we are talking „ganz normal“ in everyday life and we speak about the past, we use the Perfect tense. So it is very important that you can use it properly.
Exceptions
For the verbs „sein“, „haben“ and the Modal verbs (wollen, müssen, können usw.), as a general rule, the Germans do not use the Perfect Tense. You can speculate about why this is – I guess it simply sounds a little awkward or old-fashioned. Because of this, more often we use the Imperfect tense (das Präteritum); with these verbs it is simply easier. Here are a few examples to clarify the difference:
sein
Silvester 2001 bin ich in Rom gewesen. (perfect tense)
Silvester 2001 war ich in Rom. (past tense)
werden
Vor einigen Jahren bin ich Deutschlehrer geworden. (perfect tense)
Vor einigen Jahren wurde ich Deutschlehrer. (past tense)
bleiben
Gestern bin ich noch ein bisschen länger auf der Party geblieben. (perfect tense)
Gerstern blieb ich noch ein bisschen länger auf der Party. (past tense)
haben
Noch vor einem Jahr hat Paul einen guten Job gehabt. (perfect tense)
Noch vor einem Jahr hatte Paul einen guten Job. (past tense)
Modal verbs
Als Kind habe ich Pilot werden wollen. (perfect tense)
Als Kind wollte ich Pilot werden. (past tense
With the present perfect, we show that an action in the past has been completed. We mostly use the present perfect when we want to focus on the result of the action.
In colloquial language, we often use the present perfect instead of the simple past.
Gestern hat Michael sein Büro aufgeräumt.
Er hat sich vorgenommen, jetzt immer so ordentlich zu sein. Aber bis nächste Woche hat er das bestimmt wieder vergessen.
Usage
completed action in the past (usually focusing on the result of the action)
Example:
Gestern hat Michael sein Büro aufgeräumt.
(Result: the office is clean now)
Er hat sich vorgenommen, jetzt immer so ordentlich zu sein.
(Result: he doesn’t want to be so disorganised anymore)
action that will be completed by a certain point in the future (The point in the future must be specifically designated, otherwise we use the future perfect.)
Example:
Bis nächste Woche hat er das bestimmt wieder vergessen.
Construction
We need the present tense form of sein/haben and the past participle (Partizip II).
Person
sein
haben
1st person singular (ich)
ich bin
gegangen
ich habe
gelesen
2nd person singular (du)
du bist
du hast
3rd person singular (er/sie/es/man)
er ist
er hat
1st person plural (wir)
wir sind
wir haben
2nd person plural (ihr)
ihr seid
ihr habt
3rd person plural/polite form (sie/Sie)
sie sind
sie haben
Past Participle
weak/mixed verbs
strong verbs
ge…t
ge…en
gelernt
gesehen
Exceptions in the Construction
Many strong and mixed verbs change their stem in the past participle.
gehen – gegangen, bringen – gebracht
If the word stem ends in d/t, we add an et to weak/mixed verbs.
Example:
warten – gewartet
Verbs that end in ieren form their past participle without ge.
Example:
studieren – studiert
Inseparable verbs form their past participle without ge.
Example:
verstehen – verstanden
For separable verbs, the ge comes after the prefix.
Example:
ankommen – angekommen
Using the Present Perfect Tense
In German, as in English, the present perfect differs from the simple past, in that it describes past events that have present implications. German speakers are not always careful in making this distinction, however. Indeed, they sometimes even mix the two tenses indiscriminately.
Even more important: in colloquial conversation, Germans use the present perfect almost exclusively. Indeed, many dialects do not even have a simple past, which is thus mostly reserved for written narrations. Colloquial accounts are in the present perfect: “Ich bin nach Hause gegangen und habe meinem Mann gesagt….” There are a few exceptions, such as the verb “sein” and the modal auxiliaries. It is quite common to use the less complex “ich war da” instead or “ich bin da gewesen” or “sie konnte ihn sehen” rather than “sie hat ihn sehen können.” Even in ordinary speech it is more usual to say “ich musste einen Arzt rufen lassen” than “ich habe einen Arzt rufen lassen müssen.” “Er hatte einen Hund” is also possible in place of “Er hat einen Hunde gehabt.”
Forming the Present Perfect Tense in German:Weak verbs typically form the past participle by adding the prefix “ge-“ and a suffix of “-t” or “-et” to the stem:
Ich habe das gesagt.
I said that.
Sie hat gut gespielt.
She played well.
Wir haben schwer gearbeitet.
We worked hard.
Ich habe nichts gehört.
I didn’t hear anything.
If the verb has a separable prefix, the “ge” becomes an infix; it is placed between the prefix and the stem:
Wir haben die Tür zugemacht.
We closed the door.
Ich habe eingekauft.
I went shopping.
If the verb ends in -ieren, there is no ge- added:
Das hat gut funktioniert.
That worked well.
Sie hat Physik studiert.
She studied physics.
Hast du auch die Küche renoviert?
Did you renovate the kitchen, too?
If the verb has an inseparable prefix, that replaces the “ge”:
Was hast du ihnen erzählt?
What did you tell them?
Habt ihr viel Geld dafür bezahlt?
Did y’all pay a lot of money for that?
Der Wagen hat mir gehört.
The car belonged to me.
Strong verbs:The “irregular strong verbs,” including the modal auxiliaries when they are not associated with another verb in the infinitive, add the suffix “-t” or “-et” to a (usually) changed stem:
Ich habe das nicht gewollt.
I didn’t want that.
Als Kind habe ich gut Chinesisch gekonnt.
As a child I could speak Chinese well.
Sie hat das nicht gewusst.
She didn’t know that.
Was hast du mir gebracht?
What did you bring me?
The remaining strong verbs add “-en” to a stem that may or may not be changed.
Ich habe meinen Hut gefunden.
I found my hat.
Du hast zu schnell gesprochen.
You spoke too fast.
Haben Sie gut geschlafen?
Did you sleep well?
Sie hat mein Buch nicht gelesen.
She didn’t read my book.
These strong verbs fall into distinct categories. Here is a list of the most common strong verbs, arranged in those groups.
The rules about the prefix “ge-“ remain the same:
Was hast du mitgebracht?
What did you bring along?
Das Konzert hat schon begonnen.
The concert has already begun.
Sie hat schon alles aufgegessen.
She has already eaten up everything.
Die Kinder haben den ganzen Tag ferngesehen.
The children watched TV all day.
Wir haben etwas anderes vorgehabt.
We planned to do something else.
The Auxiliary Verb: Most verbs, as in the examples above, take “haben,” but some require “sein”:
Wann bist du nach Hause gekommen?
When did you come home?
Wir sind ins Kino gegangen.
We went to the movies.
Seid ihr geflogen oder gefahren?
Did y’all fly or drive?
Er ist alt geworden.
He’s gotten old.
Sie sind in der Stadt geblieben.
They stayed in the city.
Die Musik ist sehr laut gewesen.
The music was very loud.
The verbs that take “sein” are mostly predictable on the basis of their meaning. They must satisfy two conditions: 1) they must be intransitive; 2) they must indicate a change of position or of condition. In the example “Wir sind nach Hause gegangen,” the verb “gehen” 1) takes no direct object and 2) describes motion from one place to another. The same is true with:
Sie ist spät aufgestanden.
She got up late.
Er ist gestern angekommen.
He arrived yesterday.
Ich bin langsam gelaufen.
I ran (or walked) slowly.
Examples of a change of condition:
Ihr Ring ist schon grün geworden.
Her ring has already turned green.
Er ist gestern gestorben.
He died yesterday.
Die Pflanze ist schnell gewachsen.
The plant grew fast.
Ich bin sofort eingeschlafen.
I fell asleep immediately.
Some Other Wrinkles:
1) There are two obvious exceptions to these rules: “bleiben” and “sein”. While they are intransitive (or, from another point of view, take the nominative case), they clearly do not show a change of position or condition. In fact, they specifically mean not to make such a change. Nevertheless, they take “sein.” “Folgen” might also be a surprise, unless we consider its use of the dative.
Er ist zu Hause geblieben.
He stayed home.
Er ist ein Junge geblieben.
He remained a boy.
Es ist immer so gewesen.
It was always that way.
Der Mann ist mir nach Hause gefolgt.
The man followed me home.
2) With some verbs, the context determines whether or not they take “sein.” “Fahren,” for example has two meanings: a) to drive in the sense of riding in a vehicle (“Wir sind nach Berlin gefahren”) and b) to operate a vehicle (“Ich habe deinen Wagen gefahren”). In the second case, “haben” is called for because “fahren” is transitive. Other examples:
Wir sind nach Madrid geflogen.
We flew to Madrid.
Der Pilot hat das Flugzeug allein geflogen.
The pilot flew the plane alone.
Wir sind um zwei gelandet.
We landed at two.
Der Pilot hat das Flugzeug um zwei gelandet.
The pilot landed the plane at two.
3) With a verb like “fahren,” those two meanings are sufficiently distinct. In some other instances, a certain amount of good will is called for. “Gehen,” for example, can actually, though rarely, take an object, but one still says, “Er ist seinen eigenen Weg gegangen” (“He went his own way”). And one normally says, “Ich bin einen Marathon gelaufen” – although some Germans would differ and insist on “haben.”
4) The movement implied in “tanzen” is not sufficient for “sein.” Hence: “Ich habe nur mit ihm getanzt.” – Although: “Ich bin mit ihm ins nächste Zimmer getanzt” (“I danced with him into the next room” [think tango]). “Schwimmen,” in contrast, most often takes “sein,” even if it’s just doing laps: “Ich bin heute nur kurz geschwommen” (“I swam today just for a short time”).
5) “Stehen” and “sitzen” obviously do not meet the criterion of motion, but Southern Germans, to the horror of Northerners, typically say “Ich bin gestanden” or “Ich bin gesessen.” Foreigners who use this construction get their knuckles rapped.
Double Infinitives:
The modal auxiliaries behave differently when paired with an infinitive. The present perfect form of “Ich kann Deutsch” is “Ich habe Deutsch gekonnt.” But “Ich kann Deutsch sprechen” becomes “Ich habe Deutsch sprechen können.” Other examples:
Ich habe das nicht wissen können.
I couldn’t know that.
Sie hat das nicht machen müssen.
She didn’t have to do that.
Wir haben ihm nicht schreiben dürfen.
We weren’t allowed to write to him.
The same is true of verbs of perception that take an infinitive without “zu.” “Sie hört ihn singen” becomes “Sie hat ihn singen hören.” Other examples:
Ich habe sie schwimmen sehen.
I saw her swimming.
also possible: Ich habe sie schwimmen gesehen.
Hast du ihn kommen hören?
Did you hear him coming?
also possible: Hast du ihn kommen gehört?
Two other verbs, lassen and helfen, also form double infinitives
Wir haben ein Haus bauen lassen.
We had a house built.
Ich habe ihr kochen helfen.
I helped her cook
also possible: Ich habe ihr kochen geholfen.
In these cases, the double infinitive remains in the final position in dependent clauses, and the “haben” slips into the second-the-last place:
Bist du sicher, dass sie das Buch hat lesen können?
Are you sure that she was able to read the book?
Wir sind nach Hause gegangen, weil wir keine Karten haben kaufen können.
We went home because we couldn’t buy any tickets.
Es ist schade, dass du ihn nie hast singen hören.
It’s too bad that you’ve never heard him sing.
In the above examples, the modal was put into a perfect tense. As in English, the modal can have a different meaning when combined with another verb that is in the past. Note the following distinctions .
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Basic Spanish Phrases
¡Buenos días!bway-nohs dee-ahs
Hello! / Good morning!
¡Buenas tardes!bway-nahs tard-ays
Good afternoon!
¡Buenas noches!bway-nahs noh-chays
Good evening! / Good night!
¡Hola!/¡Chao!oh-lah / chow
Hi! / Bye!
Adiós.ah-dee-ohs
Good bye.
Por favor.por fah-bor
Please.
Hasta la vista / Hasta luego.ah-stah lah vees-tah / ah-stah loo-ay-go
See you / See you later.
Hasta pronto.ah-stah prohn-toh
See you soon.
Hasta mañana.ah-stah mahn-yahn-ah
See you tomorrow.
(Muchas) Gracias.(moo-chahs) grah-see-ahs
Thank you (very much).
De nada.day nah-dah
You’re welcome.
Bienvenidosbyen-veh-nee-dohs
Welcome
Lo siento
loh see-ehn-toh
I’m sorry
Con permiso / Perdón / Disculpekohn pehr-mee-soh / pehr-dohn / dees-kool-peh
Excuse me / Pardon me
¡Vamos!bah-mohs
Let’s go!
¿Cómo está usted?koh-moh ay-stah oo-sted
How are you? (formal)
¿Cómo estás?koh-moh ay-stahs
How are you? (informal)
¿Qué tal?kay tahl
How’s it going?
Bien / Muy bienbee-ehn / moy bee-ehn
Good / Very good
Mal / Muy mal / Más o menosmahl / moy mahl / mahs oh may-nohs
Bad / Very bad / OK
Sí / Nosee / noh
Yes / No
¿Cómo se llama usted?koh-moh say yah-mah oo-sted
What is your name? (formal)
¿Cómo te llamas?koh-moh tay yah-mahs
What is your name? (informal)
Me llamo… / Mi nombre es… may yah-moh / mee nohm-breh ess
My name is…
Mucho gusto. /Encantado.moo-choh goo-stoh / en-cahn-tah-doh
Nice to meet you.
Igualmente.ee-guahl-mehn-tay
Same here. / Same to you.
Te toca a ti.teh toh-kah ah tee
It’s your turn. (informal)
¡Callate!kah-yah-teh
Shut up!
Te amo.tay ah-moh
I love you. (informal and singular)
Notice that Spanish has informal and formal ways of speaking. This is because there is more than one meaning to “you” in Spanish (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example.)
Encantado, cansado, enfermo, and aburrido are the masculine forms of the words. If the words refer to a woman or are spoken by a woman, then the final o changes to a: encantada, cansada, enferma, and aburrida
In Spain, as well as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, the Spanish language is called castellano instead of español.
Por favor is often shortened to just porfa. Porfis can also be used (at least in Mexico) to mean pretty please.
Please keep in mind that because Spanish is spoken in many countries, there are several regional dialects and accents so pronunciation rules may not apply to all countries. This tutorial is mostly concerned with the standardized varieties that are spoken in Mexico and northern/central Spain, but will also include common variants from other countries and/or regions. (The southern region of Spain, Andalucía, and the Canary Islands, exhibit features that are closer to Latin American Spanish.)
Spanish Subject Pronouns
singular
plural
first person
yo
yoh
I
nosotros
nosotras
noh-soh-trohs
noh-soh-trahs
we
second person
tú
vos
too
bohs
you (informal)
vosotros
vosotras
boh-soh-trohs
boh-soh-trahs
you (informal)
third person
élella
usted
ail
ay-yah
oo-sted
he / it
she / it
you (formal)
ellos
ellas
ustedes
ay-yohs
ay-yahs
oo-sted-ays
they (masculine)
they (feminine)
you (informal / formal)
The various pronouns meaning you can be tricky to use correctly in Spanish. The informal forms are used to show familiarity with other people, while the formal forms indicate social distance. There are many factors that determine the familiarity or formality, such as gender, age, location, social class, etc. In general, informal you is used with family members, friends, children, animals, etc. while formal you is reserved for those to whom you wish to show respect. These rules are not steadfast though, and there is a lot of variation throughout the Spanish-speaking world. For example, usted is used among family members in Colombia, whereas most other Spanish speakers would use tú or vos. It is best simply to listen to which pronoun is used in the variety of Spanish that you are most interested in learning to figure out when to use each one.
The use of vos as a second person singular pronoun, either in addition to tú or in place of tú, is called voseo. Old Spanish used this pronoun in addition to tú, but it became somewhat stigmatized when the standardized language of Spain stopped using it. Various regions of Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela use both tú and vos, while Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay (known together as the Río de la Plata region) and most of Central America use vos in place of tú. Although voseo rarely appears in Spanish textbooks, it is used in some form by a majority (about two-thirds) of the Spanish-speaking population.
Because every noun in Spanish has a gender, there are two ways to express it. If the noun is masculine, use él, which also means he. If the noun is feminine, use ella, which also means she.
Vosotros is the plural form of tú in northern and central Spain only, for informal you. Ustedes is the plural form of usted for formal you. Since vosotros is not used in the rest of the Spanish-speaking countries, Ustedes is both informal and formal plural you in these countries.
Usted can be abbreviated to Ud. or Vd. (from the phrase vuestra merced). Ustedes can also be abbreviated to Uds. or Vds.
Nosotras and vosotras refer to a group of all females, as does ellas. If there is a group of people that is mixed (both male and female), use the masculine forms: nosotros, vosotros and ellos.
Subject pronouns are often only used for emphasis or to avoid ambiguity when the verb conjugation is the same for different people (such as él and usted.)
Spanish Nouns, Articles, Demonstratives
Masc. Singular
Fem. Singular
Masc. Plural
Fem. Plural
the
el
la
the
los
las
a, an
un
una
some
unos
unas
this
este
esta
these
estos
estas
that
ese
esa
those
esos
esas
that
aquel
aquella
those
aquellos
aquellas
El is also used with feminine nouns beginning with a or ha when the accent is on the first syllable. Words that end in -o and -or are generally masculine, with a few exceptions: la mano (hand), la foto (photo). Words that end in -a are generally feminine, with a few exceptions: el mapa(map), el problema (problem). Other feminine words end in -ción, -tad, -dad, or -tud.
Use the ese forms to mean that when what you are talking about is near the person you are addressing. Use the aquel forms when what you are talking about is far from both you and the person you are addressing. Esto and eso are the neuter forms of this and that. They can be used in general and abstract ways.
Demonstrative adjectives (listed above) are used before a noun; if you want to use the demonstrative pronouns, which are used before a verb, add an accent on all of the first e’s: éste, ésta, éstos, éstas, ése, ésa, ésos, ésas, aquél, aquélla, aquéllos, aquéllas.
Formation of Plural Nouns
If a singular noun ends in a vowel, just add -s to make it plural: la casa → las casas
If a singular noun ends in a consonant, a vowel with an accent, or y, add -es to make it plural: el papel → los papeles
Singular nouns that end in -z change the z to c and add -es to form the plural: la luz → las luces
A few nouns that have an accent in the singular will lose it in the plural and vice versa: la canción → las canciones, el examen → los exámenes (but notice that there is no change for el lápiz → los lápices)
Spanish Verbs Be and Have
ser – to be
present
preterite
imperfect
future
(yo)
soy
I am
fui
era
I was
seré
I will be
(tú / vos)
eres / sos
you are
fuiste
eras
you were
serás
you will be
(él / ella)
(usted)
es
es
he / she / it is
you are
fue
fue
era
era
he / she / it was
you were
será
será
he / she / it will be
you will be
(nosotros / -as)
somos
we are
fuimos
éramos
we were
seremos
we will be
(vosotros / -as)
sois
you are
fuisteis
erais
you were
seréis
you will be
(ellos / ellas)
(ustedes)
son son
they are
you are
fueron
fueron
eran
eran
they were
you were
serán
serán
they will be
you will be
estar – to be
present
preterite
imperfect
future
(yo)
estoy
I am
estuve
estaba
I was
estaré
I will be
(tú / vos)
estás
you are
estuviste
estabas
you were
estarás
you will be
(él / ella)
(usted)
está
está
he / she / it is
you are
estuvo
estuvo
estaba
estaba
he / she / it was
you were
estará
estará
he / she / it will be
you will be
(nosotros / -as)
estamos
we are
estuvimos
estábamos
we were
estaremos
we will be
(vosotros / -as)
estáis
you are
estuvisteis
estabais
you were
estaréis
you will be
(ellos / ellas)
(ustedes)
están
están
they are
you are
estuvieron
estuvieron
estaban
estaban
they were
you were
estarán
estarán
they will be
you will be
tener – to have
present
preterite
imperfect
future
(yo)
tengo
I have
tuve
tenía
I had
tendré
I will have
(tú / vos)
tienes / tenés
you have
tuviste
tenías
you had
tendrás
you will have
(él / ella)
(usted)
tiene
tiene
he / she / it has
you have
tuvo
tuvo
tenía
tenía
he / she / it had
you had
tendrá
tendrá
he / she / it will have
you will have
(nosotros / -as)
tenemos
we have
tuvimos
teníamos
we had
tendremos
we will have
(vosotros / -as)
tenéis
you have
tuvisteis
teníais
you had
tendréis
you will have
(ellos / ellas)
(ustedes)
tienen
tienen
they have
you have
tuvieron
tuvieron
tenían
tenían
they had
you had
tendrán
tendrán
they will have
you will have
Highlighted forms are only used in northern/central Spain. You do not need to use the subject pronouns unless you want to emphasize the person, or to avoid ambiguity.
The conjugation for vos is usually only different from the tú conjugation in the present tense and the imperative (commands), though there can be differences in the preterite and subjunctive as well. Sometimes the present tense conjugation is identical to the tú conjugation (in which case, there will only be one form given in the conjugation charts). For the present tense conjugation of ser, in some regions of Chile, Colombia, and Cuba the vos conjugation is soi, whereas in some parts of Panama and Venezuela it is sois. A final -s may or may not be used for the vos conjugation in the preterite tense. There is a lot of variation in the vos conjugations, in addition to the use of the pronoun tú with a vos conjugation or the pronoun vos with a tú conjugation. Voseo is usually associated with Argentina but there are many more places in Latin America that use vos in some form so it is important to be aware of it.
The difference between the preterite and imperfect tenses will be explained in Spanish II. In general, the preterite expresses a completed action in the past while the imperfect expresses a repeated or continuing action in the past. For now, just learn the forms for recognition purposes.
Ser is used to identify or describe. It tells what something is, its basic characteristics, or its origin. Estar is used to tell the location of something or how someone feels.
Uses of Ser
Identify person/object
Inherent characteristics
or qualities
Nationality/Occupation
Telling time
Express ownership
Impersonal expressions
Passive voice
El edificio es un templo.
La casa es grande.
Carlos es pobre.
Es carpintero.
Son las tres.
Los libros son de Juan.
Es necesario.
El teléfono fue inventado por Bell.
The building is a temple.
The house is large.
Charles is poor.
He is a carpenter.
It’s three o’clock.
The books are John’s.
It is necessary.
The telephone was invented by Bell.
Uses of Estar
Location/position
Temporary condition/state
State of health
Form progressive tense
El libro está en la mesa.
La ventana está abierta.
Juan está enfermo.
Miguel está estudiando.
The book is on the table.
The window is open.
John is sick.
Michael is studying.
Sometimes changing the verb can completely change the meaning: ser aburrido means to be boring, while estar aburrido means to be bored. Others include: ser bueno – to be nice, estar bueno – to be in good health; ser callado – to be discrete, estar callado – to be silent; ser moreno – to have brown hair, estar moreno – to be tan.
Many common expressions using the verb “be” in English use the verb “tener” in Spanish (but not all):
to be afraid
tener miedo
to be in a hurry
tener prisa, estar de prisa
to be against
estar en contra
to be jealous
tener celos
to be at fault
tener la culpa
to be lucky
tener suerte
to be careful
tener cuidado
to be patient
tener paciencia
to be cold
tener frío
to be sleepy
tener sueño
to be curious
ser curioso/a
to be successful
tener éxito
to be fed up
estar harto/a
to be thirsty
tener sed
to be happy
estar contento/a
to be tired
estar cansado/a
to be hot
tener calor
to be ___ years old
tener ___ años
to be hungry
tener hambre
Tener is also used with the following expressions that use “have” in English:
No tengo ni idea. I have no idea.
¿Tienes un resfriado? Do you have a cold?
Tengo que irme. I have to go.
Spanish Question Words
what
qué
which
cuál(es)
who
quién(es)
how much
cuánto (-a)
how
cómo
how many
cuántos (-as)
when
cuándo
whom
a quién(es)
where
dónde
whose
de quién(es)
why
por qué
Spanish Days
Monday
lunes
loo-nays
Tuesday
martes
mar-tays
Wednesday
miércoles
mee-air-coh-lays
Thursday
jueves
hway-bays
Friday
viernes
bee-air-nays
Saturday
sábado
sah-bah-doh
Sunday
domingo
doh-ming-oh
day
el día
dee-ah
week
la semana
say-mahn-ah
weekend
el fin de semana
feen day say-mahn-ah
today
hoy
oy
tonight
esta noche
es-tah noh-chay
last night
anoche
ah-noh-chay
yesterday
ayer
eye-yair
tomorrow
mañana
mahn-yahn-ah
my birthday
mi cumpleaños
mee coom-play-ahn-yohs
next
próximo / próxima
prok-see-moh / mah
last
pasado / pasada
pah-sah-doh / dah
day before yesterday
anteayer
ahn-teh-eye-yair
day after tomorrow
pasado mañana
pah-sah-doh mahn-yahn-ah
the following day
el día siguiente
dee-ah see-gwee-ehn-teh
the day before
la víspera
vees-peh-rah
Days of the week are all masculine in gender and they are not capitalized in writing. The definite article is not used after the verb ser, but at all other times it is required and there is slight change in meaning if it is singular or plural: el lunes = on Monday but los lunes = on Mondays
Spanish Months of the Year
January
enero
ay-nair-oh
February
febrero
fay-bray-roh
March
marzo
mar-soh
April
abril
ah-breel
May
mayo
mi-oh
June
junio
hoo-nee-oh
July
julio
hoo-lee-oh
August
agosto
ah-gohs-toh
September
septiembre
sayp-tee-aim-bray
October
octubre
ohk-too-bray
November
noviembre
noh-bee-aim-bray
December
diciembre
dee-see-aim-bray
month
el mes
mais
first of [a month]
el primero de [month]
pree-mair-oh day _____
year
el año
ahn-yoh
decade
la década
deh-kah-dah
century
el siglo
see-gloh
millennium
el milenio
mee-leh-nee-oh
The preposition en is used with months: en abril = in April. Also notice that primero is used for the first of the month, but the rest of the days are referred to using the regular cardinal numbers: el primero de junio but el dos de julio. Months of the year are also all masculine and not capitalized in writing.
¿Cual es la fecha de hoy? What is today’s date?
Hoy es el primero de agosto. Today is August 1st.
Spanish Seasons
spring
la primavera
in spring
en primavera
summer
el verano
in summer
en verano
winter
el invierno
in winter
en invierno
autumn
el otoño
in autumn
en otoño
Spanish Directions
to the right
a la derecha
to the left
a la izquierda
straight ahead
todo derecho
north
el norte
northeast
el noreste
south
el sur
northwest
el noroeste
east
el este
southeast
el sureste
west
el oeste
southwest
el suroeste
Spanish Colors and Shapes
red
rojo / roja
circle
el círculo
pink
rosado / rosada
square
el cuadrado
orange
anaranjado / anaranjada
rectangle
el rectángulo
yellow
amarillo / amarilla
triangle
el triángulo
green
verde
oval
el óvalo
blue
azul
cube
el cubo
light blue
celeste
sphere
la esfera
purple
morado / morada
cylinder
el cilindro
violet
violeta
cone
el cono
brown
marrón
octagon
el octágono
black
negro / negra
box
la caja
gray
gris
pyramid
la pirámide
white
blanco / blanca
golden
dorado / dorada
dark
oscuro / oscura
silver
plateado / plateada
light
claro / clara
All adjectives in Spanish are placed after the noun that they describe and they agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun. Notice that some colors do not change for gender (marrón) or number (gris). To change an adjective to the feminine form, you usually just change the final -o to -a. To make an adjective plural, simply add an -s.
Es gibt is commonly used to mean there is/are and it is always followed by the accusative case.
Asking Questions in German
1. Simply add a question mark to the end of the statement for yes/no questions
2. Invert the verb and subject for yes/no questions
3. Add nicht wahr? or oder? to the end of the statement for yes/no questions
4. Use a question word + verb + subject for information questions
German Days of the Week / Die Tage
Monday
Montag
mohn-tahk
Tuesday
Dienstag
deens-tahk
Wednesday
Mittwoch
mit-vock
Thursday
Donnerstag
don-ers-tahk
Friday
Freitag
fry-tahk
Saturday
(N & E Germany)
Samstag
Sonnabend
zahms-tahk
zon-nah-bent
Sunday
Sonntag
zon-tahk
day
der Tag (-e)
dehr tahk
morning
der Morgen (-)
mawr-gun
afternoon
der Nachmittag (-e)
nakh-mih-tahk
evening
der Abend (-e)
ah-bunt
night
die Nacht (ä, -e)
nahkt
today
heute
hoy-tuh
tomorrow
morgen
mawr-gun
tonight
heute Abend
hoy-tuh ah-bunt
yesterday
gestern
geh-stairn
last night
gestern Abend
geh-stairn ah-bunt
week
die Woche (-n)
voh-kuh
weekend
das Wochenende (-n)
voh-ken-en-duh
daily
täglich
teh-glikh
weekly
wöchentlich
wer-khent-likh
To say on a certain day or the weekend, use am. Add an -s to the day to express “on Mondays, Tuesdays, etc.” All days, months and seasons are masculine so they all use the same form of these words: jeden – every, nächsten – next, letzten – last (as in the last of a series), vorigen – previous. In der Woche is the expression for “during the week” in Northern and Eastern Germany, while unter der Woche is used in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
German Months of the Year / Die Monate
January
Januar
yah-noo-ahr
(Austria)
Jänner
yeh-ner
February
Februar
fay-broo-ahr
March
März
mehrts
April
April
ah-pril
May
Mai
my
June
Juni
yoo-nee
July
Juli
yoo-lee
August
August
ow-goost
September
September
zehp-tehm-ber
October
Oktober
ok-toh-ber
November
November
no-vehm-ber
December
Dezember
deh-tsem-ber
month
der Monat (-e)
moh-naht
year
das Jahr (-e)
yaar
monthly
monatlich
moh-naht-likh
yearly
jährlich
jehr-likh
To say in a certain month, use im.Wann hast du Geburtstag? When is your birthday?
Mein Geburtstag ist im Mai. My birthday is in May.
German Seasons / Die Jahreszeiten
winter
der Winter
dehr vin-ter
spring
der Frühling
dehr frew-ling
summer
der Sommer
dehr zom-mer
autumn
der Herbst
dehr hehrpst
Directions / Die Richtungen
right
rechts
left
links
straight
geradeaus
north
der Norden
south
der Süden
east
der Osten
west
der Westen
im Norden = in the North
nach Osten = to the East
aus Westen = from the West
German Colors & Shapes / Die Farben & Die Forme
orange
orange
square
das Viereck
pink
rosa
circle
der Kreis
purple
violett / lila
triangle
das Dreieck
blue
blau
rectangle
das Rechteck
yellow
gelb
oval
das Oval
red
rot
octagon
das Achteck
black
schwarz
cube
der Würfel
brown
braun
sphere
die Kugel
gray
grau
cone
der Kegel
white
weiß
cylinder
der Zylinder
green
grün
turquoise
türkis
beige
beige
silver
silber
gold
gold
Because colors are adjectives, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe if they are placed before the noun. However, not all adjectives agree, such as colors ending in -a or -e; nor do they agree when they are used as predicate adjectives. To say that a color islight, put hell- before it, and to say that a color is dark, put dunkel- before it.
Das Viereck ist braun. The square is brown.
Das Rechteck ist hellblau. The rectange is light blue.
German Time / Die Zeit
What time is it?
Wie spät ist es?
vee shpayt isst ess
(It is) 2 AM
Es ist zwei Uhr nachts
ess ist tsvy oor nahkts
2 PM
Es ist zwei Uhr nachmittags
tsvy oor nahk-mih-tahks
6:20
Es ist sechs Uhr zwanzig
zex oor tsvahn-tsikh
half past 3
Es ist halb vier
hahlp feer
quarter past 4
Es ist Viertel nach vier
feer-tel nahk feer
quarter to 5
Es ist Viertel vor fünf
feer-tel for fewnf
10 past 11
Es ist zehn nach elf
tsyan nahk elf
20 to 7
Es ist zwanzig vor sieben
tsvahn-tsikh for zee-bun
noon
Es ist nachmittag
nakh-mih-tahk
midnight
Es ist mitternacht
mih-ter-nahk
in the morning
morgens / früh
mawr-guns / frew
in the evening
abends
aah-bunts
It’s exactly…
Es ist genau…
ess ist guh-now
At 8.
Um 8 Uhr.
oom akht oor
early(ier)
früh(er)
frew(er)
late(r)
spät(er)
shpayt(er)
Official time, such as for bus and train schedules, always uses the 24 hour clock. Notice that halb + number means half to, not half past, so you have to use the hour that comes next.
German Weather / Das Wetter
How’s the weather today?
Wie ist das Wetter heute?
vie ist dahs vet-ter hoy-tuh
It’s hot
Es ist heiß
ess isst hise
It’s cold
Es ist kalt
ess isst kahlt
It’s beautiful
Es ist schön
ess isst shern
It’s bad
Es ist schlecht
ess isst shlehkt
It’s clear
Es ist klar
ess isst klahr
It’s icy
Es ist eisig
ess isst ise-ikh
It’s warm
Es ist warm
ess isst varm
It’s sunny
Es ist sonnig
ess isst zohn-ikh
It’s windy
Es ist windig
ess isst vin-dikh
It’s cloudy
Es ist bewölkt
ess isst beh-verlkt
It’s hazy
Es ist dunstig
ess isst doons-tikh
It’s muggy
Es ist schwül
ess isst schvool
It’s humid
Es ist feucht
ess isst foikht
It’s foggy
Es ist nebelig
ess isst neh-beh-likh
It’s snowing
Es schneit
ess schnite
It’s raining
Es regnet
ess rayg-net
It’s freezing
Es friert
ess freert
It looks like rain.
Es sieht nach Regen aus.
es seet nahkh ray-gen ows
The weather is clearing
Das Wetter klärt sich auf.
dahs vett-er klairt sikh owf
German Family / Die Familie
Parents
die Eltern
Relative
der Verwandte (-n)
Mother
die Mutter (ü)
Man
der Mann (ä, -er)
Father
der Vater (ä)
Sir / Mister
der Herr (-en)
Son
der Sohn (ö, -e)
Woman / Ma’am / Mrs. / Ms.
die Frau (-en)
Daughter
die Tochter (ö)
Husband
der Ehemann (ä, -er)
Brother
der Bruder (ü)
Wife
die Ehefrau (-en)
Sister
die Schwester (-n)
Boy
der Junge (-n)
Grandparents
die Großeltern
Girl
das Mädchen (-)
Grandfather
der Großvater (ä)
Grandpa
der Opa (-s)
Grandmother
die Großmutter (ü)
Grandma
die Oma (-s)
Grandchildren
die Enkelkinder
Dad
der Vati
Grandson
der Enkel (-)
Mom
die Mutti
Granddaughter
die Enkelin (-nen)
Friend (m)
der Freund (-e)
Niece
die Nichte (-n)
Friend (f)
die Freundin (-nen)
Nephew
der Neffe (-n)
Partner / Significant Other (m)
der Partner (-)
Cousin (m)
der Vetter (-n)
Partner / Significant Other (f)
die Partnerin (-nen)
Cousin (f)
die Kusine (-n)
Marital Status
der Familienstand
Uncle
der Onkel (-)
Single
ledig
Aunt
die Tante (-n)
Married
verheiratet
Siblings
die Geschwister
Divorced
geschieden
Baby
das Baby (-s)
Male
männlich
Godfather
der Pate (-n)
Female
weiblich
Godmother
die Patin (-nen)
Child
das Kind (-er)
Step-
der/die Stief-
Toddler
das Kleinkind (-er)
-in-law
der/die Schwieger-
Teenager
der Teenager (-)
Brother-in-law
der Schwager (ä)
Adult
der Erwachsene (-n)
Sister-in-law
die Schwägerin (-nen)
Twin
der Zwilling (-e)
The letters in parentheses indicate the plural form of the noun. Notice that sometimes an umlaut is placed over the main vowel of the word in the plural. For example, der Mann is singular (the man) and die Männer is plural (the men). For step- and -in-law relations, just add Stief- orSchwieger- before the main person, except in the case of brother-in-law and sister-in-law noted above. The plurals follow the pattern for the main person, i.e. die Schwiegermutter (singular) and die Schwiegermütter (plural)
The Best IELTS Centre in Coimbatore for IELTS Exam Preparation, Training and Developing English Communication Skills.
Best IELTS Preparation and Training in Coimbatore.
Lingua World offers the best IELTS Training in Coimbatore.
Plus Points of the IELTS Training:
Individualized and personalized training
Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation
A structured method of teaching
Developing Communication Skills
Structured Materials
IELTS TEST FORMAT:
There are two test options in the IELTS Exams:Academic and General
The Academic Exams measure the English language proficiency needed for an academic, higher learning environment.
IELTS General Exams measure the English language proficiency in a practical, everyday context.
The candidates are to take the option depending upon the requirements of the organisation they are applying to.
The IELTS test consists of four components: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You will take the Listening, Reading and Writing tests all on the same day, one after the other, with no breaks in between. Depending on your test centre, your Speaking test may be on the same day as the other three tests, or up to seven days before or after that. The total test time is under three hours.
Both versions of IELTS (Academic and General Training) cover all four language skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Here is an outline of each of the papers.
Listening
(Duration: 30 minutes)
You will listen to four recorded texts – monologues and conversations by a range of native speakers – and write the answers to a series of questions. These include, among other things, questions that test your ability to understand main ideas and detailed factual information It includes obviously, ability to understand the opinions and attitudes of speakers, ability to understand the purpose of what is said and ability to follow the development of ideas. You will hear a variety of voices and native-speaker accents. Moreover, you will hear each section only once.
Please note: The Listening component is the same for both Academic and General Training versions.Section 1
In the first section there will be a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context, e.g. a conversation in a travel agency.
Section 2
On the other hand, the second section deals with a monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities.
Section 3
The third section may be in the form of a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
Section 4
A monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture will be the focus in the fourth section.
For improving the pronunciation of the participants special audio-video sessions are conducted on a regular basis. Such sessions particularly help improve the accent and pronunciation of the candidates. In the process, the overall communication skills of the IELTS candidates are enhanced.
Reading
(Duration: 60 minutes)
The Reading component consists of 40 questions. A variety of question types is used in order to test a wide range of reading skills. These include reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognising writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose.
Reading – Academic version
The Academic version includes three long texts, which range from the descriptive and factual to the discursive and analytical. The texts are essentially authentic and are taken from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. These are normally selected for a non-specialist audience but are recognisably appropriate for anyone who enters undergraduate or postgraduate courses or seeks professional registration.
Reading – General Training
The General Training version requires one to read extracts from books, magazines, newspapers, notices, advertisements, company handbooks and guidelines. These are materials you are likely to encounter on a daily basis in an English-speaking environment.
Reading is one of the hardest areas in IELTS Preparation. As performance in Reading Paper decides the overall performance of the candidate special care has to be taken and more focus must be attached to this training part. We have,therefore, framed the IELTS Reading module in such a way as to enable the candidates to perform very well in the Reading paper.
Writing
( Duration: 60 minutes)
Writing – Academic
The Writing component of the Academic version includes two tasks. Topics are of general interest to, and suitable for, anyone entering undergraduate or postgraduate studies or seeking professional registration.
Task 1
You will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and are asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words. You may be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process, how something works or describe an object or event.
Task 2
You will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Responses to both tasks must be written in a formal style.
Writing – General Training version
The Writing component of the General Training version includes two tasks, which are based on topics of general interest.
Task 1
You will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information or explaining the situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style.
Task 2
You will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The essay can be slightly more personal in style than the Academic Writing Task 2 essay.
Writing is a well-refined art requiring a great deal of preparation. The Task 1 in the Academic Stream requires the skill of interpreting the graphs and charts. Hence, we are making available to the candidates hundreds of worked-out samples and models making the task of interpreting the data a breeze.
Speaking
(Duration: 11 to 14 minutes)
The Speaking component assesses your use of spoken English and takes between 11 and 14 minutes to complete. Every test is recorded.
Please note: The Speaking component is the same for both Academic and General Training versions.
Part 1
You will be asked to answer general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as your home, family, work, studies and interests. This part lasts between four and five minutes.
Part 2
You will be given a card that asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner then asks you one or two questions on the same topic to finish this part of the test.
Part 3
You will be asked further questions connected to the topic in Part 2. These questions give you an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas. This part lasts between four and five minutes.
As the speaking part of the IELTS test assesses the speaking skills of the candidate special care is taken to ensure that the candidate is able to do all the three parts of the speaking test effectively and quite successfully. Test for fine tuning the skills of communication is normally conducted on a regular basis.As a result, our candidates are heads and shoulders above others in all the four areas.
The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. The simple past is the basic form of past tense in English. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important.
EXAMPLES
John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.
My father died last year.
He lived in Fiji in 1976.
We crossed the Channel yesterday.
You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions
frequency: often, sometimes, always
I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
I often brought my lunch to school.
a definite point in time: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago
We saw a good film last week.
Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
She finished her work atseven o’clock
I went to the theatre last night
an indefinite point in time: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago People lived in caves a long time ago.
She played the piano when she was a child.
Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placed after the period of time: a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.
Be Careful: The simple past in English may look like a tense in your own language, but the meaning may be different.
The simple past expresses an action in the past taking place once, never, several times. It can also be used for actions taking place one after another or in the middle of another action.
Form of Simple Past
Positive
Negative
Question
no differences
I spoke.
I did not speak.
Did I speak?
For irregular verbs, use the past form For regular verbs, just add “ed”.
Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ‘ed’
Exceptions in spelling when adding ed
Example
after a final e only add d
love – loved
final consonant after a short, stressed vowel
or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled
admit – admitted
travel – travelled
final y after a consonant becomes i
hurry – hurried
Use of Simple Past
action in the past taking place once, never or several times
Example: He visited his parents every weekend.
actions in the past taking place one after the other
Example: He came in, took off his coat and sat down.
action in the past taking place in the middle of another action
Example: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.
if sentences type II (If I talked, …)
Example: If I had a lot of money, I would share it with you.
Past Continuous
The Past Continuous tense is an important tense in English. We use it to say what we were in the middle of doing at a particular moment in the past.
In this lesson we look at the structure and the use of the Past Continuous tense, followed by a quiz to check your understanding.
Note that continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses. So the Past Continuous tense is sometimes called the Past Progressive tense.
How do we make the Past Continuous tense?
The structure of the past continuous tense is:
subject
+
auxiliary be
+
main verb
conjugated in Past Simple
was, were
present participle
The auxiliary verb (be) is conjugated in the Past Simple: was, were
The main verb is invariable in present participle form: -ing
For negative sentences we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb.
For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.
Look at these example sentences with the Past Continuous tense:
subject
auxiliary verb
main verb
+
I
was
watching
TV.
+
You
were
working
hard.
–
He, she, it
was
not
helping
Mary.
–
We
were
not
joking.
?
Were
you
being
silly?
?
Were
they
playing
football?
How do we use the Past Continuous tense?
The Past Continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past. The action started before that moment but has not finished at that moment. For example, yesterday I watched a film on TV. The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.
At 8pm yesterday, I was watching TV.
past
present
future
8pm
At 8pm, I was in the middle of watching TV.
When we use the Past Continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about. Look at these examples:
I was working at 10pm last night.
They were not playing football at 9am this morning.
What were you doing at 10pm last night?
What were you doing when he arrived?
She was cooking when I telephoned her.
We were having dinner when it started to rain.
Ram went home early because it was snowing.
Note that some verbs cannot be used in continuous/progressive tenses.
We often use the Past Continuous tense to “set the scene” in stories. We use it to describe the background situation at the moment when the action begins. Often, the story starts with the Past Continuous tense and then moves into the Past Simple tense. Here is an example:
“James Bond was driving through town. It was raining. The wind was blowing hard. Nobody was walking in the streets. Suddenly, Bond saw the killer in a telephone box…”
Past Continuous + Past Simple
We often use the Past Continuous tense with the Past Simple tense. We use the Past Continuous to express a long action. And we use the Past Simple to express a short action that happens in the middle of the long action. We can join the two ideas with when or while.
In the following example, we have two actions:
long action (watching TV), expressed with Past Continuous
short action (telephoned), expressed with Past Simple
past
present
future
long action:
I was watching TV from 7pm to 9pm.
8pm
short action:
You phoned at 8pm.
We can join these two actions with when:
I was watching TV when you telephoned.
Notice that “when you telephoned” is also a way of defining the time (8pm).
We use:
when + short action (Past Simple)
while + long action (Past Continuous)
There are four basic combinations:
I was walking past the car
when
it exploded.
When
the car exploded
I was walking past it.
The car exploded
while
I was walking past it.
While
I was walking past the car
it exploded.
Notice that the long action and short action are relative.
“Watching TV” took two hours. “Telephoned” took a few seconds.
“Walking past the car” took a few seconds. “Exploded” took milliseconds.
Signal Words of Simple Past
yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday
The simple past tense is used to talk about finished actions that happened at a specific time in the past. You state when it happened using a time adverb.
You form the simple past of a verb by adding -ed onto the end of a regular verb but, irregular verb forms have to be learnt. There are several examples of irregular verbs in our Picture It section.
Simple Past Timeline
When you mention a time in the past:-
For example:
“Last year I took my exams.”
“I got married in 1992.”
It can be used to describe events that happened over a period of time in the past but not now.
For example:
“I lived in South Africa for two years.”
The simple past tense is also used to talk about habitual or repeated actions that took place in the past.
For example:
“When I was a child we always went to the seaside on bank holidays.”
It can sometimes be confusing.
For example:
“She had a baby last year.” (She hasn’t lost the baby, but here you are talking about the actual process of giving birth.)
FORMING THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE
PATTERNS OF SIMPLE PAST TENSE FOR REGULAR VERBS
Affirmative
Subject
+ verb + ed
I
skipped.
Negative
Subject
+ did not
+ infinitive without to
They
didn’t
go.
Interrogative
Did
+ subject
+ infinitive without to
Did
she
arrive?
Interrogative negative
Did not
+ subject
+ infinitive without to
Didn’t
you
play?
TO WALK
Affirmative
Negative
Interrogative
I walked
I didn’t walk
Did I walk?
You walked
You didn’t walk
Did you walk?
He walked
He didn’t walk
Did he walk?
We walked
We didn’t walk
Did we walk?
They walked
They didn’t walk
Did they walk?
SIMPLE PAST TENSE OF TO BE, TO HAVE, TO DO
Subject
Verb
Be
Have
Do
I
was
had
did
You
were
had
did
He/She/It
was
had
did
We
were
had
did
You
were
had
did
They
were
had
did
NOTES ON AFFIRMATIVE, NEGATIVE, & INTERROGATIVE FORMS
AFFIRMATIVE
The affirmative of the simple past tense is simple.
I was in Japan last year
She had a headache yesterday.
We did our homework last night.
NEGATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE
For the negative and interrogative simple past form of “do” as an ordinary verb, use the auxiliary “do”, e.g. We didn’t do our homework last night.
The negative of “have” in the simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary “do”, but sometimes by simply adding not or the contraction “n’t”.
The interrogative form of “have” in the simple past normally uses the auxiliary “do”.
EXAMPLES
They weren’t in Rio last summer.
We didn’t have any money.
We didn’t have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.
We didn’t do our exercises this morning.
Were they in Iceland last January?
Did you have a bicycle when you were young?
Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?
Note: For the negative and interrogative form of all verbs in the simple past, always use the auxiliary ‘did”.
SIMPLE PAST, IRREGULAR VERBS
Some verbs are irregular in the simple past. Here are the most common ones.
TO GO
He went to a club last night.
Did he go to the cinema last night?
He didn’t go to bed early last night.
TO GIVE
We gave her a doll for her birthday.
They didn’t give John their new address.
Did Barry give you my passport?
TO COME
My parents came to visit me last July.
We didn’t come because it was raining.
Did he come to your party last week?
Affirmative
Negative
Interrogative
Long Form
Contracted Form
I played
I did not play
I didn’t play
Did I play?
You played
You did not play
You didn’t play
Did you play?
He/she/it played
He/she/it did not play
He/she/it didn’t play
Did he/she/it play?
We played
We did not play
We didn’t play
Did we play?
You played
You did not play
You didn’t play
Did you play?
They played
They did not play
They didn’t play
Did they play?
The past simple tense is used to talk about finished actions in a finished period of time,
for example :
Yesterday evening I played tennis with a friend.
Last year I started taking tennis lessons.
When I was at school I hated history.
Five minutes ago I finished the report for my boss.
Last week I attended a meeting in Tokyo.
FORM
[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs
Examples:
You called Debbie.
Did you call Debbie?
You did not call Debbie.
USE 1 Completed Action in the Past
Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
Examples:
I saw a movie yesterday.
I didn’t see a play yesterday.
Last year, I traveled to Japan.
Last year, I didn’t travel to Korea.
Did you have dinner last night?
She washed her car.
He didn’t wash his car.
USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions
We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:
I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?
USE 3 Duration in Past
The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
Examples:
I lived in Brazil for two years.
Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
They sat at the beach all day.
They did not stay at the party the entire time.
We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
A: How long did you wait for them?
B: We waited for one hour.
USE 4 Habits in the Past
The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as “used to.” To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
Examples:
I studied French when I was a child.
He played the violin.
He didn’t play the piano.
Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
She worked at the movie theater after school.
They never went to school, they always skipped class.
USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations
The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression “used to.”
Examples:
She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
He didn’t like tomatoes before.
Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.
¡Hola! It’s time to practice your comprehension skills with some basic Spanish conversations! In each of the following four dialogues, listen for who is speaking, what time of day it is, how each person is feeling, where each person is from, and whether the conversation uses formal or informal grammar. After each conversation, I will ask a series of questions. Feel free to go back in the video to review the conversations for the answers. ¡Vamos!
Conversation 1 – Una Noche Muy Mala
Sara: ‘Buenas noches. Me llamo Sara. ?Cómo te llamas?’
Carolina: ‘Hola Sara. Me llamo Carolina. ?Cómo estás?’
Sara: ‘¡Muy bien! ?Cómo estás tú?’
Carolina: ‘Muy mal. Sara, yo soy de México. ?De dónde eres tú?’
Sara: ‘Soy de Colombia.’
Did you understand the conversation? Let’s take a look! Can you name the two people who were speaking? Good! Sara and Carolina. Were you able to tell where each woman was from? Sara is from Colombia and Carolina is from Mexico. Could you tell how each woman was feeling? Right! Carolina is sad, and Sara is happy.
Now, what time of day is it? It’s the nighttime! You can tell because Sara says Buenas noches. Finally, were the speakers using formal grammar or informal grammar? It was informal! The word tú was used, and the verbs were in the informal form! Well done, here comes another dialogue!
Conversation 2 – Soy de California
Sr. Linares: ‘Buenos días, señor. ?Cómo se llama ud.?’
Sr. Martín: ‘Buenos días. Mi nombre es Sr. Martín. ?Y ud.?’
Sr. Linares: ‘Soy Sr. Linares. ?De dónde es?’
Sr. Martín: ‘Soy de California. Los Angeles. ?Y ud.?’
Sr. Linares: ‘¡Ah! ¡Soy de San Francisco! Sr. Martín, ?cómo está ud.?’
Sr. Martín: ‘Muy bien, señor. ?Y ud.? ?Cómo está?’
Sr. Linares: ‘Muy bien.’
Time to see if you understood the conversation! Who are the two men speaking? Señor Linares and Señor Martín. Where are the men from? Did you catch that both men are from California? Sr. Linares is from San Francisco and Sr. Martín is from Los Angeles. What time of day did this conversation occur? That’s right: it’s morning! The men say ‘buenos días.’ How are the men feeling today? Both men are doing well. Finally, was this conversation formal or informal? It was formal! Did you notice the word ‘usted’ being used? Ready for another dialogue?
Dialogue 1
Dos estudiantes nuevos en la clase de español en una escuela en Australia…Luis: Psst, psst… ¡hola!
Psst, psst… Hi!Alicia: Ah! ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?
Oh! Hi! How ya doing?Luis: ¿Cómo te llamas? (Tú)
How do you call yourself?
(What is your name?)
Alicia: Me llamo Alicia. Y tú, ¿cómo te llamas?
I call myself Alicia. And you, how do you call yourself?
(My name is Alicia. And you, what is your name?)
Luis: Me llamo Luis. ¿De dónde eres?
My name is Luis. Of where are you? (Where are you from?)
Alicia: Soy de aquí, de Sidney, Australia.
I am from here, Sidney, Australia.
Luis: Yo soy de Nueva Zelanda. ¡Mucho gusto de conocerte!
I am from New Zealand. Great to meet you!Alicia: ¡El gusto es mío!The pleasure is mine!
Dialogue 2
Muchacho: Muy buenos días, señorita. Very good morning, Miss.
Señorita: Buenos días. Good morning.
Muchacho: ¿Puedo saber cómo te llamas?
Am I able to know how you are called?
(Would you tell me your name?)
Señorita: Mmm..Me llamo Silvia.
Mmm..My name is Silvia,
Muchacho: ¡Pero qué lindo nombre!
But what a beautiful name!
Señorita: Muchas gracias.
Many thanks. (Thank you very much.)
Muchacho: ¿De dónde eres? Pareces norteamericana.
Where are you from? You look North-American.
Señorita: No, soy de Moscú, Rusia. ¡Y no hablo con extraños!
No, I am from Moscow, Russia. And I don’t speak with strangers!
Muchacho: Oh ¡perdón! ¡Fue un placer conocerte!
Oh, pardon (me)! It was a pleasure to meet you!
Dialogue 3
Julia: ¿Qué tal, Carlos? ¿Cómo estás?
What’s up, Carlos? How are you?
Carlos: Bien gracias, Julia. ¿Cómo te va a ti?
Fine thank you, Julia. How about you?
Julia: No muy bien.
Not very well.
Carlos: ¿Qué pasa?
What’s the matter?
Julia: Tengo dolor de cabeza.
I have a headache.
Carlos: Lo siento mucho; espero que te mejores pronto.
I’m so sorry, I hope you get better soon.
Julia: Gracias. Nos vemos mañana.
Thank you, I will see you tomorrow.
Communication in SpanishDestinos]]>
French WikibookIl and elle can also mean it when they replace a noun (il replaces masculine nouns, and elle replaces feminine nouns) instead of a person’s name. Ils and elles can replace plural nouns as well in the same way. Notice there are two ways to say you. Tu is used when speaking to children, animals, or close friends and relatives. Vous is used when speaking to more than one person, or to someone you don’t know or who is older. On can be translated into English as one, the people, they, you, in the indefinite sense, and it is often used instead of nous to mean we.
Je is reduced to j’ before a word beginning with a vowel sound in both formal and informal language. Tu is reduced to t’ before a vowel sound in informal language only.
Tutoyer and vouvoyer are two verbs that have no direct translation into English. Tutoyer means to use tu or be informal with someone, while vouvoyer means to use vous or be formal with someone.
French Verb Conjugations: To Be & To Have / Être & Avoir
Present tense of être /ɛtʀ/ – to be
I am
je suis
/ʒə sɥi/
We are
nous sommes
/nu sɔm/
You are
tu es
/ty ɛ/
You are
vous êtes
/vu zɛt/
He is
She is
One is
il est
elle est
on est
/il ɛ/
/ɛl ɛ/
/ɔ̃ nɛ/
They are
They are
ils sont
elles sont
/il sɔ̃/
/ɛl sɔ̃/
Past tense of être – to be
I was
j’étais
/ʒetɛ/
We were
nous étions
/nu zetjɔ̃/
You were
tu étais
/tu etɛ/
You were
vous étiez
/vu zetje/
He was
She was
One was
il était
elle était
on était
/il etɛ/
/ɛl etɛ/
/ɔ̃ netɛ/
They were
They were
ils étaient
elles étaient
/il zetɛ/
/ɛl zetɛ/
Je and any verb form that starts with a vowel (or silent h) combine together for ease of pronunciation.
Future Tense of être – to be
I will be
je serai
/ʒə səʀe/
We will be
nous serons
/nu səʀɔ̃/
You will be
tu seras
/ty səʀa/
You will be
vous serez
/vu səʀe/
He will be
She will be
One will be
il sera
elle sera
on sera
/il səʀa/
/ɛl səʀa/
/ɔ̃ səʀa/
They will be
They will be
ils seront
elles seront
/il səʀɔ̃/
/ɛl səʀɔ̃/
Present tense of avoir /avwaʀ/ – to have
I have
j’ai
/ʒe/
We have
nous avons
/nu zavɔ̃/
You have
tu as
/ty ɑ/
You have
vous avez
/vu zave/
He has
She has
One has
il a
elle a
on a
/il ɑ/
/ɛl ɑ/
/ɔ̃ nɑ/
They have
They have
ils ont
elles ont
/il zɔ̃/
/ɛl zɔ̃/
Past tense of avoir – to have
I had
j’avais
/ʒavɛ/
We had
nous avions
/nu zavjɔ̃/
You had
tu avais
/ty avɛ/
You had
vous aviez
/vu zavje/
He had
She had
One had
il avait
elle avait
on avait
/il avɛ/
/ɛl avɛ/
/ɔ̃ navɛ/
They had
ils avaient
elles avaient
/il zavɛ/
/ɛl zavɛ/
Future tense of avoir – to have
I will have
j’aurai
/ʒoʀe/
We will have
nous aurons
/nu zoʀɔ̃/
You will have
tu auras
/ty oʀɑ/
You will have
vous aurez
/vu zoʀe/
He will have
She will have
One will have
il aura
elle aura
on aura
/il oʀa/
/ɛl oʀa/
/ɔ̃ noʀa/
They will have
They will have
ils auront
elles auront
/il zoʀɔ̃/
/ɛl zoʀɔ̃/
In informal French, the tu forms of verbs that begin with a vowel contract with the pronoun: tu es = t’es /tɛ/, tu as = t’as /tɑ/, etc. In addition, it is very common to use on (plus 3rd person singular conjugation) to mean we instead of nous.
Common Expressions with avoir and EtreAvoir and être are used in many common and idiomatic expressions that should be memorized:
avoir chaud
/avwaʀ ʃo/
to be hot
être de retour
/ɛtʀ də ʀətuʀ/
to be back
avoir froid
/avwaʀ fʀwa/
to be cold
être en retard
/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ ʀətaʀ/
to be late
avoir peur
/avwaʀ pœʀ/
to be afraid
être en avance
/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ navɑ̃s/
to be early
avoir raison
/avwaʀ ʀɛzɔ̃/
to be right
être d’accord
/ɛtʀ dakɔʀ/
to be in agreement
avoir tort
/avwaʀ tɔʀ/
to be wrong
être sur le point de
/ɛtʀ syʀ lə pwɛ̃ də/
to be about to
avoir faim
/avwaʀ fɛ̃/
to be hungry
être en train de
/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ tʀɛ̃ də/
to be in the act of
avoir soif
/avwaʀ swaf/
to be thirsty
être enrhumée
/ɛtʀ ɑ̃ʀyme/
to have a cold
avoir sommeil
/avwaʀ sɔmɛj/
to be sleepy
nous + être (un jour)
/ɛtʀ œ̃̃̃ ʒuʀ/
to be (a day)
avoir honte
/avwaʀ ʽɔ̃t/
to be ashamed
avoir besoin de
/avwaʀ bəzwɛ̃ də/
to need
avoir l’air de
/avwaʀ ɛʀ də/
to look like, seem
avoir l’intention de
/avwaʀ ɛ̃tɑ̃sjɔ̃/
to intend to
avoir envie de
/avwaʀ ɑ̃vi də/
to feel like
avoir de la chance
/avwaʀ də la ʃɑ̃s/
to be lucky
J’ai froid. I’m cold.
Tu avais raison. You were right.
Il aura sommeil ce soir. He will be tired tonight.
Elle a de la chance ! She’s lucky!
Nous aurons faim plus tard. We will be hungry later.
Vous aviez tort. You were wrong.
Ils ont chaud. They are hot.
Elles avaient peur hier. They were afraid yesterday.
Je suis en retard! I’m late!
Tu étais en avance. You were early.
Elle sera d’accord. She will agree.
Nous sommes lundi. It is Monday.
Vous étiez enrhumé. You had a cold.
Ils seront en train d’étudier. They will be (in the act of) studying.
Elles étaient sur le point de partir. They were about to leave.
On est de retour. We/you/they/the people are back.
French Question Words / Les interrogatifs
Who
Qui
/ki/
What
Quoi
/kwa/
Why
Pourquoi
/puʀkwa/
When
Quand
/kɑ̃/
Where
Où
/u/
How
Comment
/kɔmɑ̃/
How much / many
Combien
/kɔ̃bjɛ̃/
Which / what
Quel(le)
/kɛl/
French Numbers / Les nombres cardinaux
Zero
Zéro
/zeʀo/
One
Un
/œ̃̃̃/
Two
Deux
/dø/
Three
Trois
/tʀwɑ/
Four
Quatre
/katʀ/
Five
Cinq
/sɛ̃k/
Six
Six
/sis/
Seven
Sept
/sɛt/
Eight
Huit
/ʽɥit/
Nine
Neuf
/nœf/
Ten
Dix
/dis/
Eleven
Onze
/ɔ̃z/
Twelve
Douze
/duz/
Thirteen
Treize
/tʀɛz/
Fourteen
Quatorze
/katɔʀz/
Fifteen
Quinze
/kɛ̃z/
Sixteen
Seize
/sɛz/
Seventeen
Dix-sept
/disɛt/
Eighteen
Dix-huit
/dizɥit/
Nineteen
Dix-neuf
/diznœf/
Twenty
Vingt
/vɛ̃/
Twenty-one
Vingt et un
/vɛ̃t e œ̃̃̃/
Twenty-two
Vingt-deux
/vɛ̃ dø/
Twenty-three
Vingt-trois
/vɛ̃ tʀwɑ/
Thirty
Trente
/tʀɑ̃t/
Thirty-one
Trente et un
/tʀɑ̃t e œ̃̃̃/̃/
Thirty-two
Trente-deux
/tʀɑ̃t dø/
Forty
Quarante
/kaʀɑ̃t/
Fifty
Cinquante
/sɛ̃kɑ̃t/
Sixty
Soixante
/swasɑ̃t/
Seventy
Soixante-dix
/swasɑ̃tdis/
(Belgium & Switzerland)
Septante
/sɛptɑ̃t/
Seventy-one
Soixante et onze
/swasɑ̃t e ɔ̃z/
Seventy-two
Soixante-douze
/swasɑ̃t duz/
Eighty
Quatre-vingts
/katʀəvɛ̃/
(Belgium & Switzerland)
Octante
/ɔktɑ̃t/
Eighty-one
Quatre-vingt-un
/katʀəvɛ̃ tœ̃̃̃/
Eighty-two
Quatre-vingt-deux
/katʀəvɛ̃ dø/
Ninety
Quatre-vingt-dix
/katʀəvɛ̃ dis/
(Belgium & Switzerland)
Nonante
/nɔnɑ̃t/
Ninety-one
Quatre-vingt-onze
/katʀəvɛ̃ ɔ̃z/
Ninety-two
Quatre-vingt-douze
/katʀəvɛ̃ duz/
One Hundred
Cent
/sɑ̃/
One Hundred One
Cent un
/sɑ̃ tœ̃̃̃/
Two Hundred
Deux cents
/dø sɑ̃/
Two Hundred One
Deux cent un
/dø sɑ̃ tœ̃̃̃/
Thousand
Mille
/mil/
Two Thousand
Deux mille
/dø mil/
Million
Un million
/õ miljɔ̃/
Billion
Un milliard
/õ miljaʀ/
French switches the use of commas and periods. 1,00 would be 1.00 in English. Belgian and Swiss French use septante and nonante in place of the standard French words for 70 and 90 (though some parts of Switzerland use huitante for 80 and octante is barely used anymore). Also, when the numbers 5, 6, 8, and 10 are used before a word beginning with a consonant, their final consonants are not pronounced. Phone numbers in France are ten digits, beginning with 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05 depending on the geographical region, or 06 and 07 for cell phones. They are written two digits at a time, and pronounced thus: 01 36 55 89 28 = zéro un, trente-six, cinquante-cinq, quatre-vingt-neuf, vingt-huit.
Ordinal Numbers / Les nombres ordinaux
first
premier / première
second
deuxième / second
third
troisième
fourth
quatrième
fifth
cinquième
sixth
sixième
seventh
septième
eighth
huitième
ninth
neuvième
tenth
dixième
eleventh
onzième
twelfth
douzième
twentieth
vingtième
twenty-first
vingt et unième
thirtieth
trentième
The majority of numbers become ordinals by adding -ième. But if a number ends in an e, you must drop it before adding the -ième. After a q, you must add a u before the -ième. And an f becomes a v before the -ième.
French Days of the Week / Les jours de la semaine
Monday
lundi
/lœ̃di/
Tuesday
mardi
/maʀdi/
Wednesday
mercredi
/mɛʀkʀədi/
Thursday
jeudi
/ʒødi/
Friday
vendredi
/vɑ̃dʀədi/
Saturday
samedi
/samdi/
Sunday
dimanche
/dimɑ̃ʃ/
day
le jour
/lə ʒuʀ/
week
la semaine
/la s(ə)mɛn/
today
aujourd’hui
/oʒuʀdɥi/
yesterday
hier
/jɛʀ/
tomorrow
demain
/dəmɛ̃/
next
prochain / prochaine
/pʀɔʃɛ̃/ /pʀɔʃɛn/
last
dernier / dernière
/dɛʀnje/ /dɛʀnjɛʀ/
day before yesterday
avant-hier
/avɑ̃tjɛʀ/
day after tomorrow
après-demain
/apʀɛdmɛ̃/
the following day
le lendemain
/lə lɑ̃dəmɛ̃/
the day before
la veille
/la vɛj/
Articles are not used before days, except to express something that happens habitually on a certain day, such as le lundi = on Mondays. Days of the week are all masculine in gender and they are not capitalized in writing.
French Months of the Year / Les mois de l’année
January
janvier
/ʒɑ̃vje/
February
février
/fevʀije/
March
mars
/maʀs/
April
avril
/avʀil/
May
mai
/mɛ/
June
juin
/ʒɥɛ̃/
July
juillet
/ʒɥijɛ/
August
août
/u(t)/
September
septembre
/sɛptɑ̃bʀ/
October
octobre
/ɔktɔbʀ/
November
novembre
/nɔvɑ̃bʀ/
December
décembre
/desɑ̃bʀ/
month
le mois
/lə mwa/
year
l’an / l’année
/lɑ̃/ /lane/
decade
la décennie
/deseni/
century
le siècle
/lə sjɛkl/
millennium
le millénaire
/milenɛʀ/
To express in a certain month, such as in May, use en before the month as in “en mai.” With dates, the ordinal numbers are not used, except for the first of the month: le premier mai but le deux juin. Also note that months are all masculine and not capitalized in French (same as days of the week).
French Seasons / Les saisons
Summer
l’été
/lete/
in the summer
en été
/ɑ̃ nete/
Fall
l’automne
/lotɔn/
in the fall
en automne
/ɑ̃ notɔn/
Winter
l’hiver
/livɛʀ/
in the winter
en hiver
/ɑ̃ nivɛʀ/
Spring
le printemps
/lə pʀɛ̃tɑ̃/
in the spring
au printemps
/o prɛ̃tɑ̃/
French Directions / Les directions
on the left
à gauche
/a goʃ/
on the right
à droite
/a dʀwɑt/
straight ahead
tout droit
/tu dʀwɑ/
North
le nord
/lə nɔʀ/
Northeast
le nord-est
/lə nɔʀ(d)ɛst/
South
le sud
/lə syd/
Northwest
le nord-ouest
/lə nɔʀ(d)wɛst/
East
l’est
/lɛst/
Southeast
le sud-est
/sydɛst/
West
l’ouest
/lwɛst/
Southwest
le sud-ouest
/sydwɛst/
French Colors and Shapes / Les couleurs et les formes
Red
rouge
/ʀuʒ/
square
le carré
/kaʀe/
Orange
orange
/ɔʀɑ̃ʒ/
circle
le cercle
/sɛʀkl/
Yellow
jaune
/ʒon/
triangle
le triangle
/tʀijɑ̃gl/
Green
vert / verte
/vɛʀ/ /vɛʀt/
rectangle
le rectangle
/ʀɛktɑ̃gl/
Blue
bleu / bleue
/blø/
oval
l’ovale
/ɔval/
Purple
violet / violette
/vjɔlɛ/ /vjɔlɛt/
cube
le cube
/kyb/
White
blanc / blanche
/blɑ̃/ /blɑ̃ʃ/
sphere
la sphère
/sfɛʀ/
Brown
brun / brunemarron
/bʀõ/ /bʀyn/
/maʀɔ̃/
cylinder
le cylindre
/silɛ̃dʀ/
Black
noir / noire
/nwaʀ/
cone
le cône
/kon/
Pink
rose
/ʀoz/
octagon
l’octogone
/ɔktogɔn/
Gold
doré / dorée
/dɔʀe/
box
la boîte
/bwat/
Silver
argenté / argentée
/aʀʒɑ̃te/
light
clair / claire
/klɛʀ/
Gray
gris / grise
/gʀi/ /gʀiz/
dark
foncé / foncée
/fɔ̃se/
Some adjectives of color do not change to agree with gender or number, such as adjectives that also exist as nouns: orange, marron, rose; and compound adjectives: bleu clair, noir foncé remain masculine even if they describe a feminine noun. Remember to place the color adjective after the noun.
French Weather Expressions / Le temps qu’il fait
What’s the weather like?
Quel temps fait-il ?
/kɛl tɑ̃ fɛ til/
It’s nice
Il fait bon
/il fɛ bɔ̃/
bad
Il fait mauvais
/il fɛ mɔve/
cool
Il fait frais
/il fɛ fʀɛ/
cold
Il fait froid
/il fɛ fʀwɑ/
warm, hot
Il fait chaud
/il fɛ ʃo/
cloudy
Il fait nuageux
/il fɛ nyaʒ/
beautiful
Il fait beau
/il fɛ bo/
mild
Il fait doux
/il fɛ du/
stormy
Il fait orageux
/il fɛ ɔʀaʒ/
sunny
Il fait soleil
/il fɛ sɔlɛj/
humid
Il fait humide
/il fɛ ymid/
muggy
Il fait lourd
/il fɛ luʀ/
windy
Il fait du vent
/il fɛ dy vɑ̃/
foggy
Il fait du brouillard
/il fɛ dy bʀujaʀ/
snowing
Il neige
/il nɛʒ/
raining
Il pleut
/il plø/
freezing
Il gèle
/il ʒɛl/
hailing
Il grêle
/il gʀɛl/
It is ____ degrees.
Il fait ____ degrés.
/il fɛ __ dəgʀe/
Il pleut des cordes /il plø de koʀd/ is a common expression meaning it’s pouring. Il caille /il kaj/ or ça caille /sa kaj/ is slang for it’s freezing. French-speaking countries use Celcius for degrees.
French Time Expressions / Le temps qui passe
What time is it?
Quelle heure est-il ?
/kɛl œʀ ɛ til/
It is…
Il est…
/il ɛ/
one o’clock
une heure
/yn œʀ/
two o’clock
deux heures
/dø zœʀ/
noon
midi
/midi/
midnight
minuit
/minɥi/
a quarter after three
trois heures et quart
/tʀwɑ zœʀ e kaʀ/
one o’clock sharp
une heure précise
/yn œʀ pʀesiz/
four o’clock sharp
quatre heures précises
/katʀœʀ pʀesiz/
twelve thirty
midi (minuit) et demi
/midi (minɥi) e dəmi/
six thirty
six heures et demie
/si zœʀ e dəmi/
a quarter to seven
sept heures moins le quart
/sɛt œʀ mwɛ̃ lə kaʀ/
five twenty
cinq heures vingt
/sɛ̃k œʀ vɛ̃/
ten fifty
onze heures moins dix
/ɔ̃z œʀ mwɛ̃ dis/
in the morning/AM
du matin
/dy matɛ̃/
in the afternoon/PM
de l’après-midi
/də lapʀɛmidi/
in the evening/PM
du soir
/dy swaʀ/
Official French time is expressed as military time (24 hour clock.) You can only use regular numbers, and not demi, quart, etc. when reporting time with the 24 hour system. For example, if it is 18h30, you must say dix-huit heures trente. The word pile /pil/ is also a more informal way of saying précise (exactly, sharp).
French Family and Animals / La famille et les animaux
Notice that they are not automatically capitalized like they are in English. That is a very important rule, so make sure you keep it in mind!
French Months of the Year
This lesson will teach you how to say the months of the year in French. The names of the months are considered to be international words. They are fairly similar in French and English languages and should be easy for you to learn. Note that in French, the months are not capitalized unless they occur in the beginning of a sentence. Besides that, all months in French are masculine.
French word
English translation
Pronunciation
janvier
January
zhah(n)-vyay
février
February
fay-vree-yay
mars
March
mahrs
avril
April
ah-vreel
mai
May
meh
juin
June
zhwa(n)
juillet
July
zhwee-eh
août
August
oo or oot
septembre
September
sehp-tah(n)br
octobre
October
ohk-tohbr
novembre
November
noh-vah(n)br
décembre
December
day-sah(n)br
French Prepositions Used with Months
In order to say that something is going to happen “in” a certain month, French speakers use the preposition “en”, which is pronounced as [ah(n)]. If you’d like to say that something has been happening “since” a certain month, the preposition “depuis” should be used. The table below gives a few examples:
depuis décembre
since December
duh-pwee day-sah(n)br
un mois
a month
uh(n) mwah
une année
a year
ewn ah-nay
un an
one year
uhN nahN
Phrases and examples
Il y a douze mois dans l’année
There are twelve months in a year
Je suis né le 10 décembre
I was born on the 10th of December
Comments
Unlike English, the names of the months do not begin with a capital letter.
As you can read and listen to the sounds of the words for the months in French, you will notice that they are very similar to English and should not give you any problems in learning by heart. Listen and repeat as often as possible.
Let’s Talk about Family!
This lesson will give you the vocabulary to do just that. Let’s get started!
English
French
IPA
family
la famille
/la famij/
father
père
/pɛʁ/
dad, daddy
papa
/papa/
mother
mère
/mɛʁ/
mom, mommy, mum
maman
/mɑmɑ̃/
parents / relatives
les parents
/lɛ paʁɑ̃/
sister
sœur
/sɶʁ/
brother
frère
/fʁʁ/
siblings
la fratrie
/la fʁa.tʁi/
children
les enfants
/lɛ‿zɑ̃fɑ̃/
baby
le bébé
/lə bebe/
son
fils
/fis/
daughter
fille
/fij/
husband
mari
/maʁi/
husband / male spouse
époux
/epu/
wife
femme
/fam/
wife / female spouse
épouse
/epuz/
grandmother
grand-mère
/gʁɑ̃mɛʁ/
grandfather
grand-père
/gʁɑ̃pɛʁ/
grandson
petit-fils
/pə.ti.fis/
granddaughter
petite-fille
/pə.tit.fij
uncle
oncle
/ɔ̃kl/
aunt
tante
/tɑ̃t/
nephew
neveu
/nəvø/
niece
nièce
/njɛs/
cousin (male)
cousin
/kuzɛ̃/
cousin (female)
cousine
/kuzin/
stepfather / father-in-law
beau-père
/bo.pɛʁ/
stepmother / mother-in-law
belle-mère
/bɛl.mɛʁ/
stepbrother / brother-in-law
beau-frère
/bo.fʁɛʁ/
stepsister / sister-in-law
belle-sɶur
/bɛl.sɶʁ/
half-brother
demi-frère
/dəmi.fʁɛʁ/
half-sister
demi-sɶur
/dəmisɶʁ/
son-in-law
gendre (beau-fils)
/ʒɑ̃dʁ/ (/bo.fi/)
daughter-in-law
bru (belle-fille)
/bʁy/ (/bɛl.fij/)
godfather
parrain
/paʁɛ̃/
godmother
marraine
/maʁɛn/
godson
filleul
/fijɶl/
goddaughter
filleule
/fijɶl/
Adjectives
English
French
IPA
married
marié(e)
/maʁje/
single
célibataire
/selibatɛʁ/
divorced
divorcé(e)
/divɔʁse/
separated
séparé(e)
/sepaʁe/
widowed
veuf/veuve
/vɶf/, /vɶv/
Verbs
English
French
IPA
to marry
marier, épouser
/maʁje/, /epuze/
to adopt
adopter
/adɔpte/
Family Trees
Imagine your own family tree. What would it look like?
It may help to imagine a French family to try out some new French vocabulary. While we look at the family imagined here, think of your own and see if any of the new words might apply.The word for family in French is une famille, (oon fah-mee).
Start with Sandrine. She lives in Bordeaux, in southwest France, with her immediate family.
C’est Sandrine! ‘This is Sandrine’.
She has two parents. The word for parents in French is very similar to our own: des parents, (day par-ahn).
She has a mother, une mère, (oon mehr), and a father,un père, (uhn pehr). In French, you might also hear the familiar forms of these words, Maman, (Mah-mahn), and Papa, (Pah-pah).
Her family has four children in it. The word in French for children is des enfants, (dayz ahn-fahn).
Sandrine has two sisters. The word for sister is unesœur, (oon sör). She has one brother, un frère, (uhn frehr). He is the baby, le bébé, (luh bay-bay).
When we say that Sandrine has two sisters and one brother, it also tells us that her parents have three daughters and one son. The word for daughter is une fille, (oon fee), and the word for son is un fils, (uhn fees).
What about your family tree? How is it like Sandrine’s? How is it different?
Let’s practice a tiny bit with this vocabulary, so you can see how you might apply it to yourself.
To say, ‘I have children,’ you would say, J’ai des enfants.
If you’d like to say, ‘I have a son and a daughter. I also have a sister and a brother,’ you might say, ‘J’ai un fils et une fille. J’ai aussi (also) une sœur et un frère.’
Notice the expression J’ai, (jay). It means ‘I have’.
If you like to make it negative (to say you don’t have any), you’ll change it to je n’ai pas de, (juh nay pah duh) as in, Je n’ai pas de filles. ‘I don’t have any daughters’.
Extended Family
Let’s add some members to Sandrine’s family. Sandrine’s extended family lives further east, in the Burgundy region.
Sandrine, like many of us, has grandparents. She’s their grandd
aughter.
Let’s see that same idea in French: see if you can find the word for grandparents in the first sentence!
Sandrine a des grand-parents. Sandrine est leur petite-fille.
If you guessed that des grand-parents, (day grah-pah-rahn), was the French word for grandparents, you were right! She has a grandmother, une grand-mère, (oon grahn-mehr), and a grandfather, un grand-père, (uhn grahn-pehr).
The word for granddaughter, as you can see it in the sentence above, is une petite-fille. For grandson, it’s unpetit-fils. And for grandchildren, it’s des petits-enfants, (day puh-teez ahn-fahn).
Sandrine also has aunts, uncles, and cousins. Her favorite aunt is une tante, (oon tahnt), or Tata, in the familiar form, as we might say Auntie. Her closest uncle is un oncle, (uhn ohn-cl), or Tonton, in the most familiar form. A male cousin is un cousin, (uhn coo-zan), and a female cousin is une cousine, (oon coo-zeen).
To talk about planned future activities or intentions :
Tom and Mary are coming to dinner tomorrow. They called to confirm.
I am spending my holidays in Australia. I have already booked my flight.
Present Perfect Tense
(example : to do)
Present Perfect Simple
Affirmative
Negative
Interrogative
Long Form
Contracted Form
I have done
I have not done
I haven’t done
Have I done?
You have done
You have not done
You haven’t done
Have you done?
He/she/it has done
He/she/it has not done
He/she/it hasn’t done
Has he/she/it done?
We have done
We have not done
We haven’t done
Have we done?
You have done
You have not done
You haven’t done
Have you done?
They have done
They have not done
They haven’t done
Have they done?
Present Perfect Continuous
Affirmative
Negative
Interrogative
Long Form
Contracted Form
I have been doing
I have not been doing
I haven’t been doing
Have I been doing?
You have been doing
You have not been doing
You haven’t been doing
Have you been doing?
He/she/has been doing
He/she/it has not been doing
He/she/it hasn’t been doing.
Has he/she/it been doing?
We have been doing
We have not been doing
We haven’t been doing
Have we been doing?
You have been doing
You have not been doing
You haven’t been doing
Have you been doing?
They have been doing
They have not been doing
They haven’t been doing
Have they been doing?
The present perfect is used to refer to actions which take place in an
unfinished time period up to the time of speaking.
The present perfect continuous tense is used to refer to an action which
started in the past and continues today. It emphasises the uninterrupted
progress of an action.
I have been learning English since September.
(I started in September and I continue to take lessons today.)
The present perfect simple is used to refer to the finished part of
a continuous action. It emphasises the completion of an action and its results
So far in my English course :
I have learnt new vocabulary.
I have revised some grammar rules.
(My English course is not finished, but I have finished some of the lessons.)
Example:
Today is your English Revision day. It is now 2 p.m.
At 9 o’clock this morning you started your revision work. At 2 pm the day is not finished, so you can say :
“I have been revising my English since 9 o’clock this morning.”
(You are still revising your English, so the continuous form is used.)
However, you have completed part of the revision work, so you can say,
for example: “So far today I have revised tenses and irregular verbs.”
N.B.
If you refer to a specific timeearlier in the day, you must use the Past Simple :
“This morning I revised tenses and irregular verbs.” or,
“I met Charlie for lunch at 12.30”
The following should be noted:
1) Some verbs can be used in both forms with no change in meaning.
With some verbs such as live and work, the present perfect simple OR continuous
can generally be used with no difference in meaning.
I’ve lived/I’ve worked here for 10 years.
I’ve been living/I’ve been working here for 10 years.
However, only the present perfect simple is used with ‘always‘.
I’ve always lived here NOT I’ve always been living here.
2) Stative Verbs
Stative verbs have no continuous form.
Stative verbs are verbs that denote possession, mental states or emotions,
for example: own, belong, know, believe, like, wish …
We can say: “I’ve known Bob for 20 years” NOT “I have been knowing Bob for 20 years“.
PRESENT PERFECT
The present perfect is used to refer to actions which take place in an unfinished time period
up to the time of speaking, and allows the speaker to link past actions or situations to
the present time.
Continuous form :
Actions started in the past which continue until now.
I have been reading this book since last Monday.
Simple form :
The completed or finished part of a continuous action.
I have read the first three chapters of the book.
Events that have just occurred, with no specific time mentioned.
A plane has just crashed near the coast.
A past action with a result in the present.
I’ve broken my arm. I can’t drive.
Experiences and accomplishments up to now.
I’m a writer. I’ve written 5 novels and several short stories.
El is also used with feminine nouns beginning with a or ha when the accent is on the first syllable. Words that end in -o and -or are generally masculine, with a few exceptions: la mano (hand), la foto (photo). Words that end in -a are generally feminine, with a few exceptions: el mapa(map), el problema (problem). Other feminine words end in -ción, -tad, -dad, or -tud.
Use the ese forms to mean that when what you are talking about is near the person you are addressing. Use the aquel forms when what you are talking about is far from both you and the person you are addressing. Esto and eso are the neuter forms of this and that. They can be used in general and abstract ways.
Demonstrative adjectives (listed above) are used before a noun; if you want to use the demonstrative pronouns, which are used before a verb, add an accent on all of the first e’s: éste, ésta, éstos, éstas, ése, ésa, ésos, ésas, aquél, aquélla, aquéllos, aquéllas.
The conjugation for vos is usually only different from the tú conjugation in the present tense and the imperative (commands), though there can be differences in the preterite and subjunctive as well. Sometimes the present tense conjugation is identical to the tú conjugation (in which case, there will only be one form given in the conjugation charts). For the present tense conjugation of ser, in some regions of Chile, Colombia, and Cuba the vos conjugation is soi, whereas in some parts of Panama and Venezuela it is sois. A final -s may or may not be used for the vos conjugation in the preterite tense. There is a lot of variation in the vos conjugations, in addition to the use of the pronoun tú with a vos conjugation or the pronoun vos with a tú conjugation. Voseo is usually associated with Argentina but there are many more places in Latin America that use vos in some form so it is important to be aware of it.
The difference between the preterite and imperfect tenses will be explained in 
Sometimes changing the verb can completely change the meaning: ser aburrido means to be boring, while estar aburrido means to be bored. Others include: ser bueno – to be nice, estar bueno – to be in good health; ser callado – to be discrete, estar callado – to be silent; ser moreno – to have brown hair, estar moreno – to be tan.
The preposition en is used with months: en abril = in April. Also notice that primero is used for the first of the month, but the rest of the days are referred to using the regular cardinal numbers: el primero de junio but el dos de julio. Months of the year are also all masculine and not capitalized in writing.
¿Cual es la fecha de hoy? What is today’s date?
Hoy es el primero de agosto. Today is August 1st.
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To say on a certain day or the weekend, use am. Add an -s to the day to express “on Mondays, Tuesdays, etc.” All days, months and seasons are masculine so they all use the same form of these words: jeden – every, nächsten – next, letzten – last (as in the last of a series), vorigen – previous. In der Woche is the expression for “during the week” in Northern and Eastern Germany, while unter der Woche is used in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Mein Geburtstag ist im Mai. My birthday is in May.
ation and Training in Coimbatore.
Lingua World offers the best IELTS Training in Coimbatore.
Both versions of IELTS (Academic and General Training) cover all four language skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Here is an outline of each of the papers.
Please note: The Listening component is the same for both Academic and General Training versions.
Section 1
In the first section there will be a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context, e.g. a conversation in a travel agency.
Section 2
On the other hand, the second section deals with a monologue set in an everyday social context, e.g. a speech about local facilities.
Section 3
The third section may be in the form of a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
Section 4
A monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture will be the focus in the fourth section.
For improving the pronunciation of the participants special audio-video sessions are conducted on a regular basis. Such sessions particularly help improve the accent and pronunciation of the candidates. In the process, the overall communication skills of the IELTS candidates are enhanced.
Task 2
You will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The essay can be slightly more personal in style than the Academic Writing Task 2 essay.
Writing is a well-refined art requiring a great deal of preparation. The Task 1 in the Academic Stream requires the skill of interpreting the graphs and charts. Hence, we are making available to the candidates hundreds of worked-out samples and models making the task of interpreting the data a breeze.
Part 2
You will be given a card that asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The examiner then asks you one or two questions on the same topic to finish this part of the test.
Part 3
You will be asked further questions connected to the topic in Part 2. These questions give you an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas. This part lasts between four and five minutes.
As the speaking part of the IELTS test assesses the speaking skills of the candidate special care is taken to ensure that the candidate is able to do all the three parts of the speaking test effectively and quite successfully. Test for fine tuning the skills of communication is normally conducted on a regular basis.
As a result, our candidates are heads and shoulders above others in all the four areas.
Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as “
The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression “
Dialogue 1
This lesson will give you the vocabulary to do just that. Let’s get started!
Start with Sandrine. She lives in Bordeaux, in southwest France, with her immediate family.
C’est Sandrine! ‘This is Sandrine’.
She has two parents. The word for parents in French is very similar to our own: des parents, (day par-ahn).
She has a mother, une mère, (oon mehr), and a father,un père, (uhn pehr). In French, you might also hear the familiar forms of these words, Maman, (Mah-mahn), and Papa, (Pah-pah).
Her family has four children in it. The word in French for children is des enfants, (dayz ahn-fahn).
Sandrine has two sisters. The word for sister is unesœur, (oon sör). She has one brother, un frère, (uhn frehr). He is the baby, le bébé, (luh bay-bay).
When we say that Sandrine has two sisters and one brother, it also tells us that her parents have three daughters and one son. The word for daughter is une fille, (oon fee), and the word for son is un fils, (uhn fees).
What about your family tree? How is it like Sandrine’s? How is it different?
Let’s practice a tiny bit with this vocabulary, so you can see how you might apply it to yourself.
To say, ‘I have children,’ you would say, J’ai des enfants.
If you’d like to say, ‘I have a son and a daughter. I also have a sister and a brother,’ you might say, ‘J’ai un fils et une fille. J’ai aussi (also) une sœur et un frère.’
Notice the expression J’ai, (jay). It means ‘I have’.
If you like to make it negative (to say you don’t have any), you’ll change it to je n’ai pas de, (juh nay pah duh) as in, Je n’ai pas de filles. ‘I don’t have any daughters’.
