Les Habitudes du Passé (Past Habits)

Learning ObjectivesLearn how to talk about repeated actions in the past.Use words like souvent (often) [soo-VAHN], toujours (always) [too-ZHOOR], and parfois (sometimes) [par-FWAH] with the past tense.Tell simple stories about your memories.Imagine you're looking at old photos with your grandma 👵. She asks you: « Qu'est-ce que tu as fait quand tu étais petit? » (What did you do when you were little?) [kes-kuh too ah fay kahn too ay-tay puh-TEE]. In this lesson, you'll learn how to answer by talking about your habits, like playing hockey every Saturday! 🏒Real-World ApplicationsTelling your friends stories from your childhood.Understanding when someone is talking about their memories.Writing a short story about what you did during a past summer vacation.

French TermEnglish MeaningExample in a Sentencele passé (the past) [luh pah-SAY]The past; time that has gone by.J'aime raconter des histoires du passé. (I like to tell stories from the past.) [zhem rah-kohn-TAY dayz ees-TWAR doo pah-SAY]un souvenir (a memory) [uhn soo-vuh-NEER]A memory.Mon premier match de hockey est un bon souvenir. (My first hockey game is a good memory.) [mohn pruh-MYAY match duh oh-KAY ay uhn bohn soo-vuh-NEER] 🏒souvent (often) [soo-VAHN]Often.J'ai souvent mangé de la poutine. (I often ate poutine.) [zhay soo-VAHN mahn-ZHAY duh lah poo-TEEN]toujours (always) [too-ZHOOR]Always.Nous avons toujours visité ma grand-mère pour Noël. (We always visited my grandma for Christmas.) [noo zah-VOHN too-ZHOOR vee-zee-TAY mah grahn-MAIR poor no-EL] 🎄parfois (sometimes) [par-FWAH]So...

Pattern 1: The Passé Composé for Past ActionsRule: To talk about a completed action in the past, we use the passé composé (a past tense) [pah-say kom-poh-ZAY]. It is formed with the helping verb avoir (to have) [ah-VWAR] (in the present tense) + the past participle of the main verb. For -er verbs, the past participle ends in -é. Example: J'ai mangé. (I ate / I have eaten.) [zhay mahn-ZHAY]Pattern 2: Adding Frequency Words for HabitsRule: To show that a past action was a habit or happened many times, we add a frequency word (like souvent (often) [soo-VAHN], toujours (always) [too-ZHOOR], or parfois (sometimes) [par-FWAH]) before the past participle. Structure: Subject + avoir (to have) [ah-VWAR] + frequency word + past participle.Example: J'ai souvent mangé de la poutine. (I often ate pouti...