Concordance des Temps (Tense Sequence)

What You'll LearnCorrectly apply the rules for verb tense agreement in reported speech.Use the 'pluperfect' tense to describe an action that happened before another past action.Change a sentence from direct speech to reported speech by making the necessary tense changes.Find and fix verb tense agreement mistakes in complex sentences.Imagine you're telling your friend an amazing story that happened last weekend. 😮 You say: « Mon ami m'a dit qu'il avait vu un orignal près de l'école ! » (My friend told me that he had seen a moose near the school!) [mohn ah-MEE mah dee keel ah-VAY voo uhn oh-ree-NYAL preh duh lay-KOHL!]. For your story to be clear, the verb tenses have to agree. That's what verb tense agreement is all about! ✍️Why This Is UsefulTelling memories or past events accurately.Repo...

French TermWhat it MeansExampleLa concordance des temps (The agreement of tenses) [la kohn-kor-DAHNS day tahn]The set of rules that governs how verb tenses agree between the main part of a sentence and the part that follows.Il a dit qu'il était fatigué. (He said that he was tired.) [eel ah dee keel ay-TAY fa-tee-GAY.]Le discours indirect (Reported speech) [luh dees-KOOR an-dee-REKT]A way of reporting someone's words without using quotation marks.Elle a affirmé qu'elle viendrait. (She stated that she would come.) [el ah ah-feer-MAY kel vyahn-DRAY.]Auparavant (Previously / Before) [oh-pah-rah-VAHN]An adverb meaning 'before that moment'.Je ne l'avais jamais vu auparavant. (I had never seen him before.) [zhuh nuh lah-VAY zha-MAY voo oh-pah-rah-VAHN.]La veille (The day before) [la VAY-yuh]The d...

Rule 1: Main Verb in the Present or FutureRule: If the main verb (the one that introduces the speech) is in the present or simple future tense, the verb tense in the reported part of the sentence does not change. Direct Speech: Il dit : « Je suis content. » (He says: "I am happy.") [eel dee: zhuh swee kohn-TAHN] → Reported Speech: Il dit qu'il est content. (He says that he is happy.) [eel dee keel ay kohn-TAHN.]Direct Speech: Elle annonce : « J'ai fini. » (She announces: "I have finished.") [el ah-NOHNS: zhay fee-NEE] → Reported Speech: Elle annonce qu'elle a fini. (She announces that she has finished.) [el ah-NOHNS kel ah fee-NEE.]Rule 2: Main Verb in the PastRule: If the main verb is in a past tense, the verb tense in the reported part must change. This shows if the action happened befor...