Introduction to the passé recent (recent past) in French
The passé récent in French, also known as the recent past or near past, is a verb construction used to describe an action that has just occurred or was completed in the very recent past. It emphasizes the immediacy of the action, similar to the English construction “have just” or “have recently” followed by a verb in the past tense. In fact, you can almost replace it by “have just” in English.
It’s very easy and straightforward to learn and use. It is formed using the present tense of the verb venir (to come) followed by de (of) and an infinitive verb. Like this:
Subject + conjugated present tense form of venir + de + infinitive verb
For example:
- Je viens de manger
- I have just eaten
- Tu viens d’arriver
- You have just arrived
- Il/Elle/On vient de partir
- He/She/One has just left
- Nous venons de voir ce film
- We have just seen this movie
- Vous venez de terminer votre travail
- You have just finished your work
- Ils/Elles viennent de rentrer chez eux
- They have just returned home
Conjugating venir in the present tense
The verb venir is conjugated in the present tense according to the subject pronoun like je, tu or nous, while the infinitive form of the main verb follows de.
| Pronouns | Venir (To come) |
| Je | viens |
| Tu | viens |
| Il/Elle/On | vient |
| Nous | venons |
| Vous | venez |
| Ils/Elles | viennent |
What is the infinitive verb?
In French, an infinitive verb (infinitif) is the basic form of a verb that is not conjugated to indicate tense, mood, or person. In other words, it’s the “to” form of the verb in English, like to speak, to eat and to go. When you learn a French verb, you often already learn the infinitive. A couple of examples;
- Parler – to speak
- Écouter – to listen
- Voyager – to travel
- Manger – to eat
- Penser – to think
- Regarder – to watch/to look at
- Étudier – to study
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