2. It may be spoken of as unfinished (IMPERFECT).

I am writing.

I was writing.

I shall be writing.

3. It may be spoken of as finished (PERFECT).

I have written. I had written.

I shall have written.

Hence there ought to be nine tense forms:

Simple Present.

a. Imperfect Present.

Perfect Present.

Simple Past.
b. Imperfect Past.
Perfect Past.

Simple Future.

c. Imperfect Future.

Perfect Future.

Or they can be arranged thus:

(Simple Present.

a. Simple Past.

Simple Future.

¡Imperfect Present.
b.Imperfect Past.
Imperfect Future.
(Perfect Present.
c. Perfect Past.

Perfect Future.

I write.

I am writing.
I have written.

I wrote.

I was writing.
I had written.
I shall write.

1 shall be writing.

I shall have written.

I write.

I wrote.

I shall write.

I am writing.
I was writing.
I shall be writing.

I have written.

I had written.

I shall have written.

There is no special tense-form in French for the Imperfect Fresent, nor for the Imperfect Future, as there is in English. The Simple forms may be used instead.

For the Future Imperfect the periphrastic form, être à, is better than the Simple Future: je serai à écrire, I shall be writing. To this the Imperfect Present, je suis à écrire, I am writing, and the Imperfect Past, j'étais à écrire, I was writing, correspond; but for most purposes the simple forms, j'écris, j'écrivais, are sufficient.

FORMATION OF TENSES.

§ 328. A French verb has three stems:

The Present stem.

The Past Simple stem.

The Past Participle stem.

These tenses have the Present stem: the

(a) Present Simple Indicative, Present Simple Subjunctive, Present Imperative, Present Infinitive, Present Participle.

(b) Past Imperfect, Indicative.

(c) Future Simple, Indicative and Present Conditional.

These have the Past Simple stem:

Past Simple, Indicative, Past Simple, Subjunctive.

These have the Past Participle stem:

All compound tenses.

These three stems may usually be seen in

Infinitive Present,

Indicative Past Simple,

Past Participle,

and most French verbs are sufficiently described if these
three parts are mentioned. But it is useful in conjugating, to
mention also two other parts, which often possess the same
stem as the Infinitive Present in an altered form. Some-
times they show the real Present stem better than the Infini-
tive does.
They are the

Indicative Present, 1st person singular.
Present Participle.

§ 329. These five parts form altogether what are known as the "Principal Parts." From them the other parts of the verb may usually be obtained (§ 354).

I. From the Present Simple Infinitive is really derived the Future Simple Indicative.

Present Conditional.

II. From the Present Participle may be formed the
Present Simple Indicative (plural).

Past Imperfect, Indicative.

Present Simple Subjunctive.

III. From the Present Indicative may be formed the
Present Imperative.

IV. From the Past Simple Indicative may be formed the
Past Simple Subjunctive.

V. From the Past Participle may be formed

All compound tenses.

§ 330. The same rules may be thus stated at greater length:

III. The Present Indicative

Pronouns tú, nous, vous = Present Imperative.

IV. The Past Simple Indicative, 2nd person.

+
se, etc.

V. The Past Participle

+ various tenses of avoir, être

=

Compound tenses.

§ 331. Example of tense formation:

Principal Parts: sentir, sentant, je sens, je sentis, senti.

I. From Simple Present, Infinitive, sentir, are obtained: Simple Future, Indicative.

II. From Participle Present, sentant, are obtained:

1. Simple Present plural, Indicative.

III. From Simple Present, Indicative: tu sens, nous sentons, vous sentez, are obtained

IV. From Simple Past, Indicative, je sentis, tu sentis, etc., are obtained:

je sent-isse

tu sent-isses

il sent-ît

Simple Past, Subjunctive:

nous sent-issions

vous sent-issiez

ils sent-issent.

V. From Participle Past, senti, are obtained all compound tenses j'ai sent-i, etc. j'avais sent-i, etc. j'eus sent-i, etc. j'aurai sent-i, etc. j'aurais sent-i, etc. j'aie sent-i, etc. j'eusse sent-i, etc. avoir sent-i, etc. ayant sent-i, etc.

ENGLISH OF THE FRENCH TENSES.

§ 332. The English given in the paradigms (§§ 338-349) is only one of several possible renderings.

PRESENT SIMPLE
PRESENT IMPERFECT
PRESENT PERFECT
PAST SIMPLE
PAST IMPERFECT
PAST PERFECT
FUTURE SIMPLE

FUTURE IMPERFECT

FUTURE PERFECT

PRESENT

PAST

FUTURE

INDICATIVE MOOD.

I love, I do not love, do I love ?

I am loving.

I have loved, I loved.

I loved, did I love, I did not love.

I was loving, I used to love, did I love, I loved.
I had loved.

I shall love, thou wilt love, etc.

I shall be loving, thou wilt be loving, etc.

I shall have loved, thou wilt have loved, etc. CONDITIONAL MOOD.

I should love, thou wouldst love, etc.

I should have loved, thou wouldst have loved
I should love, thou wouldst love, etc.

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.

The Subjunctive Mood of the French is (in mistaken imitation of the Latin Grammars) usually rendered, in Tables of Verbs, by the signs may, might. This is misleading. It must much oftener be turned into English by the corresponding tense of the Indicative. Often the "Accusative with the Infinitive" or some other idiom is the best rendering: Je nie qu'il soit en bonne santé. Croyez-vous qu'il le fasse? Il désire que je le fasse. Je ne croyais pas qu'il le sût. Il va sans que je le sache. Il veut que je le dise.

With may, might (rare):

I deny that he is in good health.
Do you think that he will do it?
He desires that I should do it.
I did not think that he knew it.
He goes without my knowing it.
He will have me say it.

Il l'appelle afin que je lui parle.

He calls him so that I may speak to him.

Il l'avait appelé afin que je lui parlasse.

He had called him, so that I might speak to him.

The 3rd Person, Present Tense, Subjunctive Mood, may sometimes be rendered imperatively by the sign 'Let:' as, Qu'il aime: Let him love. Qu'ils aiment: Let them love.