Concordance des Temps: Mastering the Sequence of Tenses in French

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In French, verbs exist in a delicate ecosystem. If the main verb in a sentence is in the past, the verb in the subordinate clause (the part following "que") cannot just do whatever it wants. It is bound by the strict laws of the Concordance des Temps (Sequence of Tenses).

Failure to align your tenses correctly is the difference between sounding like a native speaker describing a complex memory, and sounding like a beginner wildly mixing timelines.

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Part 1: The Core Principle

The sequence of tenses answers one primary question: Is the action in the subordinate clause happening BEFORE, DURING, or AFTER the action in the main clause?

The Three Relationships:

1. Antériorité: The action happened BEFORE (e.g., "He says that he had eaten.")
2. Simultanéité: The action happens at the SAME TIME (e.g., "He says that he is eating.")
3. Postériorité: The action will happen AFTER (e.g., "He says that he will eat.")

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Part 2: Setting the Baseline — Main Verb in the Present

If the main verb (the reporting verb like dire, penser, savoir) is in the Present Tense (or Futur), the sequence is logical and mimics English closely.

Main Verb: "Il dit que..." (He says that...)

• Before (Anteriority): Use Passe Compose (or Imparfait).
  • "Il dit qu'il a mange hier." (He says that he ate yesterday.)
• Same Time (Simultaneity): Use Present.
  • "Il dit qu'il mange maintenant." (He says that he is eating now.)
• After (Posteriority): Use Futur Simple (or Futur Proche).
  • "Il dit qu'il mangera demain." (He says that he will eat tomorrow.)

This is straightforward. The real challenge begins when the main verb shifts to the past.

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Part 3: Shifting to the Past — The Golden Rules

When the main verb (the reporting verb) is in a Past Tense (Passe Compose, Imparfait, or Passe Simple), the entire timeline shifts backward. The tenses in the subordinate clause must "step back" one level into the past.

Main Verb: "Il a dit que..." (He said that...) or "Il pensait que..." (He thought that...)

1. Anteriority (Action happened BEFORE the past event)

• Present Rule: Passe Compose
• Past Sequence Rule: Use Plus-que-parfait.
  • Logic: It's the "past of the past."
  • Example: "Il a dit qu'il avait perdu ses cles la veille." (He said that he had lost his keys the day before.)

2. Simultaneity (Action happened at the SAME TIME as the past event)

• Present Rule: Present
• Past Sequence Rule: Use Imparfait.
  • Logic: The Imparfait provides the ongoing background for the past action.
  • Example: "Je savais qu'il etait fatigue." (I knew that he was tired.)

3. Posteriority (Action happened AFTER the past event, but still in the past or conditional future)

• Present Rule: Futur Simple
• Past Sequence Rule: Use Conditionnel Présent (often called the "Future in the Past").
  • Logic: From the perspective of the past, the future hasn't happened yet, so we use the conditional.
  • Example: "Il a promis qu'il viendrait le lendemain." (He promised that he would come the next day.)

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Part 4: The Subjunctive Timeline Shift

Does the sequence of tenses apply to the subjunctive mood? Yes, historically, but Modern French has simplified it greatly.

Standard Modern Spoken/Written French

Even if the main verb is in the past, modern French typically just uses the Present Subjunctive (for simultaneity/posteriority) or Past Subjunctive (for anteriority).

• "Je voulais qu'il vienne." (I wanted him to come.) -> Accepted everywhere.
• "J'etais etonne qu'il ait reussi." (I was surprised he had succeeded.)

Traditional Literary French (Le Subjonctif Imparfait)

Strict traditional grammar demands the Imperfect Subjunctive or Pluperfect Subjunctive if the main verb is in the past.

• "Je voulais qu'il vint." (I wanted him to come.)

Exam Tip: Unless you are writing a 19th-century novel or aiming for an absolute perfect C2 in a highly formal essay, do not attempt the imperfect subjunctive. Use the present or past subjunctive; examiners will accept modern usage.

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Part 5: Indirect Speech (Le Discours Indirect)

The sequence of tenses is the exact mechanism used when converting direct quotes into reported speech (le discours indirect) in the past.

If the reporting verb is past (e.g., Il a declare...):

1. Present changes to Imparfait:
   • Direct: "Je suis fatigue."
   • Indirect: Il a dit qu'il etait fatigue.
2. Passe Compose changes to Plus-que-parfait:
   • Direct: "J'ai fini."
   • Indirect: Il a dit qu'il avait fini.
3. Futur Simple changes to Conditionnel Present:
   • Direct: "J'irai a Paris."
   • Indirect: Il a dit qu'il irait a Paris.
4. Futur Anterieur changes to Conditionnel Passe:
   • Direct: "J'aurai termine a midi."
   • Indirect: Il a dit qu'il aurait termine a midi.

Warning: Time Markers Must Shift Too!

When shifting to past indirect speech, adverbs of time change:

• Aujourd'hui (Today) -> Ce jour-la (That day)
• Hier (Yesterday) -> La veille (The day before)
• Demain (Tomorrow) -> Le lendemain (The next day)

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Conclusion

The Sequence of Tenses (Concordance des Temps) is a strict mathematical formula. If Main Verb = Past, then Present -> Imparfait, PC -> PQP, and Future -> Conditional. Master this conversion, especially for reported speech, and your written French will gain a level of structural maturity that immediately signals advanced proficiency to any TEF or TCF examiner.