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PrepMyFrench
我们使用 passé récent（最近过去时）来描述刚刚完成的动作或刚刚发生的事件（刚刚做了，刚刚完成……）。
EXAMPLE
The train just left.
Completed action, possibly distant
Action that just happened
Je viens de finir mes devoirs.
I just finished my homework.
Elle vient de sortir.
She just went out.
Nous venons d'apprendre la nouvelle.
We just heard the news.
Il venait de partir quand je suis arrivé.
He had just left when I arrived.
Tu viens de voir ce qui s'est passé ?
Did you just see what happened?
Je viendrai de terminer quand tu arriveras.
I will have just finished when you arrive.
Je viens de Paris.
Je viens de Paris. (I come from Paris) / Je viens d'arriver. (I just arrived)
Venir de + noun = to come from (Je viens de Paris). Venir de + infinitive = to have just (Je viens d'arriver). Context distinguishes them. Don't confuse the two constructions.
J'ai venu de manger.
Je viens de manger.
Venir de is NOT a compound tense. It uses present tense of venir + de + infinitive. Never use passé composé: 'j'ai venu' doesn't exist. The auxiliary is avoir (je suis venu = I came), but 'venir de + inf' uses présent.
Je viens de finir il y a une heure.
J'ai fini il y a une heure.
Venir de means IMMEDIATE past (just now, moments ago). Don't use it with 'il y a une heure' — that's not recent enough. For longer ago, use passé composé.
⏮️ The 5-Second Rewind
Venir de + infinitive = the 'just happened' button. It's like pressing rewind by 5 seconds on your French grammar remote. Je VIENS DE manger (I JUST ate). Elle VIENT DE partir (She JUST left). You can even use venir in other tenses: Je VENAIS DE sortir (I HAD JUST left), Je VIENDRAI DE finir (I WILL HAVE JUST finished). The 'just' follows the tense of venir!
Passé récent is tested at A2/B1 in TEF/TCF. At A2, basic venir de + infinitive. At B1, venir de in other tenses: imparfait (je venais de = I had just), futur (je viendrai de = I will have just). It's a useful alternative to passé composé for emphasizing recency in your speaking and writing.
Catching up on the latest news:
Tu es au courant ? Le patron vient de démissionner !
Quoi ? Je viens de lui parler il y a cinq minutes !
Oui, il venait d'apprendre une mauvaise nouvelle. Du coup, il est parti.
Incroyable. Je viendrai d'arriver au bureau quand tout le monde sera déjà au courant.
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