EIPremier From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1533 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (12 years 1 month 3 weeks 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 654 times:
Hopefully this won't get deleted
I'm no native speaker, so if I make a mistake, please correct me.
Yeah, the passé composé conjugation is as Iain said.
However, there are several past tenses in French.
For example, if it was something you liked over a period of time, you would use the imparfait form (j'aimais)
Cfalk From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (12 years 1 month 3 weeks 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 638 times:
I'm a native French Speaker (at least if you consider the French we speak in Switzerland as French ). "j’ai aimé" is correct. "J'aimais" can also work.
Easy_fella From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 10, posted (12 years 1 month 3 weeks 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 615 times:
Ok, so no matter what kind of scary s*** we've done in our lives, I'm sure that those of us who did French GCSE or the US equivalent will agree, the oral is the scariest thing in the world.
I consider myself to be a pretty brave guy, but the few hours before my French GCSE oral exam, I was a wreck. And then being the muppet I am, I went on to do French at A level, and then at uni. It doesn't get any easier!!
Sorry mate, not really too encouraging, but good luck anyway, it'll be over after 20 minutes, and the feeling you get afterwards...phew!!!!
LH423 From Canada, joined Jul 1999, 6501 posts, RR: 55 Reply 12, posted (12 years 1 month 3 weeks 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 592 times:
hmmm...I can't wait to take my SAT II in French later this year. I figure seeing as French is consistently my best class, it beats out the other options.
Bonne chance, Englandair
LH423
« On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux » Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Englandair From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2000, 2228 posts, RR: 3 Reply 13, posted (12 years 1 month 3 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 587 times:
Thanks again peoples!
I passed (hooooooorrrrrrrray).
She said I was very good!
They have to record my oral and send it off to an external examiner, so I don't know how well I did yet, but my teacher was impressed!
Trvlr From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 4430 posts, RR: 24 Reply 14, posted (12 years 1 month 3 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 586 times:
Totally off the subject, but I would like to announce that I will be inducted into the French Honors society!!!lol. Anyways, to answer CPDC1030's remark, I think the passe simple is used mainly as a 'proper' way to say something in the past tense, and it is also common in stories.
LH423: I am also going to take the SAT II French exam this year. What French level are you in? Do you take the National French Exam (Grand Concours) each year?
EIPremier From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1533 posts, RR: 2 Reply 15, posted (12 years 1 month 3 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 574 times:
Congrats on getting into the Honor Society!
My teacher won't nominate anyone unless they are an "active participant" of the school French Club. He seems to be suffering from a reality disconnect. He told students in my class, "If you want to take French 4AP next year, why wouldn't you want to do the French Club as well?" As if we're not going to have enough work as it is next year!
Our school takes the National French Exam (or something of a similar name) each year. Does an 80 question, hour long multiple-choice exam sound about right?
My teacher told us we should feel absolutely no pressure about taking the test. He said that he would give anyone who scored better than 70 an automatic A+ on the semester French final. Oh sure, no big deal, no pressure at all!
AC_A340 From Canada, joined Sep 1999, 2251 posts, RR: 2 Reply 17, posted (12 years 1 month 3 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 565 times:
The passé simple is used mainly in works of literature and drama productions. I was just in France for 10 days and I didn't notice the passé simple in use at all. Mostly seemed to be the imparfait and rarely the passé composé for specific incidences in the past.
LH423 From Canada, joined Jul 1999, 6501 posts, RR: 55 Reply 18, posted (12 years 1 month 3 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 554 times:
Currently, I'm in French III, and I'm taking French IV next year. The reason I'm postponing my SAT II until next year, is because with PSATs, ACTs (coming up on Sat. morning), and SATs, and two huge papers, one due in a couple of weeks, the other due by 1 June, I have enough on my plate to worry about a French exam.
Also, my school does not participate in the exam. I guess something about the cost (something like $13-15 dollars) to take the test, just doesn't arouse much interest. In fact, I think I'm one of the few people that is taking a language because I feel it's an important asset. Most of the kids in my class are simply taking it to get the college requirement, and that's it. However, French IV is an honours class, so that's another reason to take it.
à bientôt,
LH423
« On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux » Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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). "j’ai aimé" is correct. "J'aimais" can also work.
From Canada, joined Jul 1999, 6501 posts, 
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