The verb is the most important part of the sentence. It expresses an action or state of the subject and indicates the time and mood of an occurrence. In order to be able to communicate in a language, you must know how its verb tenses and moods are formed and how they are used.
Practice Makes Perfect: French Verb Tenses is a manual and workbook that offers the learner a clear and comprehensive explanation of the French verb system, as well as the opportunity to practice the newly acquired skills in numerous exercises that follow each section. Differences between French and English usage are pointed out throughout the book, and idiomatic expressions are presented where literal translations would be incorrect. The vocabulary in the examples and exercises is taken from current usage and is useful for daily communication. Vocabulary presentations make translations easier, and a glossary is provided so that the student can look up new words or words that he/she may have forgotten. And in this new edition, there is a comprehensive review section of exercises. Finally, an answer key allows the user to correct the completed work.
Many years of teaching experience at American universities have taught me where the difficulties of the French language lie for native English speakers when choosing a tense or mood and when inserting a verb in the sentence. The choice of the correct past tense (imperfect or passé composé, for example) and the addition of direct and indirect objects can be quite a challenge for the student. French Verb Tenses is designed to help the learner overcome these difficulties and to master an important aspect of French grammar. The book can be used for additional practice in beginning, intermediate, and advanced language classes; it is ideal for self-study and review and can also serve as a reliable reference tool for students and teachers of French.
All French grammar books have sections on verbs but cannot devote as much space as necessary to this subject. Most French verb books on today’s market focus on conjugations and give little, if any, information about the usage of verbs and idioms. What sets French Verb Tenses apart from other books on the same subject is its goal to offer not only a thorough description of all contemporary verb forms and moods but also to show how they are used in a given context. Clear definitions of grammatical terms in the introduction and throughout the manual facilitate comprehension. In addition, cultural information about France has been included in the exercises so that the learner, while refining his/her written and oral communication skills, also gets an insight into aspects of French culture.
We hope that this book will help the student acquire a good understanding of the French verb system as well as enable him/her to use the structures presented with competence and confidence.