Grammar / B2 : Upper Intermediate / Sequence of tenses
Sequence of tenses
Harmonizing tenses between main clause and subordinate clause.
1. The Core Principle
In French, the tense of a subordinate clause is not chosen independently. It is governed by the tense of the main clause and by the relative timing of the subordinate event: does it happen before, at the same time as, or after the main verb?
This system, called la concordance des temps, affects two major areas:
- Reported speech (le discours indirect): when you report what someone said, thought, or asked.
- Complex sentences with subordinate clauses of time, condition, and consequence.
The key distinction is between a present or future main clause and a past main clause, because each governs a different set of tense choices in the subordinate clause.
2. The Two Axes: Present/Future vs. Past Main Clause
Think of it as two parallel systems. The subordinate clause slots into one of three temporal positions relative to the main verb: simultaneous, anterior (before), or posterior (after). The tense used in each slot depends on which axis the main clause is on.
| Relative timing of subordinate event | Main clause: present or future | Main clause: past |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous (happening at the same time) | Present indicative | Imperfect |
| Anterior (completed before the main verb) | Passé composé | Pluperfect |
| Posterior (happening after the main verb) | Future / aller + infinitive | Conditional present |
| Doubly anterior (completed before a past reference point) | - | Past conditional (conditionnel passé) |
3. In Reported Speech: Shifting Tenses
Reported speech is the most systematic application of the concordance. When the reporting verb (dire, penser, savoir, croire, expliquer...) is in the past, every tense in the original speech shifts back in time.
From direct to indirect speech: the tense shifts
| Original tense (direct speech) | Reported tense (past main verb) |
|---|---|
| Present → «Je travaille.» | Imperfect → Il a dit qu'il travaillait. |
| Passé composé → «J'ai fini.» | Pluperfect → Il a dit qu'il avait fini. |
| Future → «Je viendrai.» | Conditional → Il a dit qu'il viendrait. |
| Future perfect → «J'aurai terminé.» | Past conditional → Il a dit qu'il aurait terminé. |
| Imperfect → «Je travaillais.» | Imperfect (unchanged) → Il a dit qu'il travaillait. |
| Conditional → «Je viendrais.» | Conditional (unchanged) → Il a dit qu'il viendrait. |
| Imperative → «Viens !» | Infinitive → Il m'a dit de venir. |
Full example: tracing all shifts
«Je suis fatigué parce que j'ai beaucoup travaillé. Je partirai demain et j'aurai terminé avant la fin du mois.»
(I am tired because I worked a lot. I will leave tomorrow and I will have finished before the end of the month.)
Reported speech (past main verb):
Il a expliqué qu'il était fatigué parce qu'il avait beaucoup travaillé. Il a ajouté qu'il partirait le lendemain et qu'il aurait terminé avant la fin du mois.
(He explained that he was tired because he had worked a lot. He added that he would leave the next day and that he would have finished before the end of the month.)
When the reporting verb is in the present or future
If the reporting verb is in the present or future, there is no tense shift. The original tenses remain as spoken.
Elle explique qu'elle a fini. (She explains that she has finished.) (no shift)
Il dira qu'il partira demain. (He will say that he will leave tomorrow.) (no shift)
4. Time Expressions That Shift in Reported Speech
When the main verb is in the past, time expressions in the original speech must also shift to match the new temporal perspective.
| Direct speech | Reported speech (past main verb) |
|---|---|
| aujourd'hui (today) | ce jour-là (that day) |
| hier (yesterday) | la veille (the day before) |
| demain (tomorrow) | le lendemain (the next day) |
| maintenant (now) | à ce moment-là (at that moment) |
| la semaine prochaine (next week) | la semaine suivante (the following week) |
| la semaine dernière (last week) | la semaine précédente (the previous week) |
| il y a trois jours (three days ago) | trois jours avant / auparavant (three days before) |
| dans deux jours (in two days) | deux jours plus tard (two days later) |
5. Questions in Reported Speech
Reported questions follow the same tense shifts, and they use specific structures depending on the question type. There is no inversion in reported questions.
Yes/no questions: si
Reported: Il m'a demandé si je venais. (He asked me whether I was coming.)
Direct: «Est-ce que tu as fini ?»
Reported: Elle a voulu savoir si j'avais fini. (She wanted to know if I had finished.)
Information questions: interrogative word kept
Reported: Il a demandé où j'allais. (He asked where I was going.)
Direct: «Pourquoi n'es-tu pas venu ?»
Reported: Elle a voulu savoir pourquoi je n'étais pas venu. (She wanted to know why I hadn't come.)
Direct: «Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé ?»
Reported: Il a demandé ce qui s'était passé. (He asked what had happened.)
«Que fais-tu ?» → Il a demandé ce que je faisais.
«Qu'est-ce que tu veux ?» → Il a demandé ce que je voulais.
The direct question word que / qu'est-ce que always becomes ce que in reported speech.
6. Subordinate Clauses of Condition: si Clauses
Conditional sentences (si clauses) have their own strict sequence of tenses that is independent of reported speech. The tense in the si clause determines the tense in the result clause.
| Type | Si clause | Result clause | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open condition (likely) | Present | Future / imperative / present | Si tu viens, je serai là. (If you come, I will be there.) |
| Hypothetical (unlikely) | Imperfect | Conditional present | Si tu venais, je serais là. (If you came, I would be there.) |
| Contrary to past fact | Pluperfect | Past conditional | Si tu étais venu, j'aurais été là. (If you had come, I would have been there.) |
| Mixed (past condition, present result) | Pluperfect | Conditional present | Si tu étais venu hier, tu saurais. (If you had come yesterday, you would know.) |
Incorrect: *Si tu viendras... / *Si tu viendrais...
Correct: Si tu viens... / Si tu venais... / Si tu étais venu...
7. Subordinate Clauses of Time
Time conjunctions such as quand, lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que, après que also require specific tense sequencing. The most common issue is the future tense, which is mandatory in French but absent in English.
| Main clause | Time clause | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Future | Future (NOT present) | Je t'appellerai quand je serai prêt. (I will call you when I am ready.) |
| Future | Future perfect (prior event) | Je partirai dès que tu auras fini. (I will leave as soon as you have finished.) |
| Past | Imperfect (simultaneous) | Il lisait quand je suis entré. (He was reading when I came in.) |
| Past | Pluperfect (prior event) | Il est parti dès qu'il avait fini. (He left as soon as he had finished.) |
8. Register: Strict vs. Relaxed Concordance
In everyday spoken French, the strict concordance rules are sometimes relaxed, particularly in reported speech. The present tense may be kept even after a past reporting verb if the reported fact is still considered true.
Il m'a dit qu'il était malade. (He told me he was sick.)
Relaxed concordance (spoken, if still true):
Il m'a dit qu'il est malade. (He told me he is sick, and he still is.)
Both are used; the relaxed form implies the state is still current. In DELF B2 writing tasks, the strict concordance is expected.
Lesson Summary
- The sequence of tenses governs what tense the subordinate clause takes, based on the main clause tense and the relative timing of the subordinate event (simultaneous, anterior, posterior).
- Present/future main clause: subordinate uses present, passé composé, or future; no shift.
- Past main clause: subordinate shifts: present → imperfect, passé composé → pluperfect, future → conditional, future perfect → past conditional.
- The imperfect and conditional do not shift further when reported with a past main verb.
- Time expressions shift too: aujourd'hui → ce jour-là, demain → le lendemain, hier → la veille, etc.
- Reported yes/no questions use si; reported information questions keep the interrogative word without inversion; que/qu'est-ce que → ce que.
- Si clauses have fixed tense pairings: present + future; imperfect + conditional; pluperfect + past conditional. The conditional and future never appear in the si clause.
- After future time conjunctions (quand, dès que, aussitôt que), French requires the future tense, never the present, unlike English.
- Spoken French may relax the concordance if the reported fact is still currently true; formal writing requires strict application.