ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the tenses used in French to recount past events. It considers canonical uses of each tense, and what the passe simple implies, when it is expected, what context it should be used in, and what it implies in contrast to the imparfait. The chapter examines when the passe compose is used to present past events and see whether it can ever replace the passe simple. It discusses less expected uses of the passe simple and imparfait, focusing on texts in which past events are primarily presented in the passe compose but in which the passe simple also crops up at times. The chapter describes literary texts in which the passe compose is the tense mostly used to present past events, contrary to what some might have expected. It provides instances where the imparfait is used where the passe composor passe simple might be expected.
