ABSTRACT
One of the areas of the French verb system which has attracted most attention amongst researchers is that of the past tenses. In this chapter, we investigate the relationships between the various past tenses in French, in particular that between the passe simple and the passe compose. Most major French grammars give full accounts of the various functions of each tense, of which the following is a very brief summary which will serve as a basic reference point:
The passe simple (PS):
• This is the classic narrative tense in French, usually marking foregrounded events in chronological sequence. Events are viewed externally and globally and have a delimited beginning and end:
(1) Elle se leva, mit son manteau et sortit.
