Introduction

The perfect tense is generally used to express past actions or events which are completed at the time of speaking but can have a bearing on the present. It often indicates when the action or event took place. There is no emphasis placed on the duration of actions or events (as expressed by the imperfect). However, reference may be made to the duration to indicate the completion of the event. The French perfect (passé composé) can be expressed by the present perfect, present perfect continuous or simple past in English.

Like other compound forms, the perfect has values of accomplished aspect and anteriority:

1. – as accomplished, it is opposed to the present, which is non-accomplished.

Ex: Elle est contente: elle a enfin trouvé la solution à son problème.

She's happy – she's found a solution to her problem at last.

1. – as anteriority, the perfect has the same aspectual values as the past historic.

Ex: Sylvain est parti pour l'Afrique en 1968.

Sylvain left for Africa in 1968.

The perfect is opposed to the imperfect in the following ways:

1. – if the perfect is used with its accomplished value, the imperfect represents the non-accomplished.

Ex: Quand il était à Las Vegas, Paul jouait beaucoup au casino. Maintenant, il a abandonné tout ça.

1. – if the perfect is used with its temporal value, the same opposition as that between imperfect/past historic is created.