IB Diploma French B HL · Grammar backbone 9 of 10 — Literary tenses & register
IB French B Grammar
Literary tenses & register
This backbone is mostly receptive — for reading your set text, not for producing. The passé simple (le passé simple) is the literary past tense of novels and formal narrative: you must recognise it, not write it. You'll also meet literary subjunctive forms, the tu / vous register split, and the classic faux amis.
passé simple = literary pastrecognise it in the text · watch the faux amis · read the register
IB Diploma French B (HL): this grammar is the backbone of all five prescribed themes — identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet — and, at HL, it also carries you through the two literary works. HL asks for the same structures with greater range and precision.
Work through each screen and answer the questions — most ask you to recognise a form or spot a false friend. Collect ⭐ and press Start.
The literary past
The passé simple — recognise, don't produce
In novels and formal narrative, French replaces the passé composé with the passé simple. You'll never speak it — but you must read it. The regular endings:
-er verbs → il parla (he spoke), ils parlèrent (they spoke)
-ir / -re verbs → il finit, ils finirent, il vendit
Reading tip:il parla in a novel simply means "he spoke" — mentally read it as the passé composé il a parlé.
Key irregulars
The passé simple irregulars you must know
The most common verbs are irregular in the passé simple. Learn to recognise these third-person forms:
infinitive
passé simple (il / ils…)
être
il fut, ils furent
avoir
il eut, ils eurent
faire
il fit
venir
il vint
pouvoir
il put
aller
il alla
voir
il vit
prendre
il prit
Watch out:il fut (être) and il eut (avoir) look nothing like their infinitives — these two are the ones examiners test most.
Quick check
Recognise the passé simple
?In a novel you read il fut. Which infinitive is it the passé simple of?
When is it used?
Where you'll meet the passé simple
The passé simple belongs to written, literary narrative — novels, short stories, historical accounts. It is not used in speech or informal writing, where the passé composé takes over:
Novel (literary):Il entra et vit Marie. — He entered and saw Marie.
Speech / everyday:Il est entré et a vu Marie. — same meaning, everyday register.
Exam reality: you only ever read the passé simple. In your own writing, stick with the passé composé.
Quick check
When is it used?
?When is the passé simple used in French?
Sort it
Which verb is this?
Type it
Your turn — name the infinitive
1il fut is the passé simple of which verb? Write the infinitive.
Hint: it means "he was" — the verb "to be".
Literary subjunctive
The imperfect & pluperfect subjunctive
Older and very formal literature also uses the imperfect subjunctive and pluperfect subjunctive. Like the passé simple, these are literary forms you only need to recognise:
qu'il fût — a literary form of the subjunctive of être
qu'il eût — a literary form of the subjunctive of avoir
Spot the accent: the circumflex on fût / eût marks the literary subjunctive — modern French would use the present subjunctive soit / ait.
Register
tu vs vous — reading the register
French chooses its pronoun for "you" by register:
tu — informal / singular: friends, family, children.
vous — formal (one person) or plural (more than one person).
Formal writing: essays, letters and the exam favour vous and formal conventions — the choice of pronoun signals the whole tone of a text.
False friends
Faux amis — words that trick you
Some French words look like English words but mean something different. These faux amis cost easy marks:
une librairie = a bookshop (not a library)
actuellement = currently (not actually)
sensible = sensitive (not sensible)
assister à = to attend (not to assist)
rester = to stay (not to rest)
une journée = a day (not a journey)
éventuellement = possibly (not eventually)
prétendre = to claim (not to pretend)
Quick check
False friend: librairie
?What does the faux ami une librairie mean?
Type it
Your turn — a faux ami
2What does the faux ami actuellement mean in English?
Hint: not "actually" — it means "at present".
Game · Match
Match the passé simple to its infinitive
Tap a passé simple form on the left, then its infinitive on the right.
PASSÉ SIMPLE
fut
eut
fit
vint
put
alla
INFINITIVE
faire
être
aller
venir
pouvoir
avoir
Quick check
False friend: assister à
?What does assister à mean?
Type it
Your turn — recognise the verb
3ils allèrent is the passé simple of which verb? Write the infinitive.
Hint: it means "they went" — the verb "to go".
Sort it
Passé simple or passé composé?
Sort each form by whether it's the literary passé simple or the everyday passé composé.
Passé simple (literary)
Passé composé (everyday)
Quick check
The literary subjunctive
?What is qu'il fût?
Type it
Your turn — another faux ami
4What does the faux ami rester mean in English?
Hint: not "to rest" — it means to remain in a place.
Type it
Your turn — one more faux ami
5What does the faux ami une journée mean in English?
Hint: not "journey" — it means the whole daytime.
Recap
Your literary-reading toolkit
Passé simple: the literary past — recognise it in novels (il parla, il finit, il vendit). Read il fut = être, il eut = avoir.
Irregulars:fut, eut, fit, vint, put, alla, vit, prit.
Literary subjunctive:qu'il fût / qu'il eût — recognise, don't produce.
Register & faux amis:tu informal vs vous formal/plural; watch librairie = bookshop, actuellement = currently, assister à = to attend.