Venir de with the Imperfect Tense – French Recent Past
The French recent past, called le passé récent, is used to describe something that had just happened before another moment in the past.
To form the passé récent in the past, conjugate VENIR in the imperfect tense, followed by DE and an infinitive.
This construction is often translated into English using had just.
How to Form the Passé Récent in the Past
VENIR (IMPERFECT TENSE) + DE + INFINITIVE
Here is the imperfect-tense conjugation of venir:
| Subject | VENIR + DE |
|---|---|
| je | venais de |
| tu | venais de |
| il / elle / on | venait de |
| nous | venions de |
| vous | veniez de |
| ils / elles | venaient de |
When the infinitive begins with a vowel or a silent h, de becomes d’.
For example:
- Je venais d’arriver. (I had just arrived.)
- Elle venait d’apprendre la nouvelle. (She had just learned the news.)
- Nous venions d’acheter une maison. (We had just bought a house.)
Remember that you conjugate venir in the imperfect tense. The second verb stays in the infinitive.
Examples of the Passé Récent with the Imperfect
Observe the following sentences. Each one describes an action that had just happened before another moment in the past.
Mes amis venaient de partir.
My friends had just left.
Est-ce que tu venais de m’appeler ?
Had you just called me?
Christine venait d’apprendre les bonnes nouvelles.
Christine had just learned the good news.
Vous veniez de rater le train.
You had just missed the train.
Je venais de voir mon professeur dans la rue.
I had just seen my teacher in the street.
Les filles venaient de commencer à faire le gâteau.
The girls had just started making the cake.
Nous venions de terminer nos devoirs.
We had just finished our homework.
Passé Récent: Present Tense vs. Imperfect Tense
The tense of venir depends on whether you are talking about something that has just happened in the present or something that had just happened in the past.
| French construction | English meaning |
|---|---|
| Je viens de partir. | I have just left. |
| Je venais de partir. | I had just left. |
Compare these two examples:
Je viens de terminer mes devoirs.
I have just finished my homework.
Je venais de terminer mes devoirs quand tu as appelé.
I had just finished my homework when you called.
In the second example, the action of finishing the homework happened shortly before another event in the past.
Remember
The construction is always:
- VENIR in the present tense + DE + infinitive = have/has just done something.
- VENIR in the imperfect tense + DE + infinitive = had just done something.
Do not confuse the passé récent with the plus-que-parfait. The plus-que-parfait describes an action that happened before another past action, but it does not necessarily express that the action had just happened.
For more examples, see my lesson on Venir de – The French Recent Past.
