Free DELF A2 flashcards
57 DELF A2 flashcards across the core themes, studied with real spaced repetition. Elementary: the past tenses (passé composé & imparfait) and the patterns that get you talking. Free, no signup, works in your browser.
DELF A2 is where French starts to flow into the past — the passé composé and imparfait, when to use each, and the sentence patterns that move you beyond the present. EverFlip covers it with real FSRS scheduling so reviews land right before you forget. Build on A1 first; your progress saves in your browser and exports to Anki anytime.
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The past (passé composé)
Study these 21 →- avoir (present) + past participleThe basic structure of the passé composé: conjugate 'avoir' in the present, then add the past participle. Used for most verbs.j'ai parlé = I spoke / I have spoken
- j'ai mangéFirst person singular with avoir. The passé composé covers both English simple past and present perfect.j'ai mangé = I ate / I have eaten
- tu as finiSecond person singular: 'tu as' + past participle of finir (fini).tu as fini = you finished / you have finished
- il a venduThird person singular: 'il a' + past participle of vendre (vendu).il a vendu = he sold / he has sold
- nous avons parléFirst person plural: 'nous avons' + past participle.nous avons parlé = we spoke / we have spoken
- ils ont faitThird person plural: 'ils ont' + past participle. Note the irregular participle 'fait' from faire.ils ont fait = they did / they have done
- -er verbs → -éRegular -er verbs form their past participle by replacing -er with -é.parler → parlé (spoken)
- -ir verbs → -iRegular -ir verbs form their past participle by replacing -ir with -i.finir → fini (finished)
- -re verbs → -uRegular -re verbs form their past participle by replacing -re with -u.vendre → vendu (sold)
- faire → faitIrregular past participle. 'faire' (to do/make) becomes 'fait'.j'ai fait = I did / I have done
- prendre → prisIrregular past participle. 'prendre' (to take) becomes 'pris'. Compounds (apprendre→appris, comprendre→compris) follow the same pattern.j'ai pris = I took / I have taken
- voir → vuIrregular past participle. 'voir' (to see) becomes 'vu'.j'ai vu = I saw / I have seen
- avoir → euIrregular past participle. 'avoir' (to have) becomes 'eu' (pronounced like 'u').j'ai eu = I had / I have had
- être → étéIrregular past participle. 'être' (to be) becomes 'été' — but être itself uses avoir as its auxiliary.j'ai été = I was / I have been
- vouloir → voulu / mettre → misMore irregular participles: 'vouloir' (to want) → voulu; 'mettre' (to put) → mis.j'ai voulu = I wanted; j'ai mis = I put
- être-auxiliary verbs (DR MRS VANDERTRAMP)A set of verbs of motion and change of state use 'être' (not avoir) as their auxiliary: aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, tomber, rester, devenir, retourner, passer, and reflexive verbs.je suis allé = I went; il est venu = he came
- je suis allé(e)aller uses être. With a feminine subject add -e: allée. Past participle agrees with the subject.je suis allé(e) = I went / I have gone
- il est né / il est mortnaître (to be born) → né and mourir (to die) → mort are être-verbs with irregular participles.il est né = he was born; il est mort = he died
- il est tombé / il est restétomber (to fall) and rester (to stay) are regular -er être-verbs: tombé, resté.il est tombé = he fell; il est resté = he stayed
- Agreement: elle est allée / ils sont allésWith être, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number: add -e (feminine), -s (masc. plural), -es (fem. plural).elle est allée = she went; ils sont allés = they went
- nous sommes arrivés / elle est partieMore être-verb agreement: arriver → arrivés (masc. plural), partir → partie (fem. singular).nous sommes arrivés = we arrived; elle est partie = she left
The past (imparfait)
Study these 20 →- je parlaisI (parler) — endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient on the nous-stemje parlais = I was speaking / I used to speak
- tu parlaisyou (parler)tu parlais = you were speaking
- il/elle parlaithe/she (parler)il parlait = he was speaking
- nous parlionswe (parler)nous parlions = we were speaking
- vous parliezyou (parler)vous parliez = you were speaking
- ils/elles parlaientthey (parler)ils parlaient = they were speaking
- je finissaisI (finir) — the -iss- stem carries over from nous finissonsje finissais = I was finishing
- il finissaithe (finir) — keeps the -iss- stemil finissait = he was finishing
- j'étaisI was (être) — être is the only irregular stem: ét-j'étais = I was
- tu étaisyou were (être)tu étais = you were
- il étaithe was (être)il était = he was
- nous étionswe were (être)nous étions = we were
- ils étaientthey were (être)ils étaient = they were
- j'avaisI had (avoir) — stem av- from nous avonsj'avais = I had
- il avaithe had (avoir)il avait = he had
- Quand j'étais petitImparfait = description / past state, not a single eventQuand j'étais petit = When I was little
- Il pleuvaitImparfait = ongoing background / setting the sceneIl pleuvait = It was raining
- Je mangeais quand il est arrivéImparfait (ongoing) interrupted by passé composé (completed event)Je mangeais quand il est arrivé = I was eating when he arrived
- Tous les jours, je jouais au footImparfait = habitual / repeated action ('used to')Tous les jours, je jouais au foot = Every day, I used to play football
- Imparfait vs passé composéImparfait = ongoing / habitual / description; passé composé = a single completed eventJe lisais (I was reading) vs j'ai lu (I read / I have read)
A2 patterns
Study these 16 →- il y aThere is / there are. Invariable, used for singular and plural.Il y a un problème = There is a problem
- je voudrais + inf / nounI would like. Polite conditional of vouloir, for requests and wishes.Je voudrais un café = I'd like a coffee
- il faut + infOne must / it's necessary to. Impersonal, expresses obligation.Il faut manger = One must eat
- pouvoir + infTo be able to / can. Expresses ability or permission.Je peux aider = I can help
- vouloir + infTo want to. Direct expression of desire or intention.Je veux partir = I want to leave
- devoir + infTo have to / must. Expresses obligation or necessity.Je dois travailler = I have to work
- c'estIt is / this is. Used for general statements, identifying or describing.C'est bon = It's good
- il est / elle estHe is / she is. Used with adjectives or before a profession (no article).Il est professeur = He is a teacher
- aller + infGoing to (near future). Present of aller plus an infinitive.Je vais manger = I'm going to eat
- être en train de + infTo be in the middle of doing. Stresses an action happening right now.Je suis en train de manger = I'm (in the middle of) eating
- depuisSince / for. With the present tense for actions still ongoing.J'habite ici depuis deux ans = I've lived here for two years
- venir de + infTo have just done (recent past). Present of venir plus de plus an infinitive.Je viens de manger = I've just eaten
- avoir besoin deTo need. Literally 'to have need of' a noun or an infinitive.J'ai besoin d'aide = I need help
- avoir envie de + inf / nounTo feel like / to want. Literally 'to have desire of'.J'ai envie de dormir = I feel like sleeping
- il y a + timeAgo. Placed before a duration to mean 'X time ago'.Il y a deux jours = Two days ago
- être en train de vs venir deOngoing now (en train de) versus just finished (venir de). Contrast the two.Je suis en train de lire / Je viens de lire = I'm reading now / I've just read