P2 French B Literary Tenses

[OrdinaryOcelot]

So recently I happened to stumble upon the idea of French literary tenses. I've been researching/learning them for the past couple of days, but am still unsure as to exactly when and how to use them. Mostly, I'm just wondering what text types one would use them with. I'm thinking short stories and articles...? Also, any advice you have to using them, etc, would be much appreciated

[YellowSpider]

So recently I happened to stumble upon the idea of French literary tenses. I've been researching/learning them for the past couple of days, but am still unsure as to exactly when and how to use them. Mostly, I'm just wondering what text types one would use them with. I'm thinking short stories and articles...? Also, any advice you have to using them, etc, would be much appreciated

There shouldn't be any specific tense for different types of text. I suppose it all depends on what your writing. Because sometimes if you purposely want to show some tenses you would write accordingly.

Another tip; my teacher told me to think in French always. Not sure if you get that means or if you already do it, but I used to think in English then translate and write. But he told me this would work out better and I think it does, so that's what I do now.

I suggest you to simply start writing. Put it down on paper, apply the tenses you've learnt and over time you'll get the hang of it. It's a language. Eventually you'll get to the point where you don't really realise what tense you're using (because you've become good at the language) and that tense is likely to be the appropriate one.

So just begin implementing. I may be wrong when I say that there aren't specific tenses for various types of text, but I still feel that it depends on what your writing. And so, all I recommend you to do is practice.

Edited May 18, 2014 by MISHI

[Cris_101]

I don't think there are specific rules that say which tense you have to use according to each text type. As MISHI has said, I guess it depends on what you're writing more specifically. However, for example, le "passé simple" is more formal, usually used in literary writing or maybe newspaper articles. Also, "le passé composé" is used in narrations and "l'imparfait in descriptions. But that's like english, there isn't a rule that says that a narration can't be written in present tense.

At least that's what I have been taught. Anyway, I think the best way to learn is to practise and maybe you could ask your teacher about that.

[cjy]

So recently I happened to stumble upon the idea of French literary tenses. I've been researching/learning them for the past couple of days, but am still unsure as to exactly when and how to use them. Mostly, I'm just wondering what text types one would use them with. I'm thinking short stories and articles...? Also, any advice you have to using them, etc, would be much appreciated

I don't think the two above posters know what you mean. The literary tenses OP means are tenses that are specific to works of literature. These tenses are only used for extremely formal written French and aren't used in spoken French, unless someone is very posh or for a comedic effect. To be honest with you, you don't need to be able to conjugated the literary tenses, you only need to recognise them, as they are so rarely used in day-to-day French. I'd strongly advise against using the literary tenses (past hstoric or passe simple,the past anterior or passe anterieur, etc) in your Paper 2 exam. It makes your essay look very forced and the literary tenses aren't something one would write in idomatic French, and if you're at SL level, the rest of your grammar and langauge will not be sophisticated enough for the use of a literary tense not to stick out like a sore thumb. It's great that you can recognise them, but use is unnecessary and detrimental.