The recent past is a grammatical construction used to talk about actions that have just occurred, literally "just before" the present moment. This turn of phrase is very useful for expressing an immediate past notion.
Formation of the Recent Past
The formation of the recent past is simple. It is constructed with the verb "venir" in the present indicative, followed by the preposition "de" and the infinitive of the main verb that describes the action.
Structure:
venir (in the present) + de + infinitive of the main verb
Examples:
- Je viens de finir mes devoirs. (I have just finished my homework.)
- Tu viens de voir le résultat. (You have just seen the result.)
- Il/Elle vient de partir. (He/She has just left.)
- Nous venons de manger. (We have just eaten.)
- Vous venez de l'apprendre. (You have just learned it.)
- Ils/Elles viennent d' arriver. (They have just arrived.)
Usage of the Recent Past
The recent past is used to:
- Express an action that occurred just before the moment of speaking.
- Emphasize the temporal proximity of the action to the present.
- Tell about recent events or experiences.
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