Un 8.6
The Passé Récent
To speak about something that’s just happened, we can use the present tense of the verb ‘venir’.
Le passé récent
On its own, the verb ‘venir’ corresponds to ‘to come’ in English. If, however, it’s combined with the preposition ‘de’ and another infinitive verb, it can be used to refer to something that has just recently occurred (hence the name). Any other pieces of grammar, such as object pronouns, follow their usual rules.
e.g.
Je viens de leur demander s’il fait beau là. |
I just asked them if the weather’s nice there. |
Où est-ce que vous venez de trouver cette clé ? |
Where did you just find this key? |
Les voisins viennent de faire du sport. |
The neighbours have just worked out. |