Master French Tenses: Le Passé Récent, Le Présent Progressif, et Le Futur Proche (With Hindi Comparisons)

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

If you’re learning French and your native language is Hindi, you may find certain French tenses tricky at first. But don’t worry—once you understand how le passé récent (recent past), le présent progressif (present progressive), and le futur proche (near future) work, they become much easier to use.

In this blog post, you’ll get:

• A clear explanation of each tense
• Examples with English translation and Hindi pronunciation
• A comparison with similar Hindi structures
• A summary chart to help you remember the key differences

Whether you’re preparing for your DELF B1 exam or simply want to sound more fluent, this guide is for you.

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1. Le Passé Récent (The Recent Past)

What is it?

The passé récent is used to talk about something that just happened. It’s a very useful tense when you want to emphasize that the action took place a short time ago.

Structure

Venir (in present) + de + infinitive

Example in French:
Je viens de manger.
Word-by-word English: I come from to eat.
Meaning: I just ate.
Pronunciation (Hinglish): Juh vyaan duh maaN-zhe

Comparison with Hindi

In Hindi, we use “abhi abhi” + past tense to express this idea.

Hindi Equivalent:
Main abhi-abhi khana khakar aaya hoon.

So, “Je viens de manger” is just like saying “Main abhi-abhi khana khaya hai.”

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2. Le Présent Progressif (The Present Progressive)

What is it?

The présent progressif is used to describe an action that is happening right now—similar to “I am doing something” in English or “raha/rahi hoon” in Hindi.

Structure

Être (in present) + en train de + infinitive

Example in French:
Je suis en train de lire.
Word-by-word English: I am in process of reading.
Meaning: I am reading (right now).
Pronunciation (Hinglish): Juh swee aaN traN duh leer

Comparison with Hindi

In Hindi, we use “Main X kar raha hoon” or “Main X kar rahi hoon” depending on the gender.

Hindi Equivalent:
Main padh raha hoon / Main padh rahi hoon.

So, “Je suis en train de lire” = “Main abhi padh raha hoon.”

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3. Le Futur Proche (The Near Future)

What is it?

The futur proche is used to talk about something that is going to happen soon. It’s the French equivalent of “I am going to do something.”

Structure

Aller (in present) + infinitive

Example in French:
Je vais parler.
Word-by-word English: I go to speak.
Meaning: I am going to speak.
Pronunciation (Hinglish): Juh vay paar-lay

Comparison with Hindi

In Hindi, we often use “Main X karne wala hoon / karne wali hoon” or simply “Main X karunga / karungi.”

Hindi Equivalent:
Main bolne wala hoon / Main bolunga.

So, “Je vais parler” = “Main bolne wala hoon.”

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Summary Chart

French Tense	Structure	Meaning in English	Hindi Equivalent
Passé Récent	Venir + de + infinitive	Just did something	Abhi-abhi + past tense
Présent Progressif	Être + en train de + infinitive	Doing something now	Raha/rahi hoon (continuous present)
Futur Proche	Aller + infinitive	Going to do something	Karne wala hoon / Karunga (near future)

• Mastering the Futur Proche: Your Ticket to Future Conversations
• Mastering Spanish Prepositions: A Guide to Common Usage (En, Con, De, and More)
• Und was machst du? – A Marxist Approach to Learning German
• Mastering “Le Futur Simple” for French Learners: A B1-Level Guide
• Understanding “Le Passé Composé” and “L’Imparfait”: When to Use Each Tense

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Final Tips

• These tenses are especially helpful in spoken French, where they’re often used instead of more formal past and future tenses.
• Don’t mix them up! Look for time clues like “en ce moment” (right now), “bientôt” (soon), or “à l’instant” (just now).
• Practice by making sentences about your daily routine using all three tenses.

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Practice Challenge for You

Translate the following Hindi sentences into French using the tenses you’ve learned:

1. Main abhi-abhi TV dekh kar aaya hoon.
2. Main abhi khaana bana raha hoon.
3. Main doston ke saath ghoomne jaane wala hoon.

(Answers: 1. Je viens de regarder la télé. 2. Je suis en train de faire la cuisine. 3. Je vais sortir avec des amis.)

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By mastering le passé récent, le présent progressif, and le futur proche, you add three powerful tools to your French language . These tenses will help you express yourself naturally, just like a native speaker.