why the passe simple?

D. A.C1Kwiziq community member

why the passe simple?

Why do you use the passe simple here (tu agis for 'you were acting') instead of "tu as agi" or "tu agissais" ?

Asked 2 years ago
CélineKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Bonjour Chris,

Maarten is correct. It is not Le Passé Simple here but Le Présent Indicatif.

I believe the question you are referring to is the following: 

Depuis que tu es rentré, tu agis bizaremment = Since you came home, you've been acting strangely.

-> tu agis = You've been acting -> Présent indicatif = Present Perfect Continuous 

Conjugation - Agir (to act) 

aren-t-we-using-present-perfect-continuous-here-and-not-just-present-perfect

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Without the full details, can only assume this is not passé simple but indicative present tense, and that the translation is not literal - which is common when ‘depuis’ is involved, because of the different tenses usually used in this context in English and French.

D. A. asked:View original

why the passe simple?

Why do you use the passe simple here (tu agis for 'you were acting') instead of "tu as agi" or "tu agissais" ?

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