When learners talk in French, especially when telling stories or talking about things that happened in the past, they can run into some common problems with using tenses. Let’s look at these issues:

1. Mixing Up Tenses:

   • Many people have a hard time knowing when to use passé composé and imparfait. For example, some use passé composé for things that happen regularly when they should use imparfait instead.

2. Using Present Tense Too Much:

   • Beginners often stick to the present tense. This makes it tough to show when events happened, which is not helpful for telling a story.

3. Not Matching Subjects and Verbs:

   • Sometimes, people forget to make sure the subjects and verbs match, especially in passé composé. This can cause confusion, like using the wrong helper verb with action verbs.

4. Changing Tenses Randomly:

   • Switching between tenses without a clear reason can confuse the person listening and make it hard to follow what happened first, next, and last.

To help with these problems, learners can:

• Practice on Purpose: Do exercises that focus on comparing tenses and using them correctly in different situations.
• Listen and Read: Pay attention to conversations and books from native speakers. This helps learners see how tenses are used properly.
• Get Feedback: Talking regularly with fluent speakers can help catch mistakes and lead to better understanding.

Using these methods can make it easier to handle tenses and become better at telling stories in French.