The passé récent, or recent past, is a verb construction used to describe an action that happened a short time before the moment of speaking. It is the equivalent of the english structure “just did something” or “has just done something.” It is a common and useful alternative to the passé composé for emphasizing the immediacy of a past event.

Formation with the present tense of venir

The standard form of the passé récent uses the present tense of the verb venir (to come), followed by the preposition de, and then the infinitive of the main verb.

The structure is: present tense of venir + de + infinitive

• Je viens de manger.
  I just ate.
• Tu viens d’arriver.
  You just arrived.
• Il/Elle vient de finir son travail.
  He/She just finished his/her work.
• Nous venons de parler à Paul.
  We just spoke to Paul.
• Vous venez de voir ce film?
  Did you just see that film?
• Ils/Elles viennent de partir.
  They just left.

Note the elision with de before a vowel sound, as in tu viens d’arriver.

Formation with the imperfect tense of venir

To express an action that “had just” happened at a point in the past, the imperfect tense of venir is used. This is called the passé récent dans le passé (recent past in the past).

The structure is: imperfect tense of venir + de + infinitive

• Je venais de sortir quand il a téléphoné.
  I had just gone out when he called.
• Nous venions de dîner quand les invités sont arrivés.
  We had just finished dinner when the guests arrived.
• Elle était fatiguée parce qu’elle venait de courir.
  She was tired because she had just run.
• Ils venaient de commencer la réunion.
  They had just started the meeting.

Usage and examples

The passé récent is used for actions completed in the immediate past. The timeframe is relative and subjective, but it generally refers to minutes or a few hours ago, not days or weeks.

Examples of usage:

• To explain a current state:
  • Ne lui demande pas de traduire, elle vient de quitter le bureau.
    Don’t ask her to translate, she just left the office.
  • Je ne peux pas parler, je viens de me réveiller.
    I can’t talk, I just woke up.
• To announce recent news:
  • Le président vient de donner une conférence de presse.
    The president just gave a press conference.
  • Attention, le train vient d’entrer en gare.
    Attention, the train has just entered the station.
• In the past, to set a scene in a narrative:
  • Quand je l’ai vu, il venait d’apprendre la vérité.
    When I saw him, he had just learned the truth.
  • L’avion venait d’atterrir et les passagers se levaient.
    The plane had just landed and the passengers were standing up.

Summary

• The passé récent is formed with the present tense of venir + de + infinitive to mean “has just done.”
• Its past equivalent is formed with the imperfect tense of venir + de + infinitive to mean “had just done.”
• It is used for actions that occurred a very short time before the reference point (present or past).