Sure, here are some key points about past tense in French:
The most commonly used past tense in French is the passé composé, which is formed by combining the auxiliary verb avoir or être with a past participle. Example: "J'ai parlé" (I have spoken)
Another past tense in French is the imparfait, which is used to describe ongoing or incomplete actions in the past. Example: "Je parlais quand tu es arrivé" (I was speaking when you arrived)
The plus-que-parfait, which is formed by using the auxiliary verb "avoir" or "être" and the past participle of the main verb, but it is used to describe actions that were completed before another past action. Example: "J'avais fini mes devoirs avant de regarder la télévision" (I had finished my homework before watching television)
French has also the Passé simple, it is used in literature, this tense is mainly used to indicate an isolated past event or a sequence of past events, it's rarely used in spoken French. Example: "Il partit" (he left)
And lastly, the French also have a future-in-the-past, it's called conditionnel passé, used to describe a hypothetical or unreal past action. Example : "Il aurait pu venir si il avait su" (He could have come if he had known)
These are some of the most common past tenses used in French, each one has its specific use and context, hope this help!
Uday Tahlan