Like all Romance languages, French originates from the Latin language, which spread to the territory of present-day France after its conquest by Julius Caesar in 58-51 BC. e. From the testimony of Caesar himself and other ancient writers, it is known that this territory was inhabited by various peoples. The bulk of the population in the north and center of the country were peoples of the Celtic tribe or, as the Romans called them, Gauls, who spoke their Celtic (Gallic) language. Hence the ancient name of the country – Gaul. These tribes left a deep imprint of their presence, destroying all traces of previously existing languages, preserving only some place names. The Gallic language itself, the structure of which was not too different from the structure of the Latin language (A. Doza, A. Meilleux), disappeared only at the end of Roman rule, which lasted several centuries.

In the south of the country, most of the territory was occupied by the Aquitani, a people of a different origin, closer to the Iberians who inhabited the territory of ancient Spain. Since the conquest of Gaul by Caesar, it was divided into three provinces – Aquitaine, Lugunda and Belgium – and very quickly began to be Romanized. Roman schools, Roman culture, and Roman administration contributed to the fact that the population – primarily urban – began to assimilate the Latin language. In rural areas, this process was much slower, as evidenced, in particular, by the fact that about 300 Celtic words have been preserved in the French dictionary, relating primarily to the sphere of peasant life and economy [2, p. 12]. However, in the conquered provinces, it was not the language of the ruling strata of Roman society that was spread and assimilated, not literary Latin, in which Julius Caesar wrote his memoirs and Cicero delivered his speeches, but the vernacular language, the so-called “vulgar Latin”, the language of the predominantly urban population, spoken local administrators and officials, legionnaires and veterans, traders and freedmen, and after them a huge mass of small artisans and slaves. Moreover, in Aquitaine the local language of the indigenous inhabitants disappeared earlier, while in Gaul the Celtic language of the original population continued to be preserved for a long time.

Over the course of several centuries (until the 5th century), while the Latin language in its spoken form was being assimilated by the local population of Gaul, Vulgar Latin itself gradually changed. She moved further and further away from the literary language, which became the property of only educated people who went to school and lived in cities. The literary language became more and more archaic, preserving words that had already fallen out of everyday use and often became incomprehensible. A process of deep internal transformation took place in the spoken language, which in its main features boiled down to a change not only in the sound aspect, but also in the very structure of speech. This was the beginning of a gradual transition from a synthetic structure of speech to an analytical one, caused by certain shifts in thinking itself. In addition, Vulgar Latin adopted many elements from the language of the peoples that the population of the provinces had to encounter in the course of historical events. Thus, the contact with the Germans that began at the end of the 3rd century, especially as a result of military clashes and the service of German soldiers in the Roman legions, led to the penetration into the common spoken language of the Roman provinces of a number of Germanic words related to the field of military affairs, material culture, and the names of certain colours: guerre, bourg, blanc, gris, etc.

The spread of Christianity in the Western Roman Empire (especially from the 4th century, when Christianity, a minority religion in Gaul, gained victory and was established under the Emperor Constantine) brought with it into Vulgar Latin many religious and abstract terms of Greek origin, which received a special meaning already in Christian Greek language. Hence in modern French words such as: église, basilique, parabole, etc. The entire religious pagan vocabulary is gradually being forgotten. Rare names are preserved in a few compound words, for example in the names of the first five days of the week: lundi (“day of the moon”), mardi (“day of Mars”), mercredi (“day of Mercury”), jeudi (“day of Jupiter”), vendredi (“day of Venus”). In the designation of the sixth day, samedi (“Sabbath”, influenced by the Hebrew language) replaced “Saturn”, while the seventh day, dimanche, was naturally dedicated to the god.

In the 5th century, Gaul and Britain were invaded by Germanic tribes, but the consequences were varied. The most important thing in the history of France was its conquest at the end of the 5th century by the Franks under the leadership of Clovis, who at the beginning of the 6th century subjugated the Burgundians who came earlier and drove the Visigoths into Spain. The Frankish power of the Merovingians was formed, consisting of separate provinces, independently governed after Clovis by his successors. The complete unification of all these possessions was achieved only under Charlemagne, and 30 years after his death, in 843, they were finally divided by his successors into German and Roman halves. The Franks, who settled in Gallo-Roman territory, constituted the ruling class there, although they did not take land from the Roman landowners, who were even appointed to senior positions under the Merovingian kings.

During the relatively peaceful coexistence of the two peoples and under the influence of the higher Roman culture, the Franks assimilated with the local population and after several generations lost their language, adopting Gallo-Roman speech. According to A. Doza, the merger of the Gallo-Romans and the Franks ended in the 10th century [1, p. 17]. The Franks also adopted the Christian religion: starting from the era of Charlemagne, who revived real Latin education (in his palace academy, under the leadership of Alcuin, the study of classical poets, philosophers, and orators was revived, and its members began to create their own poetic works and scientific treatises in real Latin), words are borrowed from church Latin: ange, apôtre, bénédiction, etc.

In the 10th century, large fiefs were formed in France, only nominally subordinate to royal power, which, since the election of King Hugo Capet in 987, had been established in the center of the country in the Ile-de-France region with its capital in Paris.

The 11th-13th centuries are characterized by the stabilization of social relations and the establishment of the feudal system. There is a process of centralization around Paris and, to a lesser extent, around regional centers. The importance of the church, monasteries, and religious life reaches its apogee. From the end of the 11th century, epic, and then lyrical, dramatic and narrative literature began to flourish in the young French language, the abstract vocabulary of which was enriched under the influence of Latin: empereur, présenter, cristal, nature, patience, etc. Since the end of the 13th century, the number of Latinisms has been increasing. Lawyers introduce legal terms that were not in French: contrat, convention, procès, etc. Translators from Latin, whose role was very significant, give French form to numerous abstract words that did not have an exact equivalent in the popular language, and sometimes simply transfer them into the French text. In addition, in the 12th-13th centuries, the French language itself and French literature became widespread in Germany and Italy.

One of the key features of the French past tense verb is its ability to express different tenses and modalities. The most common forms of the past tense in French are passé composé (compound past tense), imparfait (imperfect past tense) and passé simple (simple past tense). Each of these forms has its own unique functional and semantic features that determine their use in different contexts [2, p. 35].

The compound past tense (passé composé) is often used to express completed actions in the past that relate to or affect the present. This tense is formed using the auxiliary verb avoir or être and the past participle of the corresponding verb. Examples of using passé composé: “J’ai mangé” (I ate), “Elle est arrivée” (She came).

The imperfect past tense (imparfait) is often used to describe past events or circumstances that do not have a clear time limit. It is also used to express habitual actions in the past or to describe background circumstances [2, p. 39]. Examples of using imparfait: “Il pleuvait” (It was raining), “Nous jouions” (We were playing).

The simple past tense (passé simple) is often used in literary style to describe a sequence of events or to express formal or bookish language. It is formed by adding appropriate endings to the stem of the verb[1, p. 78]. Examples of using passé simple: “Il partit” (He left), “Elle arriva” (She came).

In addition, the French past tense verb can be used to express various modal meanings such as condition, possibility, desire, etc[1, p. 81]. For example, in the sentence “Si j’avais su, je serais venu” (If I had known, I would came), passé composé and the conditional mood express the condition and its possible consequence.

Thus, the functional-semantic features of past tense verbs in French play a key role in the expression of temporal and modal meanings. Understanding these features allows speakers to maneuver freely in different linguistic contexts and accurately express their thoughts and experiences.

In French, past tense verbs play an important role in expressing various semantic nuances and temporal shades. The study of their functional and semantic features provides a unique opportunity to better understand the mechanisms of the temporal system of this language and the features of its expressive capabilities.

One of the characteristics of past tense verbs is their ability to denote a completed action or state in the past. In the French language, there are several forms of the past tense, each of which has its own characteristics in use and conveying meaning.

The first form, the most commonly used, is passé composé (compound past tense), which is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the present tense and the past participle of the verb. This tense is used to express completed actions in the past that have a result or meaning for the present [3, p. 71]. For example, “J’ai mangé” (I ate) or “Il est parti” (he left).

Another important form is imparfait (incomplete past tense), which denotes a continuous, repeated or unfinished action in the past. It is used to create a background setting or describe events that happened in the past [3, p. 74]. For example, “Il regardait la télévision quand je suis arrivé” (he was watching TV when I arrived).

In addition, French has a passé simple (simple past tense), which is more often used in writing or in formal texts. It denotes completed actions in the past that occurred once or were limited in time. For example, “Il partit” (he left).

The peculiarities of the use of past tense verbs in French are also related to their ability to convey the emotional tone or attitude of the speaker to the event that took place. For example, passé composé can be used to express joy or surprise at a completed action, while imparfait can create an atmosphere of nostalgia or describe a lasting state in the past.

In conclusion, studying the functional and semantic features of past tense verbs in French allows us to understand the richness of its tense system and expressive capabilities. Past tense verbs not only convey facts and events, but also create an atmosphere, express the speaker’s attitude towards the past and help create a complete impression of events that took place in the past.