therealcdboy.

[sleek sandal]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[charred rock]

Why is it "I ate" in English and not "I have eaten"?

[coral chasm]

Somehow, I searched in google, I ate in french is j'ai mangé.

[charred rock]

My point was just that English and French are two different languages and do things differently

"I ate" could actually be "j'ai mangé" or "je mangeais" depending on the context

likewise, "j'ai mangé" could be rendered as either "I ate" or "I have eaten" depending on context

the two languages simply have different ways of expressing ideas

the question of "why?" can be an interesting one, but it's in the field of historical linguistics and understanding the "why" won't actually help you use the language correctly

[coral chasm]

Is j'ai always used in past tense?

[charred rock]

no

[soft bloom]

"Je mangé" would be the equivalent of "I eaten" in English - it doesn't make sense. Grammatically, "J'ai mangé" works the same as "I have eaten" in English - however, in French, it is also used for "I ate" (French has a separate conjugation as well, but it's almost exclusively used in narration, i.e. mostly books. You won't be using it in everyday speech)

[soft bloom]

"j'ai" itself is present tense. Passé composé has "composé" in the name as it is "composed" of a conjugated auxiliary (in present tense - "ai") and a past participle (mangé)

[dusty dust]

@coral chasmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYVhuQeYTik&list=PL_bt5rj27IIVuQdKp5vdAFnssCOoeMQ4Z&pp=0gcJCV8EOCosWNin
Start with the basics in a course like this

[dawn mason]

why is it "i ate" and not "i eaten"