Why do French people use so many different verb tenses?

The French language has 17 basic tenses, which can be overwhelming for non-native speakers. These tenses are used to express a variety of meanings, including actions that happened in the past, are happening in the present, or will happen in the future.

One reason why French people use so many verb tenses is that they place a high value on precision and clarity in communication. In French, the choice of tense can change the meaning of a sentence. For example, in English, we might say 'I have been to Paris', whereas in French, the equivalent phrase would use a different tense depending on whether the speaker has recently returned from Paris or not.

Another reason why French people use so many verb tenses is that the language has evolved over time to include a variety of tenses for different purposes. For example, the passé antérieur tense is used to describe completed actions that occurred before another completed action in the past, while the futur antérieur tense is used to describe completed actions that will occur before another completed action in the future.

Finally, the French language has a rich literary tradition, which has contributed to the development of new tenses and the use of more complex grammatical structures. While it can be challenging to learn all of the different verb tenses, mastering them is an important part of achieving fluency in French.