Log inSign up

Avant-hier, j'ai téléphoné à une copine.

Avant-hier, j'ai téléphoné à une copine.
The day before yesterday, I called a friend.
From Lesson 71:The passé composé with avoir·French

Questions & Answers about Avant-hier, j'ai téléphoné à une copine.

Why is it j'ai téléphoné instead of just je téléphoné?
In French, the past tense (Passé Composé) usually needs two parts: a helper verb (here, ai which means "have") and the main action verb in its past form (here, téléphoné). So literally, you are saying "I have called". You can't skip the helper verb!
How do we get the form téléphoné?
For regular verbs ending in -er like téléphoner (to call), you simply drop the -er and add an -é with an accent. That turns it into téléphoné (called).
Why is there an à after téléphoné?
In English, we just say "I called a friend," but in French, the verb téléphoner is always followed by the preposition à (to) when referring to a person. You are literally saying "I called to a friend."
How does the word avant-hier work?
Hier means "yesterday" and avant means "before". When you put them together with a hyphen, avant-hier translates perfectly to "the day before yesterday".
Could I use une amie instead of une copine here?
Yes! Both mean "a female friend". Copine is a bit more casual and very common in everyday spoken French, while amie is the standard word. Note that copine can also mean "girlfriend" depending on the context, but here it just means a friend.

Learn Avant-hier, j'ai téléphoné à une copine and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →