Present or Past Tense

Bonjour William, If I am understanding your question correctly, the answer will have to do with syntax structure difference. There are several instances where French syntax is nothing like English syntax. A French teacher that I had loved to tell the class that «French is not simply English translated into French». By that she meant that one cannot simply translate an English sentence into French on a word-for-word basis, phrasing is different as is adjective placement and a couple of other differences. J'espère que cela vous aiderait.