Passé Composé is for what happened once. L'Imparfait is for what was happening or what you used to do.
Use Imparfait for:
Take the Nous form of the present tense and cut off the -ons. This works for almost every verb, even irregulars!
There is only one irregular stem in the entire Imparfait tense: Être (to be). Because its "nous" form is "nous sommes" (no "-ons"), it has a special stem: ét-
Example: J'étais (I was)
What is the Imparfait stem for the verb Aller (To go)?
Hint: The present tense 'nous' form is nous allons.
Add these endings to the stem. Let's look at the verb Parler in action. Notice how the first three and the last one sound exactly the same!
Je parlais toujours français.
I always used to speak French.Tu parlais avec ton ami.
You were speaking with your friend.Il parlait très fort.
He was speaking very loudly.Nous parlions de nos vacances.
We were talking about our vacation.Vous parliez bien l'espagnol.
You used to speak Spanish well.Elles parlaient au téléphone.
They were talking on the phone.How do you know when to use the Imparfait? Look out for these "trigger words" that usually signal a habit in the past.
The best way to know which tense to use is to build a story. The Imparfait is the paint you use to create the background scene. The Passé Composé is the action that jumps out of the painting!
First, we use the Imparfait to establish the weather, time, and mood. These are continuous states of being, not finite actions.
Il était une fois, par une nuit sombre... Il faisait très froid.
(Once upon a time, on a dark night... It was very cold.)Next, we describe what people were doing in that setting before anything important happened.
Je lisais tranquillement, et mon chien dormait.
(I was reading peacefully, and my dog was sleeping.)Finally, a sudden, completed action interrupts the peaceful scene. BAM! This is where you switch to Passé Composé.
Soudain, la porte s'est ouverte avec fracas !
(Suddenly, the door burst open!)Je lisais tranquillement quand le téléphone a sonné.
(I was reading peacefully when the phone rang.)Grandma talks about the past.
Quand j'étais petite, je jouais toujours dehors.
(When I was little, I always used to play outside.)Il n'y avait pas d'internet ?
(There wasn't any internet?)Non ! Nous lisions des livres et nous parlions !
(No! We used to read books and we used to talk!)The Imparfait is the tense of nostalgia. The phrase "C'était mieux avant" (It was better before) is a common French sentiment. Whether talking about the price of baguette or pre-digital life, the French love to romanticize the past using the Imparfait.
Choose the correct form for PARLER (To speak).
Download the Chapter 20 deck for Imparfait conjugations.