French Grammar: The Imperfect Tense – Basics
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Identify:
French Grammar: The Imperfect Tense – Basics
la grammaire française: l’imparfait
When speaking about the past in English, you choose which past tense to use depending on the context and the meaning you wish to convey. In French sentences, you choose which past tense you use depending on the meaning you wish to convey.
Study:
When speaking about the past in English, you choose which past tense to use depending on the context and the meaning you wish to convey. In French sentences, you choose which past tense you use depending on the meaning you wish to convey.
Click here for an overview of the Passé Composé (past perfect tense)
Click here for an overview of the Passé Composé vs. Imperfect tenses
The Imperfect Tense is a past progressive tense. It is used to describe past actions and events that have no specific beginning or end. Often, verbs in the Imperfect Tense mean was/were.. (doing some action), used to.. (do some action), or kept on.. (doing some action).
The Imperfect Tense is used in the following situations:
1. Ongoing or habitual actions in the past:
Quand il était petit, Michel jouait dehors.
When he was a child, Michael played/used to play outside.
2. Actions in progress:
Nous marchions en bas de la rue.
We were walking down the street.
3. Descriptions of traits, states, or characteristics:
Les ouvriers avaient beaucoup faim.
The workers were very hungry.
4. Descriptions of scenes or landscapes, and setting a background:
Il faisait chaud, le vent soufflait, et les oiseaux chantaient.
It was warm, the wind was blowing, and the birds were singing.
5. Telling Time (with ÊTRE):
Il était dix heures du matin.
It was ten o’clock in the morning.
6. Age (with AVOIR):
Quand j’avais dix-sept ans …
When I was seventeen …
7. After the word SI (“if”) to express a condition or a desire:
Si je gagnais le loto …
If I won/were to win the lottery …
8. To suggest a plan of action (“How about… ?” / “What about… ?”):
Et si nous dînions dans un restaurant ce soir?
What about having dinner in a restaurant tonight?
9. With key words associated with time (chaque jour/semaine/mois/etc., toujours, souvent, de temps en temps, d’habitude, quelquefois, tous le temps …)
Vous mangiez des hamburgers chaque jour.
You all ate/used to eat hamburgers every day.
Je me réveillais souvent pendant la nuit.
I often woke up/kept waking up during the night.
Elle prenait toujours le bus à l’école.
She always took/used to take the bus to school.
Adapt:
Quand elle était plus jeune, elle jouait du piano.
When she was younger, she played/used to play the piano.
Tout le monde dansait à la fête.
Everyone was dancing at the party.
Il était minuit et il pleuvait.
It was midnight and it was raining.
Il écoutait pendant qu’elles parlaient.
He listened while they (feminine) spoke/were speaking.
Tools:
- LEAF French Grammar: [-ER] Verb Conjugation Chart
- LEAF French Grammar: [-IR] Verb Conjugation Chart
- LEAF French Grammar: [-RE] Verb Conjugation Chart
