Mastering the French Imparfait

In this post we’re going to learn about the French imparfait, or the imperfect. The French imparfait describes past states or conditions, ongoing actions, or habitual routines. We’ll teach you what it is and how to use it in this post. First, we’ll start with an introduction and overview so you can understand what the imparfait is used to convey in broad terms. Then, we’ll look at how to form the imparfait. After that we’ll look at the one and only irregular verb in the imparfait. Next we’ll look at several different uses of the imparfait, with clear explanations and plenty of examples. Finally, we’ll compare the imparfait with the other French past tense, the passé composé.

Overview of the French Imparfait Compared to English

The imparfait is one of the two main past tenses in French. The other is the passé composé, which indicates completed actions. If you’d like to learn about that tense, you can check out this post. The imparfait literally means “incomplete,” and it’s used to describe states or actions without stressing whether they’ve been completed. These include:

• Setting the scene in the past: Describes the background, weather, time, or setting of a story, often corresponding to the past progressive in English:
  The sun was shining.
  We were living in a little town.
  It was hot out.
• Habitual actions in the past: Conveys actions that used to occur regularly, corresponding to English used to or would:
  I used to play guitar.
  I would see them every day when I was young.
• Ongoing or continuous actions in the past: Describe what was happening, especially when it was interrupted by something else, corresponding to the -ing verbs in examples like:
  We were eating when the phone rang.
  I was sleeping when someone knocked at the door.
• Conditions or states in the past: Expresses physical or mental states, emotions, and descriptions that weren’t limited to one particular point in the past, corresponding to examples like:
  I was very tired in class this morning.
  We had a dog when I was a kid.
  She was very happy.

As you can see, the imparfait doesn’t correspond to just one tense or construction in English. It may be the past progressive (was sleeping, were eating), but it can also be the simple past or a construction like used to or would. The key is to think about what kind of state or action it describes, not how it’s translated.

Forming the French Imparfait

Now let’s look at how to form the imparfait. The good news is that it’s an incredibly easy tense to form! If you know the present tense nous form of a verb, you can form the imparfait. Just follow these steps:

1. Start with the nous form of the present tense:
   For example, parlons (we speak), faisons (we do), avons (we have), finissons (we finish).
2. Remove the –ons ending to get the imperfect stem:
   This gives you parl-, fais-, av-, and finiss–
3. Add the imperfect endings.

• Nous parlions chinois à la maison.
  We spoke Chinese at home. We used to speak Chinese at home.
• J’avais un chien et deux chats.
  I had a dog and two cats.
• Il faisait chaud.
  The weather was hot.
• Nous finissions le dîner.
  We were finishing dinner.

Spelling Changes

Remember that certain verbs have spelling changes to keep the pronunciation of the final stem consonant. For example, you add an –e– in voyageons to keep a soft g, and you change c to ç in commençons to keep a soft s/ç. In the imperfect, you only keep these changes when you need them. That is, in all forms except nous and vous, whose endings begin with –i, so the g and c have soft pronunciations without any changes.

Practice A

Give the full imperfect conjugation of each of the following verbs. Remember to start with the nous form of the present.

1. regarder
2. boire
3. manger
4. domir
5. aller

Être in the Imparfait

One of the great advantages of the French imparfait is its regularity—almost all verbs follow the same pattern. There’s just one exception: être. It uses the stem ét-, with the regular imperfect endings.

Remember that the imparfait is used to describe states and conditions that lasted for longer than “a point” in the past, so être is often used in the imparfait to talk about the past.

• J’étais malade la semaine dernière.
  I was sick last week.
• Elle était à Paris l’année dernière.
  She was in Paris last year.

That’s not to say that the passé composé of être (j’ai été) is impossible. We’ll see some examples of the difference when we compare the two tenses.

Practice B

Complete the following sentences with the imparfait of être. Then translate the complete sentences.

1. J’____ très fatiguée au travail aujourd’hui.
2. Tu ____ toujours à l’heure pour le dîner.
3. Il ____ très content de son cadeau.
4. Nous ____ ravis de te voir hier.
5. Vous ____ inquiets pendant la tempête.

Using the French Imparfait

Now let’s look at a few ways in which the imparfait is used. We’ll explain each category, and then provide several examples.

Interrupted Background Activities

In English, you can express an ongoing background activity that was interrupted by using the past progressive for the background, and the simple past for the interruption. French does the same thing with the imparfait for the background, and the passé composé for the interruption.

• Il lisait un livre quand le téléphone a sonné.
  He was reading a book when the phone rang.
• On dînait quand tu as frappé à la porte.
  We were eating dinner when you knocked on the door.
• Je dormais quand tu es rentré.
  I was sleeping when you got home.
• Elle écoutait de la musique quand je suis arrivé.
  She was listening to music when I got there.  

Repeated or Habitual Actions

You also use the imparfait to express actions that occurred habitually or repeatedly in the past. This often corresponds to used to or would in English, but not all the time.

• Chaque été, nous allions à la plage.
  Every summer, we used to go/went to the beach.
• J’allais souvent au travail à pied.
  I would often walk to work. I often used to walk to work. I often walked to work.
• Nous dînions en famille tous les soirs.
  We ate dinner as a family every evening. We used to eat dinner as a family every evening.
• Il jouait au basket-ball dans le parc avec ses amis le week-end.
  He played/used to play basketball with his friends in the park on weekends.

Ongoing States or Conditions

Use the imparfait if you’re describing an ongoing state in the past, for example weather or other descriptive phrases to set the scene.

• Le soleil se couchait, et les oiseaux chantaient dans les arbres.
  The sun was setting, and the birds were singing in the trees.
• Il faisait très froid hier matin.
  It was very cold yesterday morning.
• Il pleuvait dans l’après-midi.
  It was raining in the afternoon.
• La lune se levait, et nous buvions du vin dans le jardin.
  The moon was rising, and we were drinking wine in the garden.

Physical or Mental Conditions in the Past

You use the imparfait to describe physical or mental conditions in the past when you’re not stressing that they occurred during a certain time or that they ended at a certain point.

• Elle était toujours très joyeuse.
  She was always very cheerful.
• J’avais mal à la tête.
  I had a headache.
• Tout le monde était fatigué après le match.
  Everyone was tired after the game.
• C’était un enfant triste.
  He was a sad child.

The French Imparfait Compared to the Passé Composé

Both the imparfait and the passé composé express past states or actions. But the imparfait adds an element called “an aspect” in grammar. Tenses are simply time – present, past, or future. Aspect tells us more about the flavor of action: Is it repeated? Is it ongoing or single-point? Is it finished or not?

English has aspect, too. All of the –ing tenses are continuous or progressive aspect, for example something is happening right now vs happens in general. English also has perfect aspect, for example you have gone somewhere vs. went somewhere. Aspect isn’t really about when something happened (that’s tense). Aspect is about how you think of the action. Let’s break that down with specific examples.

Completed or Not?

The term imparfait (or imperfect) comes from the Latin imperfectus, which just means unfinished. That gives us our first major clue about when the imparfait is used instead of the passé composé. Take a look at these examples. First, we’ll look at the passé composé. These examples refer to actions that have been completed. The fact that the passé composé is used tells you that the action is no longer taking place, it’s finished.

• J’ai dîné.
  I ate dinner.
• Il a dormi.
  He slept.

If we use the same verbs in the imparfait, we take away the idea that the actions are finished. They may be, but that’s not important, and it’s not what’s being stressed.

• Je dînais.
  I was eating dinner.
• Il dormait.
  He was sleeping.

Ongoing Background or Point Event?

Verbs can refer to point events – things that happen at a particular point in time, and do not last. Or they can refer to ongoing, background conditions. If you picture a timeline, a point event would happen at a particular point, just the dot. But an ongoing background condition would take up a whole section of the timeline.

If you’re referring to something in the past as a point event, use the passé composé. If you’re referring to something in the past as an ongoing background condition, use the imparfait.

• Je dormais quand tu m’as téléphoné.
  I was sleeping when you called me.
  dormait/was sleeping = ongoing background condition, as téléphoné/called = point event
• Nous dînions quand tu as frappé à la porte.
  We were eating dinner when you knocked on the door.
  dînions/were eating dinner = ongoing background condition, as frappé/knocked = point event
• Quand Christine est arrivée, Marc préparait le déjeuner.
  When Christine arrived, Marc was making lunch.
  préparait/was preparing = ongoing background condition, est arrivée/arrived = point event

Continuation or Change?

Another way to think about the difference between the passé composé and the imparfait is to ask whether the verb is expressing a change or a continuation of something that was already happening. If it’s a change – something started, or stopped, or some particular event happened – use the passé composé. If it’s a continuation of something that was already happening, it’s in the imparfait.

• J’ai été surpris par le bruit fort.
  I was surprised by the loud sound.
  =I became surprised at that moment, it was a change in my state.
• J’étais tellement surpris que je ne pouvais pas parler.
  I was so surprised that I couldn’t speak.
  =I was already in a state of surprise, and that was making me unable to speak.
• Elle l’a aimé quand elle l’a vu.
  She loved him when she saw him.
  =It was at that moment, when she saw him, that she started loving him.
• Elle l’aimait de tout son cœur.
  She loved him with all her heart.
  =Her loving him was an ongoing, continuing state. It didn’t start then.

Unspecified or Specified

One more difference between the passé composé and the imparfait is that the passé composé is about specified events. That means, it describes events that happened at a particular point in time, that were finished at a particular point, or that happened a certain number of times. The imparfait is vague about when things happened precisely, whether they were finished, or how many times they happened.

• Je jouais de la guitare quand j’étais à l’université.
  I played guitar when I was at college.
  =I used to play guitar regularly or habitually when I was in college, but the specifics don’t matter.
• J’ai joué de la guitare à la fête la semaine dernière.
  I played guitar at the party last week.
  =I played guitar at that specific time. It wasn’t repeated or habitual, it just happened then.
• J’étais super malade au mois de janvier.
  I was really sick in January.
  =at some unspecified point in January I was very sick. It doesn’t matter how long or how many times.
• J’ai déjà été malade deux fois cet année.
  I’ve already been sick twice this year.
  =I’m being specific about the number of times I have been sick this year.
• J’avais une petite voiture rouge.
  I had a little red car.
  =at some unspecified point in the past I used to have a red car.
• J’ai eu trois voitures rouge dans ma vie.
  I’ve had three red cars in my life.
  =I’m counting the number of times I have owned a red car.

Practice C

Now let’s practice the difference between the imparfait and the passé composé. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in parentheses. Use the clues in the sentence to determine whether it’s about a repeated or unspecified action, or a one-time, specific and finished action. Translate the full sentences. Answers are below.

1. Quand j’étais enfant, nous _____ en vacances en Bretagne chaque été. (aller)
2. L’année dernière, nous _____ en Italie pour les vacances. (aller)
3. Elle _____ souvent des romans policiers. (lire)
4. Hier soir, elle _____ un roman passionnant. (lire)
5. Tous les matins, il _____ à 7 heures. (se réveiller)
6. Ce matin, il _____ plus tard que d’habitude. (se réveiller)
7. Nous _____ au cinéma tous les vendredis soirs. (aller)
8. Samedi dernier, nous _____ un super film au cinéma. (voir)
9. Chaque hiver, il _____ très froid dans cette région. (faire)
10. L’hiver dernier, il _____ particulièrement froid en décembre. (faire)
11. D’habitude, mes amis et moi, nous _____ au café après les cours. (se retrouver)
12. Hier, nous _____ au café après une longue journée de travail. (aller)
13. Il _____ beau, les oiseaux _____, et les enfants _____ dans le parc. (faire, chanter, jouer)
14. Soudain, un orage _____ et tout le monde _____ se réfugier à l’intérieur. (éclater, devoir)
15. Pendant que je _____ mes devoirs, ma sœur _____ la télé. (faire, regarder)
16. Hier soir, je _____ mes devoirs avant de sortir. (finir)
17. Il _____ souvent du café avant d’aller au travail. (boire)
18. Ce matin, il _____ un thé au lieu d’un café. (boire)
19. Quand j’étais petit, je _____ souvent avec mes cousins. (jouer)
20. Hier, nous _____ ensemble après plusieurs années sans se voir. (jouer)

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Answer Key

A.

1. regarder: je regardais, tu regardais, il/elle/on regardait, nous regardions, vous regardiez, ils/elles regardaient
2. boire: je buvais, tu buvais, il/elle/on buvait, nous buvions, vous buviez, ils/elles buvaient
3. manger: je mangeais, tu mangeais, il/elle/on mangeais, nous mangions, vous mangiez, ils/elles mangeaient
4. domir: je dormais, tu dormais, il/elle/on dormait, nous dormions, vous dormiez, ils/elles dormaient
5. aller: j’allais, tu allais, il/elle/on allait, nous allions, vous alliez, ils/elles allaient

B.

1. J’étais très fatiguée au travail aujourd’hui. I was very tired at work today.
2. Tu étais toujours à l’heure pour le dîner. You were always on time for dinner.
3. Il était très content de son cadeau. He was very happy with his gift.
4. Nous étions ravis de te voir hier. We were delighted to see you yesterday.
5. Vous étiez inquiets pendant la tempête. You were worried during the storm.

C

1. Quand j’étais enfant, nous allions en vacances en Bretagne chaque été.
2. L’année dernière, nous sommes allés en Italie pour les vacances.
3. Elle lisait souvent des romans policiers.
4. Hier soir, elle a lu un roman passionnant.
5. Tous les matins, il se réveillait à 7 heures.
6. Ce matin, il s’est réveillé plus tard que d’habitude.
7. Nous allions au cinéma tous les vendredis soirs.
8. Samedi dernier, nous avons vu un super film au cinéma.
9. Chaque hiver, il faisait très froid dans cette région.
10. L’hiver dernier, il a fait particulièrement froid en décembre.
11. D’habitude, mes amis et moi, nous nous retrouvions au café après les cours.
12. Hier, nous sommes allés au café après une longue journée de travail.
13. Il faisait beau, les oiseaux chantaient, et les enfants jouaient dans le parc.
14. Soudain, un orage a éclaté et tout le monde a dû se réfugier à l’intérieur.
15. Pendant que je faisais mes devoirs, ma sœur regardait la télé.
16. Hier soir, j’ai fini mes devoirs avant de sortir.
17. Il buvait souvent du café avant d’aller au travail.
18. Ce matin, il a bu un thé au lieu d’un café.
19. Quand j’étais petit, je jouais souvent avec mes cousins.
20. Hier, nous avons joué ensemble après plusieurs années sans se voir.

Translations

1. Yesterday, we played together after several years without seeing each other.
2. When I was a child, we used to go on vacation to Brittany every summer.
3. Last year, we went to Italy for vacation.
4. She often used to read detective novels.
5. Last night, she read an exciting novel.
6. Every morning, he used to wake up at 7 o’clock.
7. This morning, he woke up later than usual.
8. We used to go to the movies every Friday night.
9. Last Saturday, we saw a great movie at the theater.
10. Every winter, it used to be very cold in this region.
11. Last winter, it was particularly cold in December.
12. Usually, my friends and I used to meet at the café after class.
13. Yesterday, we went to the café after a long day of work.
14. The weather was nice, the birds were singing, and the children were playing in the park.
15. Suddenly, a storm broke out, and everyone had to take shelter inside.
16. While I was doing my homework, my sister was watching TV.
17. Last night, I finished my homework before going out.
18. He used to drink coffee often before going to work.
19. This morning, he drank tea instead of coffee.
20. When I was little, I used to play with my cousins often.

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