The ⟦imparfait⟧ and the compound past

What you will practice

• Form the imperfect of parler, être, and avoir.
• Use the imperfect for background and habit, and the compound past for a finished event.
• Read Il faisait beau quand je suis sorti as background plus event.

Explanation

The forms

Build the imparfait from the nous form of the present. Drop -ons, then add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, and -aient. nous parlons gives je parlais, tu parlais, il parlait, nous parlions, vous parliez, and ils parlaient. être does not use that stem. Its forms start j'étais, tu étais, il était, and nous étions. avoir does use the stem: nous avons gives j'avais and nous avions. Write an apostrophe in j'étais and j'avais. The table has the full set.

Background or event

Use the imparfait for background, description, and habit. Il faisait beau describes the weather, from nous faisons. Quand j'étais petit, je jouais dehors is a habit, not one afternoon. Use the passé composé when the event is complete. Je suis sorti is one finished action, and a woman says je suis sortie, because sortir takes être and the participle agrees. J'étais fatigué describes a past state. The imperfect holds the scene. The compound past reports a finished act.

Both in one sentence

The two tenses can share a sentence. Il faisait beau quand je suis sorti joins background and event. faisait is the weather, so it is imperfect. suis sorti is one completed exit, so it is the compound past. A habit and a single occasion split the same way. Je parlais français tous les jours is what used to happen. J'ai parlé français hier is one occasion. Pick the tense for that job. hier alone does not choose the form.

Examples

1. Je parlais.I was speaking.
2. J'étais fatigué.I was tired.
3. J'avais un chien.I had a dog.
4. Il faisait beau quand je suis sorti.The weather was fine when I went out.
5. J'ai parlé français hier.I spoke French yesterday.

Common mistakes

• One completed event stays in the passé composé. J'ai parlé français hier does not become the imperfect because of hier.
• vous parliez is the imperfect. The present of the same person is vous parlez.