L'imparfait — introduction
The tense for habits, descriptions, and background in the past
The imparfait is the second essential past tense in French. While the passé composé tells you WHAT happened (events, completed actions), the imparfait tells you HOW THINGS WERE — ongoing states, habitual actions, descriptions, the background of a story. Together, they're the yin and yang of French storytelling.
How to form the imparfait
Take the 'nous' form of the present tense, drop the -ons, and add the imparfait endings. This works for every verb in French except one: être.
| Step | Example (parler) |
|---|---|
| 1. Nous form of present | nous parlons |
| 2. Drop -ons | parl- |
| 3. Add imparfait ending | je parlais, tu parlais, il parlait… |
The imparfait endings
The endings are the same for every verb — no exceptions (not even irregular verbs, once you have the stem).
| Subject | Ending | parler | finir | prendre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | parlais | finissais | prenais |
| tu | -ais | parlais | finissais | prenais |
| il/elle/on | -ait | parlait | finissait | prenait |
| nous | -ions | parlions | finissions | prenions |
| vous | -iez | parliez | finissiez | preniez |
| ils/elles | -aient | parlaient | finissaient | prenaient |
Être — the only irregular stem
Être is the sole exception. Its imparfait stem is ét- (not from 'nous sommes'). The endings stay the same.
| Subject | Être (imparfait) |
|---|---|
| je | étais |
| tu | étais |
| il/elle/on | était |
| nous | étions |
| vous | étiez |
| ils/elles | étaient |
When to use the imparfait
Use the imparfait for three main situations in the past: habitual actions ('I used to…'), descriptions and states ('it was cold, she was tired'), and the background of a story ('it was raining when…').
- Quand j'étais petit, je jouais dehors. — When I was little, I played outside. (habit)
- Il faisait beau et les oiseaux chantaient. — The weather was nice and the birds were singing. (description)
- Je lisais quand tu as appelé. — I was reading when you called. (background)
Imparfait vs. passé composé — the big picture
Think of the imparfait as a painted BACKGROUND and the passé composé as EVENTS that interrupt or happen on top of that background. In any story, you'll alternate between the two.
- Il pleuvait (imparfait) quand je suis sorti (PC). — It was raining when I went out.
- J'étais au café (imparfait), un ami est arrivé (PC). — I was at the café, a friend arrived.
Which tense describes a HABIT in the past?
Quand j'___ petit, je ___ au foot tous les jours. (être / jouer — imparfait)
« Il ___ beau et les gens ___ dans le parc. » Choose the correct pair.
Avant, nous ___ dans un petit appartement. (habiter — imparfait)
Put the background verb in the imparfait
Je (lire) quand le téléphone a sonné. →