l’imparfait (the imperfect tense) le passé composé is used to describe completed actions of...
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L’imparfait
(The imperfect tense)
Le Passé Composé is used to describe completed actions of
specific past events.
L’Imparfait is a past verb tense that is used to describe:
• What people or things were like
• Repeated or habitual actions in the past; what used to happen
• General conditions in the past; to tell what was going on
• Weather conditions
The imperfect can be translated as:
…was/were ______(verb)______ ing
oror
…used to ____(verb)___________
To form the imparfait:
1.Conjugate the verb in the present tense “nous” form.
ex – regarder nous regardons
2. Drop the “-ons” to form the stem.
regardons regard-
3. Then, add the following endings:
je -ais
tu -ais
il/elle/on -ait
nous -ions
vous -iez
ils/elles -aient
Examples:
1. écouter nous écoutons
2. stem écout
3. Add the following endings:
j’écoutais
tu écoutais
il écoutais
nous écoutions
vous écoutiez
elles écoutaient
Examples: Où est-ce que tu habitais avant?
J’habitais à Chicago.
Qu’est-ce que vous faisiez à six heures?
Nous finissions nos devoirs.
The imperfect can be translated as:
Where did you live before?
I lived (used to live) in Chicago.
What were you doing at 6?
We were finishing our homework.
Irregular Stems in the Imperfect:
être ét-
avoir av-
Examples:
1. Quand j’étais jeune, ma famille habitait à la campagne.
2. Quand nous avions huit ans, ma soeur et moi, nous faisions du roller en ligne.
Can you translate these into English?