Choosing between Imparfait and Passé Composé

To tell a story in the past in French, you need two main tenses: the passé composé and the imparfait. Each has its role and meaning. Let's learn to use them correctly.

The Passé Composé

The passé composé is used to talk about specific, finished actions in the past. These actions are complete.

To form the passé composé, you use the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the present tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example:

• Yesterday, I ai pris my breakfast. (a specific action)
• Then, I suis allé to work. (another specific action)

Here are other examples where the passé composé describes a single, completed action:

• Jean a reçu a gift. (He received the gift at a specific moment; it's done.)
• Anna and Stella sont rentrées home at 8 PM. (A single action at a precise time.)

Imagine the passé composé like an action movie: it focuses on actions happening at a specific moment. For example:

• The thief est arrivé running.
• He a cassé the jewelry store window.
• He a pris all the jewelry.
• He est parti with a big bag.
• But he est tombé on the ground and a pleuré.

These verbs describe short, successive actions, like events in a movie script.

The Imparfait

The imparfait has several uses. It is mainly used to describe situations, states, or habits in the past.

To form the imparfait, you take the root of the verb conjugated with "nous" in the present tense, then add the following endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. For example, for the verb "travailler" (to work):

• I travaillais
• you travaillais
• he/she/one travaillait
• we travaillions
• you (plural) travailliez
• they travaillaient

Note: the pronunciation of the endings is often the same for "je", "tu", "il/elle/on", and "ils/elles" (except for "nous" and "vous").

Describing Situations and States

We use the imparfait to describe the context or background of a past situation. It's like painting a picture, where you take your time to observe the details. For example:

• I étais sitting by the sea and the sun brillait. I étais happy.

Here, the imparfait describes:

• my position (I étais sitting)
• the weather (the sun brillait)
• my emotional state (I étais happy)

All of this happened in the past, but the focus is on description rather than a single action.

Talking About Habits

The imparfait is also used to express repeated actions or habits in the past. Use it when an action happened regularly.

• During my childhood, I dormais with my blanket every night and I allais to the beach every Sunday.

The phrases "tous les soirs" (every evening) and "tous les dimanches" (every Sunday) indicate repetition, a habit, so the imparfait is the correct choice.

Here is another example combining a description and a habit:

• When I habitais in Saint-Tropez, I allais to the beach every day.

Here, "quand j'habitais à Saint-Tropez" describes the situation or context, and "j'allais à la plage tous les jours" expresses a habit.

The imparfait is like a documentary showing a person's daily life in the past:

• I allais to the beach every day.
• I buvais coconut water.
• I bronzais on the fine sand.
• I jouais volleyball.
• I sortais with my friends and I dansais in nightclubs.

Imparfait and Passé Composé in the Same Sentence

It is very common to use the imparfait and the passé composé together in the same sentence to tell a story. The imparfait describes the context or state, and the passé composé introduces a specific action that happens within that context.

• I dormais peacefully, but my phone a sonné and a réveillé me.

Let's break down this sentence:

• "Je dormais tranquillement" is in the imparfait because it describes the situation, the context. It's like the picture, the background of the story.
• "mon téléphone a sonné et m'a réveillé" is in the passé composé because these are specific actions that happened.

Another example:

• Last week, I ai préparé a delicious cake that était moist.

• "j'ai préparé un délicieux gâteau" is in the passé composé because it is a specific, completed action.

• "qui était moelleux" is in the imparfait because it describes the cake, its state.

Some Difficulties

Choosing between the imparfait and the passé composé can sometimes be tricky.

1. Nuances of Meaning

In some cases, both tenses are possible, but the meaning is slightly different:

• Yesterday, it a plu. (We focus on the fact that the event happened at a specific time: yesterday.)
• Yesterday, it pleuvait. (We emphasize the description, the image of the rain falling.)

Both sentences are correct and the difference is small. Choose the one that best expresses what you want to emphasize.

2. Defined or Undefined Duration

Pay attention to the duration:

• I ai étudié at university for 5 years. (The duration is defined: "pendant 5 ans". When a period is defined in the past, we use the passé composé.)
• Before, I étudiais at university. (The duration is not specified: "avant". We describe a situation without a time limit, we use the imparfait.)

3. Quantity or Repetition

You need to distinguish between a quantity of actions and repetition:

• I ai nettoyé twice. (We are talking about a total quantity of actions: "deux fois". We use the passé composé.)
• I nettoyais twice a week. (We are talking about repetition: "deux fois par semaine". We use the imparfait.)

4. "Toujours" (Always) and "Jamais" (Never)

The use of "toujours" and "jamais" can change the choice of tense:

• Before, I faisais always sports. (The imparfait indicates a past habit that is no longer current. The habit is finished.)

• I ai toujours fait sports. (The passé composé with "toujours" indicates an action or habit that started in the past and continues to the present.)

• Before, I never faisais sports. (The imparfait indicates a past habit that is no longer current. The habit is finished.)

• I have never fait sports. (The passé composé with "jamais" indicates a fact that was true in the past and is still true in the present. It is a continuing truth.)

When "toujours" or "jamais" are used with the passé composé, they can express a reality that continues into the present.

5. Describing the Context + Main Action

This is a situation where errors are often made. The imparfait is used for the context, and the passé composé for the main action.

• While I conduisais, a bee a piqué me.

• "Pendant que je conduisais" is in the imparfait because it describes the context, the background action.

• "une abeille m'a piqué" is in the passé composé because it is the sudden, main action that happens.

The Verb "être"

With the verb être, we very often use the imparfait because it is a state verb, like "sembler" (to seem) or "paraître" (to appear). A state verb allows us to describe how someone or something was. And as you know, when we describe, we use the imparfait.

• He était often tired, but he semblait always happy to work with her.

You now know how to differentiate between the imparfait and the passé composé. This is an important step to speaking French well.