Imparfait: What is imparfait tense in French

The “imparfait” is a past tense in French that is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions, as well as background information, conditions, or situations in the past. It’s equivalent to the past continuous or simple past in English, depending on the context.

Formation of the Imparfait

To form the imparfait, follow these steps:

1. Start with the Nous form of the present tense:
   • For regular verbs, use the nous form of the present tense. For example:
     • Parler (to speak): nous parlons
     • Finir (to finish): nous finissons
     • Vendre (to sell): nous vendons
2. Remove the -ons ending:
   • After removing the -ons ending, you get the stem of the verb:
     • Parler: parl-
     • Finir: finiss-
     • Vendre: vend-
3. Add the imparfait endings:
   • The endings for the imparfait are:
     • je (I) : -ais
     • tu (you, singular informal) : -ais
     • il/elle/on (he/she/one) : -ait
     • nous (we) : -ions
     • vous (you, singular formal or plural) : -iez
     • ils/elles (they, masculine/feminine) : -aient

Examples:

• Parler (to speak):
  • je parlais (I was speaking/I used to speak)
  • tu parlais (you were speaking/you used to speak)
  • il/elle parlait (he/she was speaking/he/she used to speak)
  • nous parlions (we were speaking/we used to speak)
  • vous parliez (you were speaking/you used to speak)
  • ils/elles parlaient (they were speaking/they used to speak)
• Finir (to finish):
  • je finissais (I was finishing/I used to finish)
  • tu finissais (you were finishing/you used to finish)
  • il/elle finissait (he/she was finishing/he/she used to finish)
  • nous finissions (we were finishing/we used to finish)
  • vous finissiez (you were finishing/you used to finish)
  • ils/elles finissaient (they were finishing/they used to finish)
• Vendre (to sell):
  • je vendais (I was selling/I used to sell)
  • tu vendais (you were selling/you used to sell)
  • il/elle vendait (he/she was selling/he/she used to sell)
  • nous vendions (we were selling/we used to sell)
  • vous vendiez (you were selling/you used to sell)
  • ils/elles vendaient (they were selling/they used to sell)

Uses of the Imparfait

1. Describing Ongoing Actions:
   • Il faisait beau. (The weather was nice.)
   • Je lisais quand il est arrivé. (I was reading when he arrived.)
2. Describing Habitual Actions or Repeated Events:
   • Quand j’étais jeune, je faisais du vélo tous les jours. (When I was young, I used to ride my bike every day.)
3. Setting the Scene or Providing Background Information:
   • La maison était grande et il y avait un jardin. (The house was large and there was a garden.)
4. Describing States of Being or Emotions in the Past:
   • Elle était triste. (She was sad.)
   • Nous étions contents de te voir. (We were happy to see you.)

Key Differences from the Passé Composé:

• The imparfait is used for ongoing, habitual, or descriptive actions in the past.
• The passé composé is used for specific actions that were completed in the past.

Example Comparison:

• Imparfait: Je regardais la télé quand il a téléphoné.
  (I was watching TV when he called.)
  • Here, “je regardais” (I was watching) describes an ongoing action.
• Passé Composé: J’ai regardé un film hier soir.
  (I watched a movie last night.)
  • Here, “j’ai regardé” (I watched) refers to a completed action.

Understanding when to use the imparfait helps create a more nuanced and descriptive narrative in French.