The imparfait is used to express past
actions or states that were
not completed.
It expresses an ongoing
action (Imparfait) in the past. The Passé composé
is used to indicate any action that interrupts
an ongoing action.
EXAMPLES:
-Jean-Pierre nettoyait (ongoing
action - imparfait) les rayons les plus élevés de
sa bibliothèque quand il est
tombé (interrupts the ongoing action - Passé composé)
de l'escabeau.
Jean-Pierre was cleaning the higher shelves
of his bookshelf (was + verb +... ing = Imparfait) when he fell
off the stepladder (Passé composé).
-Charlotte et Louis se
baladaient (ongoing action - imparfait) en bicyclette quand soudain
une pluis torrentielle s'est
mise à tomber (interrupts the ongoing action - Passé composé).
Charlotte and Louis were biking
(were + verb +...ing=Imparfait) when all of a sudden a torrential
rain began to fall (past - Passé composé).
It also can express actions that
were repeated over and over again in the past (equivalent to the
English
USED
TO + verb).
EXAMPLES:
Quand Francis avait
10 ans, il rendait souvent visite (used to visit - Imparfait)
à son grand-père qui lui racontait des histoires
(used to tell him stories - Imparfait) de son enfance.
When Francis was 10 years old, he
used to visit his grandfather often, who would tell him (or
used to
tell him = repeated action) stories about his childhood.
It is used to describe background and
circumstances that have no specified beginning or end (weather,
season, time; physical, mental or emotional states).
EXAMPLES:
-Hier, il ne faisait
(Imparfait) pas soleil, au contraire, le tonnerre grondait
(Imparfait), des éclairs sillonnaient
(Imparfait) le ciel et il pleuvait
(Imparfait) à seaux (weather description).
Yesterday, it was (Imparfait) not sunny,
on the contrary, there was (Imparfait) a rumble of thunder,
lightning was criss-crossing (was +verb+...ing = Imparfait)
the sky, and it was raining (was +verb+...ing = Imparfait) cats
and dogs.
-Je ne me sentais
(Imparfait) pas bien hier, je faisais (Imparfait) de
la fièvre, j'avais (Imparfait) des nausées, je
frissonnais (Imparfait) et mes jambes étaient (Imparfait)
flageolantes. Mais aujourd'hui, je me sens mieux! (description
of physical states).
Yesterday, I didn't feel well (Note
the difference between the two languages) I had fever (Imparfait),
I was (Imparfait) nauseous, I was shivering (was+verb+...ing
= Imparfait), and my legs were (Imparfait) shaky. But I feel
better today!
Note that when verbs denote a change
in conditions or in a state of mind, they are written into the Passé composé because they now have a beginning and an end, and
as such are considered completed.
EXAMPLES:
-Quel curieux temps nous avons
eu (Passé composé) hier! Le matin, il a
neigé (Passé composé), ensuite, il a fait
soleil(Passé composé) dans l'après-midi,
et enfin, il a plu (Passé composé) une bonne partie
de la soirée.
What strange weather we had (Passé composé)
yesterday! In the morning, it snowed (Passé composé),
then, it turned out sunny (Passé composé)
in the afternoon, and finally, it rained (Passé composé)
most of the evening.
-Cet enfant est sûrement malade.
Il est passé (Passé composé) par tous les états hier. Il a
ri (Passé composé) aux éclats, il
a crié (Passé composé), il a pleuré, il a
tapé du pied (Passé composé). Il
s'est apaisé (Passé composé) seulement au moment du coucher.
Surely this child is ill. He went
(Passé composé) through all states yesterday.
He burst into laughter (Passé composé), he screamed
(Passé composé), he cried (Passé composé),
he stamped (Passé composé) his feet. He only
gave up (Passé composé) at bedtime.
It is also used with Depuis
or il y avait ... que
to express an action that began in the past and continued for a
specified time until another time, also in the past. English uses
the progressive form of the pluperfect (had been + present participle,
or had been) to express this idea.
EXAMPLES:
-Ils se
promenaient (Imparfait) depuis deux heures (période
de temps) quand il s'est mis
(Passé composé) à tomber des cordes.
They had been strolling (Imparfait)
for two hours (period of time) when it started (Passé composé) bucketing down.
-Il y avait
trente minutes (période de temps) qu'elle jouait
(Imparfait) au tennis quand elle s'est
foulé (Passé composé) la cheville.
She had been
playing (Imparfait) tennis for thirty minutes (period
of time) when she sprained
(Passé composé) her ankle.
To get a better understanding of when to use either the passé composé
or the imparfait, read the explanation and complete the exercise
on this page.
