![]() ![]() In the example below, the action was completed hier (yesterday), hence the use of the perfect tense (j’ai pensé). However, just like in English, when referring to a completed action, we switch to passé composé in French. In another example using the verb penser (to think), the imperfect form is necessary for expressing repetition in French, but not in English:Ĭaption 38, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Ma femme est-elle réellement morte ? Play Caption We didn't know that the Christmas market was opening todayĬaption 8, Alsace 20 - Ouverture du marché de Noël de Colmar Play Caption On ne savait pas que le marché de Noël ouvrait aujourd'hui In the video below, on ne savait pas translates as "we didn't know": For example, we can say on savait, but we don’t really say “we were knowing” in English. Note that some of these verbs don’t usually take the imperfect in English. These verbs include avoir (to have), croire (to believe), désirer (to desire), espérer (to hope), être (to be), penser (to think), pouvoir (to be able to), savoir (to know), vouloir (to want). While all verbs can be conjugated in both the passé composé and the imparfait, certain verbs by their very nature express a state of mind, an attitude, a condition, or a desire, thus lending themselves better to the use of the imparfait. Whereas the imparfait is used for background or habitual actions, single actions interrupting an ongoing action are usually expressed in passé composé:Ĭaptions 17-18, Le saviez-vous? - "Barbara" de Jacques Prévert Play Caption Prévert then adds more to the background: a man who s’abritait (was taking shelter) under a porch and interrupted the scene with a shout. The French imparfait does not always correspond to the English imperfect, as we'll discuss further below.) (Note that we used the perfect tense in English for je souriais . Later on, the poet uses the imparfait again to describe the romantic encounter that follows:Ĭaptions 9-10, Le saviez-vous? - "Barbara" de Jacques Prévert Play Caption Il pleuvait sans cesse sur Brest ce jour-làĬaption 2, Le saviez-vous? - "Barbara" de Jacques Prévert Play Caption ![]() In his poem "Barbara," Jacques Prévert sets the scene by describing the incessant rain in the city of Brest, which was destroyed during the Second World War: ![]() L'imparfait is very helpful for setting a background and creating a mood. Oh, I used to go there a lot with my daughter a few years ago.Ĭaption 47, Claire et Philippe - La campagne Play Caption Oh, j'y allais beaucoup avec ma fille, il y a quelques années. In the following video, Claire remembers how elle allait (she used to go) to the park with her daughter: Oh yes, you already told me about that earlier.īut l'imparfait is not only used to evoke an ongoing action drifting into the present. It's also the ideal tense for talking about things you used to do or describing repeated actions. If Lionel wanted to say something like “you already told me earlier” and then changed the subject, he would have used passé composé:Īh oui, tu m’en as déjà parlé tout à l’heure. You were also telling me earlier about theĬaption 43, Lea & Lionel L - Le parc de Bercy - Part 2 Play Caption In his conversation with Lea in the video below, Lionel uses the imperfect form tu me parlais (you were telling me) as a subtle cue that he wants to hear more about the animals in the park. Usually, l' imparfait indicates ongoing actions in the past that have a stronger connection to the present than le passé composé, which describes a completed action. Now that you know how to form the imperfect tense, let's discuss how to use it. ![]() You were doing.Ĭaptions 31-33, Margaux et Manon - Conjugaison du verbe faire Play Caption Margaux and Manon will show you how to conjugate the rest of the verb faire in the imparfait: So, nous faisons (we do/are doing) becomes nous fais ions (we were doing/used to do). Just take the nous (we) form of the present tense, as in nous faisons (we do/are doing), remove the - ons, and add the ending - ais, - ais, - ait, - ions, - iez, or - aient. So, when should you choose l'imparfait over le passé composé? Let's explore both tenses.īefore we embark on the specific uses of l'imparfait, let's find out how to form this past tense. In addition to le passé composé (perfect or compound past tense), you can also use l'imparfait (imperfect tense) to talk about things that occurred in the past. ![]()
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