The imperfect tense in French : complete course

This course explains the French imperfect tense, or l’imparfait, the past tense used to describe ongoing actions, habits and states, such as what used to happen or the background of a story. You will learn how to form it from the nous form of the present tense and how it differs from the passé composé. It also covers its main uses, related time expressions and how it compares with other languages.

Simple Definition

The imperfect tense (l’imparfait) is a past tense in French used to describe ongoing actions, habits, or states in the past.
Unlike the passé composé, it does not describe a completed action with a clear beginning and end.
Think of it as a “background” tense: it sets the scene or describes what used to happen.

Quick Examples to Get Started

• Je mangeais une pomme. → I was eating an apple.
• Il habitait à Paris. → He used to live in Paris.
• Nous jouions au football chaque dimanche. → We used to play football every Sunday.

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Key Elements of the Imperfect Tense in French

1. How to Form the Imperfect Tense

Forming the imperfect is straightforward. Take the nous form of the verb in the present tense,
remove the -ons ending, and add the imperfect endings.

Subject Pronoun	Ending	Example with parler	Translation
Je	-ais	je parlais	I was speaking / I used to speak
Tu	-ais	tu parlais	you were speaking
Il / Elle / On	-ait	il parlait	he/she was speaking
Nous	-ions	nous parlions	we were speaking
Vous	-iez	vous parliez	you were speaking
Ils / Elles	-aient	ils parlaient	they were speaking

Good news: These endings apply to almost all verbs in French. The only irregular verb in the imperfect is être:

• j’étais → I was
• tu étais → you were
• il était → he/she was
• nous étions → we were
• vous étiez → you were
• ils étaient → they were

2. Main Uses of the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect is used in several important situations:

A. Describing Habits or Repeated Actions in the Past

Use the imperfect to say what someone used to do regularly.

• Quand j’étais enfant, je lisais beaucoup. → When I was a child, I used to read a lot.
• Elle prenait le bus tous les matins. → She used to take the bus every morning.

B. Describing a Background or State in the Past

Use the imperfect to paint a picture: to describe what things were like.

• Il faisait beau et les oiseaux chantaient. → The weather was nice and the birds were singing.
• La maison était grande et confortable. → The house was big and comfortable.

C. An Ongoing Action Interrupted by Another Event

The imperfect describes what was happening when something else occurred (the interrupting event uses the passé composé).

• Je dormais quand le téléphone a sonné. → I was sleeping when the phone rang.
• Elle lisait quand il est entré. → She was reading when he came in.

3. Key Time Expressions Used with the Imperfect

Certain words and phrases are strong signals that the imperfect should be used:

French Expression	English Meaning
toujours	always
souvent	often
tous les jours	every day
chaque semaine	every week
d’habitude	usually
autrefois	in the past / formerly
quand j’étais jeune	when I was young
pendant que	while

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Why the Imperfect Tense in French is Important

Mastering the imperfect is essential for speaking about the past naturally and correctly in French.
Without it, your stories will sound incomplete or unnatural.

Here is why it matters:

• It helps you describe situations, feelings, and states in the past, not just actions.
• It allows you to tell richer, more detailed stories in French.
• It works as a team with the passé composé: one sets the scene, the other tells what happened.
• It is used very frequently in both spoken and written French.

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Comparison with Other Languages

If you already speak English or Spanish, here is how the imperfect compares:

Language	Equivalent Form	Example	Meaning
French	L’imparfait	Je mangeais.	I was eating / I used to eat.
Spanish	El imperfecto	Yo comía.	I was eating / I used to eat.
English	“used to” / “was …ing”	I was eating. / I used to eat.	—

Key differences to note:

• English does not have a single dedicated “imperfect” tense. It uses two structures:
  “was/were + -ing” for ongoing actions and “used to” for past habits.
  French uses just one tense, the imparfait, for both.
• Spanish is very similar to French. The imperfect (imperfecto) is used the same way,
  making it easier for Spanish speakers to understand the French imparfait.
• Both French and Spanish make a clear distinction between a completed past action and a background past action.
  English speakers need to pay attention to this difference when learning French.

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Complete Example

Here is a short paragraph in French using the imperfect tense. Notice how it creates a vivid picture of the past:

Quand j’étais petit, j’habitais dans un petit village. Tous les étés, ma famille et moi allions à la plage.
Ma grand-mère préparait toujours un grand repas le dimanche. Les enfants jouaient dans le jardin pendant que les adultes discutaient.
C’était une époque simple et heureuse.

Translation:

When I was young, I lived in a small village. Every summer, my family and I would go to the beach.
My grandmother always prepared a big meal on Sundays. The children played in the garden while the adults talked.
It was a simple and happy time.

Every verb in this paragraph is in the imparfait because they all describe past habits, states, or ongoing background situations.

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Key Takeaways

• The imparfait is a past tense used to describe habits, repeated actions, and states in the past.
• It is formed from the nous present tense stem + imperfect endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient).
• Only être has an irregular stem in the imperfect: ét-.
• Use the imperfect to set the scene; use the passé composé for completed events.
• Look for time expressions like toujours, souvent, tous les jours → they are signals for the imperfect.
• English speakers: remember that French uses one tense where English uses two structures (“used to” and “was/were + -ing”). Both translate to the imparfait.

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Sources

• Hawkins, R., & Towell, R. (2010) : French Grammar and Usage (3rd ed.). Hodder Education. A comprehensive reference grammar covering all major French tenses, including detailed explanations of the imparfait and its distinction from the passé composé.
• Grégoire, M., & Thiévenaz, O. (2012) : Grammaire Progressive du Français : Niveau Intermédiaire (3rd ed.). CLE International. A widely used pedagogical grammar that presents the imparfait with structured exercises designed for A2–B1 learners.
• Conseil de l’Europe. (2001) : Cadre Européen Commun de Référence pour les Langues (CECRL). Éditions Didier. The reference framework defining language competency levels (A1–C2), used to align grammar instruction : including past tense use : with learner proficiency descriptors.