Learning French means discovering new grammar tools that help you express yourself more naturally. One of these essential tools is the imparfait — a past tense that French speakers use every day. Understanding it will help you tell stories, describe memories, and talk about habits from the past.
What Is the Imparfait?
The imparfait is a French past tense used to describe ongoing situations, habits, or states in the past. It is not used for single completed actions — it paints a background picture. Think of it as a way to say “things were like this” or “I used to do this.”
- Il faisait beau. — The weather was nice.
- Elle habitait à Paris. — She used to live in Paris.
- Nous mangions ensemble chaque soir. — We used to eat together every evening.
The Key Elements of the Imparfait in French
Let’s break down how the imparfait works. There are three important things to know: the stem, the endings, and when to use it.
1. How to Form the Imparfait
The imparfait is formed using the nous form of the present tense. You remove the -ons ending to get the stem, then add the imparfait endings.
For example, the verb parler (to speak): present tense nous parlons → stem: parl-
| Subject | Ending | Example (parler) |
|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | je parlais |
| tu | -ais | tu parlais |
| il / elle / on | -ait | il parlait |
| nous | -ions | nous parlions |
| vous | -iez | vous parliez |
| ils / elles | -aient | ils parlaient |
The only irregular verb in the imparfait is être (to be), which uses the stem ét-: j’étais, tu étais, il était…
2. When to Use the Imparfait
The imparfait is used in several situations:
- Habits or repeated actions in the past: Je lisais chaque matin. (I used to read every morning.)
- Descriptions of people, places, or feelings: La maison était grande et calme. (The house was big and quiet.)
- Ongoing actions interrupted by another event: Je dormais quand le téléphone a sonné. (I was sleeping when the phone rang.)
3. Common Time Expressions with the Imparfait
Some words often go together with the imparfait. Watch for these signals:
- souvent — often
- toujours — always
- tous les jours — every day
- autrefois — in the past / once upon a time
- quand j’étais enfant — when I was a child
Why the Imparfait Matters
The imparfait is one of the most frequently used tenses in French. Without it, you cannot tell stories properly, describe your childhood, or talk about what life used to be like. It also works hand in hand with another past tense — the passé composé — to give your sentences more depth and nuance.
For example, when you want to say “I was eating when my friend arrived,” you need both tenses: the imparfait for the background action and the passé composé for the completed event.
- Je mangeais (imparfait) quand mon ami est arrivé (passé composé).
Comparison with Other Languages
If you speak English or Spanish, you already have some intuition for this tense. Here is a quick comparison:
| Meaning | French (imparfait) | Spanish (imperfecto) | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| I used to live in Lyon | J’habitais à Lyon | Vivía en Lyon | I used to live / I was living |
| She was tired | Elle était fatiguée | Ella estaba cansada | She was tired |
| We always played outside | Nous jouions toujours dehors | Siempre jugábamos afuera | We always played / used to play |
The French imparfait is very close to the Spanish imperfecto in both form and meaning. English uses “used to” or “was/were + -ing” to express similar ideas, but does not have a single dedicated tense for this.
A Full Example
Here is a short paragraph using the imparfait to describe a childhood memory:
Quand j’étais petit, j’habitais dans un petit village. Chaque été, nous allions à la mer. Ma mère préparait des sandwichs et mon père conduisait. C’était toujours une belle journée.
Translation: When I was young, I lived in a small village. Every summer, we went to the sea. My mother made sandwiches and my father drove. It was always a wonderful day.
Notice how every verb is in the imparfait — because these are repeated memories and background descriptions, not single completed events.
Key Takeaways
- The imparfait is used for habits, descriptions, and ongoing past situations.
- To form it, take the nous present tense stem and add the endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
- The only truly irregular verb is être.
- Look for time words like souvent, toujours, and autrefois as clues.
- The imparfait pairs with the passé composé to tell complete stories in French.
Sources
- Bescherelle — La Conjugaison pour tous, Hatier, 2019.
- Grégoire, M. & Thiévenaz, O. — Grammaire Progressive du Français, CLE International, 2012.
- Conseil de l’Europe — Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues (CECRL), 2001. Available at: coe.int