Imparfait → The Imperfect (Imperfect Past Tense) - French Grammar

Imparfait (Imperfect Past Tense) — What is it?

The imparfait is one of the main past tenses in French. You use it to describe ongoing, repeated, habitual or background actions and states in the past — things that were happening, used to happen, or described the scene. It is not usually used for single, completed actions (that is the job of the passé composé).

Short definition

The imparfait describes: ongoing or continuous past actions, habitual actions (used to...), repeated actions, background descriptions (weather, time, appearance), physical or mental states, and circumstances or context for another past action.

English equivalents (how it often translates)

was / were + -ing: Il lisait = He was reading.
used to + verb: Quand j’étais petit, je faisais du vélo = When I was little, I used to ride a bike.
would + verb (for repeated past actions): Tous les étés, nous allions à la mer = Every summer we would go to the sea.

When do I use the Imparfait?

Background and scene-setting

What it means Use imparfait to set the scene in the past: describe how things were (weather, time, place, appearance).

Examples
- Il faisait froid et la rue était vide. (It was cold and the street was empty.)
- La maison était petite et les murs étaient bleus. (The house was small and the walls were blue.)

Habitual or repeated actions (used to / would)

What it means Use imparfait for actions that happened repeatedly or habitually in the past.

Examples
- Quand j’étais enfant, je jouais au foot tous les samedis. (When I was a child, I used to play soccer every Saturday.)
- Elle lisait toujours avant de dormir. (She always read before sleeping.)

Ongoing or continuous past actions (was/were ...-ing)

What it means Use imparfait for actions that were in progress at a past moment.

Examples
- Je regardais la télé quand tu as téléphoné. (I was watching TV when you called.)
- Il travaillait à son bureau toute la matinée. (He was working at his desk all morning.)

Simultaneous past actions

What it means When two actions were happening at the same time in the past, both are typically in imparfait.

Examples
- Pendant que je lisais, Marie préparait le dîner. (While I was reading, Marie was preparing dinner.)

An action in progress that is interrupted

What it means The interrupted (ongoing) action is in imparfait; the interrupting action is in passé composé.

Examples
- Je dormais quand le téléphone a sonné. (I was sleeping when the phone rang.)

States, feelings, mental conditions and age

What it means Use imparfait for descriptions of feelings, physical or mental states and to say someone’s age in the past.

Examples
- Elle avait peur. (She was afraid.)
- J’avais dix ans quand j’ai déménagé. (I was ten years old when I moved.)
- Nous savions qu’il disait la vérité. (We knew he was telling the truth.)

Reported speech / indirect discourse (backshift)

What it means When reporting someone’s words in the past, a present tense in direct speech often becomes imparfait.

Examples
- Il a dit : « Je suis fatigué. » → Il a dit qu’il était fatigué. (He said, “I am tired.” → He said that he was tired.)

Politeness and softening

What it means Imparfait can soften statements or make requests more polite.

Examples
- Je voulais vous demander quelque chose. (I wanted to ask you something. — polite way to begin a request.)

Si + imparfait for present/future hypotheticals

What it means Use imparfait in the “si” clause to form hypothetical statements about the present or future. The result clause uses the conditional.

Examples
- Si j’étais riche, j’achèterais une maison. (If I were rich, I would buy a house.)

How do I form the Imparfait?

The basic rule (regular verbs)

1. Take the present tense nous form of the verb. 2. Remove the ending -ons to find the stem. 3. Add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

Endings—one place to memorize
- je: -ais
- tu: -ais
- il/elle/on: -ait
- nous: -ions
- vous: -iez
- ils/elles: -aient

Examples (step-by-step)
- Parler (to speak): nous parlons → stem parl- → je parlais, tu parlais, il parlait, nous parlions, vous parliez, ils parlaient.
- Finir (to finish): nous finissons → stem finiss- → je finissais, nous finissions, ils finissaient.
- Vendre (to sell): nous vendons → stem vend- → je vendais, nous vendions, ils vendaient.

Irregular verbs and special cases

Être is irregular

Être’s imperfect stem is ét-: j’étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient.

Other verbs follow the rule using the nous form
- Always use the nous present form to build the imperfect stem. That automatically handles many spelling changes (for verbs like manger, commencer, appeler):
- manger: nous mangeons → stem mange- → je mangeais, nous mangions.
- commencer: nous commençons → stem commenç- → je commençais (the cedilla remains where needed).
- appeler: nous appelons → stem appel- → j’appelais (note the double l in some present forms does not affect the nous stem).

Reflexive verbs
- Put the reflexive pronoun before the verb: Je me levais (I used to get up / I was getting up).

Negative and question forms
- Negative: Je ne parlais pas. (Formal written negative keeps ne…pas; spoken French often drops the ne: Je parlais pas.)
- Question (est-ce que): Est‑ce que tu regardais la télé ?
- Question (inversion, more formal): Regardais‑tu la télé ?

How does the imparfait differ from the passé composé?

Short contrast

Imparfait = background, ongoing or habitual past.
Passé composé = specific, completed events or actions that happened once or at a specific moment.

Examples that show the difference
- Il pleuvait quand nous sommes sortis. (It was raining when we went out.) — rain (imparfait) = background; we went out (passé composé) = completed action.
- Tous les étés, nous allions à la plage. (Every summer we went to the beach / we used to go to the beach.) — habitual → imparfait.
- Hier, je suis allé au marché. (Yesterday I went to the market.) — a single completed action → passé composé.

Signal words that often point to each tense

Imparfait: souvent, d’habitude, tous les jours, chaque jour, parfois, autrefois, pendant que, normalement, généralement.
Passé composé: soudain, tout à coup, ensuite, puis, une fois, hier, ce matin, à ce moment‑là.

Common mistakes to avoid

1) Choosing imparfait for a finished action

Incorrect: Hier, j’étais allé au cinéma. (unless you mean something like “I had been going” in a special context) Correct: Hier, je suis allé au cinéma. (Yesterday I went to the cinema.)

2) Using passé composé for habitual situations

Incorrect: Quand j’étais jeune, j’ai joué au foot tous les dimanches. Correct: Quand j’étais jeune, je jouais au foot tous les dimanches. (I used to play soccer every Sunday.)

3) Confusing pouvoir/avoir/devoir/vouloir with imparfait vs passé composé

Je voulais partir. (imparfait) = I wanted to leave (a state or intention).
Je n’ai pas voulu partir. (passé composé) = I refused to leave (a completed decision or action).
Je pouvais le faire. (imparfait) = I was able to / could (general ability in the past).
J’ai pu le faire. (passé composé) = I managed to do it (a specific accomplishment).

4) Forming the stem incorrectly

Remember: always use the present tense nous form and remove -ons. Do not take the infinitive and add endings.
Correct: nous parlons → parl- → je parlais.
Incorrect: prendre → je prendais (wrong stem). Correct is nous prenons → pren- → je prenais.

Useful expressions and typical contexts

Storytelling and literature

In narratives, the imparfait sets the scene and describes ongoing situations; the passé composé advances the plot.
Il faisait nuit. Les lumières scintillaient. Soudain, la porte a claqué. (It was night. The lights were twinkling. Suddenly, the door slammed.)

Politeness and indirect speech

Je voulais savoir si vous êtes disponibles demain. (I wanted to know if you are available tomorrow.) — polite phrasing.

Si clauses (present/future hypotheticals)

Si j’avais plus de temps, je voyagerais plus. (If I had more time, I would travel more.)

Glossary (simple definitions)

Stem: the part of the verb you keep when conjugating (here, the nous-form minus -ons gives the imparfait stem).
Nous-form: the present tense form of the verb with nous (we). Example: nous parlons, nous finissons, nous vendons.
Passé composé: the French past tense used for completed actions; often corresponds to English simple past.
Plus‑que‑parfait (pluperfect): a past of the past formed with imparfait of avoir/être + past participle (J’avais mangé = I had eaten).

Quick reference: conjugation examples

Parler (regular -er)

je parlais — I was speaking / I used to speak
tu parlais
il/elle parlait
nous parlions
vous parliez
ils/elles parlaient

Finir (regular -ir)

je finissais — I was finishing / I used to finish
tu finissais
il/elle finissait
nous finissions
vous finissiez
ils/elles finissaient

Vendre (regular -re)

je vendais — I was selling / I used to sell
tu vendais
il/elle vendait
nous vendions
vous vendiez
ils/elles vendaient

Être (irregular)

j’étais — I was
tu étais
il/elle était
nous étions
vous étiez
ils/elles étaient

Summary and final tips

Use imparfait for background descriptions, habitual past actions, ongoing actions, mental states, and polite or hypothetical statements (si + imparfait).
Form the stem from the present tense nous form minus -ons, then add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
Être is the only common verb with an irregular imparfait stem (ét-).
When in doubt, ask: is the action a single completed event (passé composé) or a background/habit/state (imparfait)?

Examples to practice mentally (translate and choose the tense):
- Quand il (être) jeune, il (jouer) au tennis tous les samedis. → Quand il était jeune, il jouait au tennis tous les samedis.
- Je (regarder) la télé quand la lumière (s’éteindre). → Je regardais la télé quand la lumière s’est éteinte.

Keep these principles in mind and when you read or listen to French, notice how writers and speakers use the imparfait to paint the background and the passé composé to report what happened.