Qu’est-ce que c’est l’imparfait ?
Limparfait is a simple tense in the past; the conjugated verb consists of a stem and an ending. The stem is obtained by dropping the -ons ending of the nous form of the present tense of the verb. This is true for both regular and irregular verbs.
| ER Verb | RE Verb | IR Verb |
|---|---|---|
| Regarder (to watch) |
Descendre (to go down) |
Rougir (to blush) |
| Regardons (regard) |
Descendons (descend) |
Rougissons (rougiss) |
| The endings of the conjugated forms of the verb are as follows: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. The only verb for which the stem for the imparfait is not obtained in that way is the verb être (to be). |
||
| Regarder | Descendre | Rougir |
|---|---|---|
| Je regardais | je descendais | Je rougissais |
| tu regardais | tu descendais | tu rougissais |
| il regardait | il descendait | il rougissait |
| elle regardait | elle descendait | elle rougissait |
| nous regardions | nous descendions | nous rougissions |
| vous regardiez | vous descendiez | vous rougissiez |
| ils regardaient | ils descendaient | ils rougissaient |
| elles regardaient | elles descendaient | elles rougissaient |
Think of the imparfait as the past tense of calm, beauty, and thought: it paints portraits and scenes, thoughts and memories; it does not busy itself with actions. If you were on stage, the imparfait would not be the tense of the actors but rather of the stage manager who oversaw the set, the lighting, and everything that prepared the stage for the actors to act. Use the imparfait when:
- Past progressive
The English verb is or could be was/were + -ing, without changing the meaning.
Elle conduisait prudemment parce qu’il pleuvait. She was driving slowly because it was raining.
- Equivalent of used to + infinitive
The English verb is or is the equivalent of used to + infinitive, with the same meaning in both languages.
Il mangeait toujours à Mcdonald’s quand il était étudiant.
He always ate (used to eat) at McDonald’s when he was a student.
- Description
The sentence has a verb that describes (as opposed to listing an action or actions).
Describing the weather, the time and the date
Tout était calme. Une brise légère soufflait, Julie se sentait bien.
All was quiet. A light breeze was blowing, Julie was feeling good.
Describing a setting (how things were)
Il était midi et nous avions faim.
It was noon and we were hungry.
Describing a state of mind or of being
Il a pris un cachet d’aspirine parce qu’il avait mal à la tête.
He took an aspirin because he had a headache.
Describing physical characteristics
Quand il était jeune il avait les cheveux longs.
When he was young he had long hair.
Limparfait
Practice L’imparfait in this video with sentences about the house when you were a child:
La maison de mon enfance:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| 1. Nous avions une maison à la campagne. | 1. We had a house in the countryside. |
| 2. C’était une maison à trois étages. | 2. It was a three-story house. |
| 3. Moi, je dormais dans la mansarde. | 3. I slept in the attic. |
| 4. Il y avait un jardin autour de la maison. | 4. There was a garden around the house. |
| 5. Ma mère y cultivait des légumes. | 5. My mother grew vegetables there. |
| 6. Mes grand-parents habitaient avec nous. | 6. My grandparents lived with us. |
| 7. La maison était entourée d’une clôture. | 7. The house was surrounded by a fence. |
| 8. Nous gardions notre voiture dans le garage. | 8. We kept our car in the garage. |
| 9. Mon père travaillait dans le village. | 9. My father worked in the village. |
| 10. Ma mère restait à la maison avec les enfants. | 10. My mother stayed at home with the children. |
| 11. Nous mangions dans la salle à manger. | 11. We ate in the dining room. |
| 12. La salle à manger était au rez-de-chaussée. | 12. The dining room was on the ground floor. |
| 13. On utilisait le salon seulement pour recevoir. | 13. The lounge was used only to receive. |
| 14. Ma soeur et moi nous faisions nos devoirs dans nos chambres. | 14. My sister and I were doing our homework in our rooms. |
| 15. Nous aimions beaucoup notre maison. | 15. We loved our house very much. |
Practice Sentences using l’imparfait:
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Limparfait