A2 · The past
Imperfect (imparfait)
«used to» and «was —ing» in a single form.
At a glance
- Remember
- If «used to» or «was —ing» fits, the imparfait fits.
- When
- Before the past
- The past
- Past linked to the present
- The present
- The future
- Completed in the future
The past — Something that happened, finished, and stays where it happened.
- Form
- je parlaisI used to speak, I was speaking
- Signal words
- souvent
- toujours
- quand j’étais
- tous les jours
- Trap
- Wrong:Hier j’allais au cinéma.Right:Hier je suis allé au cinéma.
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in French. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) tense marker person ending
| I used to speak, I was speaking | je parlais |
| you were doing | tu faisais |
| he had | il avait |
| we were | nous étions |
| you used to go | vous alliez |
| they were taking | ils prenaient |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
The stem comes from the «nous» form of the present.
nous finissons → je finissaiswe finish → I was finishing
être is the only exception.
J’étais fatigué.I was tired.
A habit goes in the imparfait.
Quand j’étais petit, j’allais à la mer.When I was small, I used to go to the sea.
A description of the circumstances goes in the imparfait.
Il faisait froid et il pleuvait.It was cold and it was raining.
Example sentences
Avant, nous habitions à Lille.We used to live in Lille.
Elle portait une robe bleue.She was wearing a blue dress.
On mangeait souvent chez eux.We often used to eat at their place.
Il était tard et j’avais faim.It was late and I was hungry.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The test is «used to» or «was —ing», not «did». «I went to the cinema yesterday» is a single event and takes the passé composé — je suis allé au cinéma — even though English uses its plain past there, and even though the French form is the compound one. What decides is the kind of past, not how many words the English needs.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
The imparfait is built from the «nous» form of the present: nous parlons gives parl- plus the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. être is the only exception: j'étais.
It names a state, a habit, or something that was going on — not a single event. English needs two separate constructions for that and French has one. «I used to go to the sea» and «I was going to the sea» are j'allais à la mer, both of them, and the context sorts out which is meant.
That merger is why the imparfait turns up in descriptions and in the weather: il faisait froid et il pleuvait — it was cold and it was raining. If you can say «used to» or «was —ing» in English without changing the sense, the imparfait is the form you want.
How well do you know this topic?
This is filled in automatically after you practise. You can change it here at any time.
Next on the path: 62 · Prepositions of place and timeBack to the learning path
The verbs on this page, in every form: être · finir · avoir · faire · aller · manger · habiter · porter