The imperfect
What used to happen and what was going on: je jouais, c'était, il y avait, and choosing it against the perfect.
Learn
The imperfect, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Use the imperfect for what used to happen
The imperfect describes habits in the past, where English says used to: quand j'étais petit, je jouais au foot. It answers what used to happen, not what happened once.
Use it for what was going on
The imperfect also gives an action in progress, where English says was doing: je regardais la télé means I was watching TV. It sets the scene for something else.
Form the imperfect
Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons and add -ais, -ais, -ait: nous finissons gives je finissais, tu finissais, il finissait. The three singular forms sound the same.
Learn j'étais, j'avais and je faisais
Être has its own stem, ét-: j'étais, c'était (it was). Avoir and faire follow the rule: j'avais, il avait, je faisais, il faisait beau. Il y avait means there was or there were.
Use on to say we used to
At Foundation you need the singular forms, and on takes the il form, so it lets you talk about yourself and others together: on allait à la plage tous les jours.
Choose between the imperfect and the perfect
The imperfect sets the scene; the perfect says what happened. Il faisait froid quand je suis arrivé uses both: it was cold (the background) when I arrived (the event). Opinions of the past, like c'était génial, usually take the imperfect.
Spot the time words that call for the imperfect
Words for habits and repeated actions point to the imperfect: d'habitude, souvent, tous les jours, le samedi, quand j'étais jeune. A single moment, such as hier or un jour, points to the perfect.
Use the plural formsHigher only
At Higher you need nous, vous and ils as well, with -ions, -iez and -aient: nous jouions, vous jouiez, ils jouaient. From être, that gives nous étions and ils étaient.
The imperfect key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Imperfect
- The past tense for what used to happen or was going on: je jouais means I used to play or I was playing. French calls it l'imparfait.
- Imperfect stem
- The nous form of the present without -ons: nous allons gives all-, so j'allais.
- c'était
- It was, for a description or an opinion in the past: c'était super means it was great.
- il y avait
- There was or there were: il y avait beaucoup de monde means there were lots of people.
- j'avais
- I had or I used to have: j'avais un lapin means I had a rabbit.
- Habitual action
- Something done regularly in the past, which takes the imperfect: je prenais le bus means I used to take the bus.
- Background
- The scene around an event, such as the weather or what someone was doing, which takes the imperfect: il faisait beau.
- d'habitude
- Usually, a phrase that often goes with the imperfect: d'habitude, je mangeais à six heures.
- nous étionsHigher only
- We were, from être: nous étions en vacances means we were on holiday.
Common mistakes in The imperfect
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Using the perfect for a habit, as in quand j'étais petit, j'ai joué au foot tous les jours.
A repeated action in the past takes the imperfect: je jouais au foot tous les jours. Keep the perfect for single events.
Using the imperfect for one finished event, as in hier, je mangeais une pizza.
One finished event takes the perfect: hier, j'ai mangé une pizza. Use the imperfect only for something in progress or a habit.
Building the stem from the infinitive, as in je finais for I used to finish.
Start from the nous form: nous finissons gives je finissais, and nous prenons gives je prenais.
Writing j'étai or il étais.
The singular endings are -ais for je and tu, and -ait for il, elle and on: j'étais, tu étais, il était.
Adding a form of être for used to, as in j'étais jouer.
Used to is in the ending itself, so no extra verb is needed: je jouais means I used to play.
Practice
Try a The imperfect question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which form completes the sentence? Quand je suis arrivé à la fête, ma copine ___ avec Hugo.
- a dansé
- dansait
- danse
- dansais
Show the answer and the working
Answer: dansait
The dancing was going on when I arrived, so it takes the imperfect: ma copine dansait, my friend was dancing.
- Je suis arrivé is the event, in the perfect.
- The dancing was in progress: the imperfect.
- Ma copine is elle: dansait.