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Imperfect Tense
This past tense
corresponds to "was, were or
used to." This tense is
used for repeated, continuous,
or ongoing actions; as well
as for verbs that describe background
and circumstances, such as weather,
time, and physical, mental,
and emotional states. Use
the passé composé for actions
that happened once and are done.
However, verbs that express
mental and emotional states
that are descriptive in nature
are generally used in the imperfect
in a past context. These
verbs are: aimer, avoir,
croire, détester, espérer, être,
penser, and préférer.
To form the stem,
use the nous form of the present
tense and drop the -ons. Then
add these endings:
| -ais |
-ions |
| -ais |
-iez |
| -ait |
-aient |
The only exception
is être in which you must use
the stem ét-, but still
the same endings. Verb
stems that end in -c must use
a cedilla (ç) under the c to
make it soft. Verbs stems endings
in -g keep the e before all
forms except nous and vous.
| être |
| étais |
ay-teh |
étions |
ay-tee-ohn |
| étais |
ay-teh |
étiez |
ay-tee-ay |
| était |
ay-teh |
étaient |
ay-teh |
| commencer |
|
manger |
| commençais |
koh-mawn-seh |
commencions |
koh-mawn-see-ohn |
|
mangeais |
mawn-zheh |
mangions |
mawn-zhee-ohn |
| commençais |
koh-mawn-seh |
commenciez |
koh-mawn-see-ay |
|
mangeais |
mawn-zheh |
mangiez |
mawn-zhee-ay |
| commençait |
koh-mawn-seh |
commençaient |
koh-mawn-say |
|
mangeait |
mawn-zheh |
mangeaient |
mawn-zhay |
Avoir, Devoir, Pouvoir, Savoir,
and Vouloir
These verbs change meanings,
according to whether they are
used in the imperfect or the
passé composé.
|
Imperfect |
Passé Composé |
| avoir |
j'avais |
I had |
j'ai eu |
I got, received |
| devoir |
je devais |
I was supposed to |
j'ai dû |
I must have, I had
to (and did) |
| pouvoir |
je pouvais |
I was capable |
j'ai pu
je n'ai pas pu |
I was able to (and
did), succeeded
I couldn't, failed |
| savoir |
je savais |
I knew |
j'ai su |
I found out, discovered |
| vouloir |
je voulais |
I wanted to |
j'ai voulu
je n'ai pas voulu |
I tried, decided,
insisted
I refused |
The imperfect
tense is also used with these
constructions:
| être
en train de + infinitive |
| J'étais en train d'étudier
quand vous êtes arrivés. |
I was (in the process
of ) studying when you
arrived |
| aller
+ infinitive |
| J'allais sortir quand
le téléphone a sonné. |
I was going to
leave when the phone
rang. |
| venir
de + infinitive |
| Je venais de manger,
alors je n'avais plus
faim. |
I had just eaten,
so I wasn't hungry anymore. |
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