The imperfect tense in French is a past tense that is mainly used to make descriptions and talk about regular habits, or to set the scene in the past. In English, it has many equivalents. For example, j’avais is usually translated as “I used to have” or “I was having,” but it can also have several other translations, such as “I had” or even “I would have.” Contrary to the French passé composé, for example j’ai eu(I've had, I had), it doesn’t have a definite beginning or end. The imperfect is a very useful tense and super simple to form; all the verbs have the same endings. And guess what...it only has one irregular verb! Read on to find out which one and how to form and use the imperfect!
To form the imperfect, you’ll add a set of imperfect conjugation endings to the stem of the nous form of the verb in the French present tense. Here is a step by step guide on how to form the imperfect. This method works for all verbs, whether they end with -er, -ir, or -re!
Step 1: Choose your verb
habiter
to live
Step 2: Find the stemNo definition set for stemLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. by taking the present tense nous form and removing the ending -ons
nous habitons → habit-
Step 3: Add the imperfect endings
Pronoun | Ending | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
je / j' | -ais | /ay/ | habitais |
tu | -ais | /ay/ | habitais |
il / elle / on | -ait | /ay/ | habitait |
nous | -ions | /yo(n)/ | habitions |
vous | -iez | /yay/ | habitiez |
ils / elles | -aient | /ay/ | habitaient |
Some grammar books or blogs offer a different way to form the imperfect. 👀 Take a look to find out what method of forming the imperfect you prefer!
The imperfect form of the impersonal verbs falloir(to need to), pleuvoir(to rain), and neiger(to snow), which are only conjugated in the third person singular il, are:
il fallait
it was necessary to
il pleuvait
it was raining
il neigeait
it was snowing
Only the verb être(to be) is irregular in the imperfect. All you have to remember is that the stem is ét-, then add the imperfect endings and voilà!
Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|
j’étais | I was |
tu étais | you were |
il, elle, on était | he/she/we were |
nous étions | we were |
vous étiez | you were |
il, elles étaient | they were |
One form you will use a lot is c’était(it was):
Quand j’avais neuf ans, j’avais un skateboard; c’était génial !
When I was nine, I used to have a skateboard; it was great!
The endings -ais, -ait, and -aient are all pronounced the same: [ay]. 🙉 Listen to the endings with the verb être.
It’s your turn to try with the verb étudier(to study). When you are ready, check your answers below.
nous étudions → étudi- ...
j’étudiais
tu étudiais
il/elle/on étudiait
nous étudiions
vous étudiiez
ils/elles étudiaient
Have you noticed that we have ii for the nous and vous form? It’s perfectly normal for verbs ending in -ier to have the i of the stem and the i!
Certain -er verbs (-cer, -ger, and -yer verbs) will undergo spelling changes in the nous and vous forms in the present tense, which impacts their conjugation in the imperfect. Let’s take a look at each:
Verbs ending in -cer take a ç in the nous form of the present tense: nous commençons.
The stem is commenç-. Keep the ç with je, tu, il, elle, on, ils, and elles, but not with the imperfect of nous or vous, because of the following -i of the ending -ions / -iez makes the "c" sound like "s," so there’s no need for the cédilleNo definition set for cédilleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.! Try thinking of an “L” shape to memorize the chart below.
Wondering why we have ç? It’s for a pronunciation purpose, so that we say je commençais[ jeuh koma(n)say] and not ❌ [jeuh koma(n)kay].
For example, let’s take the verb commencer:
commencer(to start, to begin) | |
|---|---|
je commençais | nous commencions |
tu commençais | vous commenciez |
il/elle/on commençait | ils/elles commençaient |
Je commençais à me demander où tu étais !
I was starting to wonder where you were!
Verbs ending in -ger like manger(to eat) take an extra -e in the nous form of the present tense: nous mangeons.
When forming the imperfect, keep the -e in the stem before adding the endings for je, tu, il, elle, on, ils, elles so that, for example, je mangeais is pronounced [jeuh ma(n)jay]. Otherwise, without the -e it would be pronounced ❌[ma(n)gay] !
As above, you need to keep the -e in the imperfect, except for nous and vous:
manger(to eat) | |
|---|---|
je mangeais | nous mangions |
tu mangeais | vous mangiez |
il/elle/on mangeait | ils/elles mangeaient |
Verbs ending in -yer like payer(to pay) will have a double vowel with nous and vous, similarly to our example with étudier. It might look odd, but it’s correct!
Avant, en France, nous payions beaucoup par chèque.
Before, in France, we used to pay a lot by cheque.
Now that you know how to form l’imparfait, you can practice with some exercises on the French imperfect, then move on to the next part.
Use the imperfect tense to make descriptions in the past, for actions that lasted in time, for repeated or regular past actions, for ongoing actions in the past, to make requests, in indirect speech, and for events that were about to happen. L'imparfait can be translated into many tenses in English. Indeed, je faisais can stand for "I did," "I was doing," "I used to do," or "I would do." Let's have a look!
When making descriptions in the past:
Let's say you want to talk about your holiday: how your accommodation was, how hot (or cold 😉) the sea was, what unusual outfits people were wearing, what you were doing everyday, what the landscape was like…and perhaps you would like to make comments about the buffet. In this situation, you need to use the imperfect.
L’hôtel était grand et de ma chambre, je voyais la mer. Tous les jours, j’allais m’y baigner. Mais mon fiancé préférait la piscine.
The hotel was big and from my room I could see the sea. Everyday I went swimming there. But my fiancé preferred the pool.
If you are describing the weather over a length of time, use the imperfect.
Pendant nos vacances en Croatie, il faisait beau.
During our holidays in Croatia, the weather was nice.
If you are describing the weather at a specific time in the past, or as the main info as opposed to the background, use the passé composé.
Dimanche, il a fait beau.
On Sunday, it was sunny.
When the action that you are describing has no specific beginning or end, but there is a sense that the action lasts in time:
Avant le TGV, le trajet Paris-Nancy prenait trois heures. 🚂
Before the high-speed train, the trip from Paris to Nancy would take three hours.
When talking about actions that happened regularly:
Tous les jeudis, on avait un cours de sport avec M. Poirier.
Every Thursday, we used to have a P.E. lesson with Mr. Headstand.
The expression tous les jeudis shows the repetition. There are many other time phrases that you can use with the imperfect tense in French.
To talk about repeated past actions, you can use “would” in English. But “would” can be translated by the imperfect or the present conditional in French.
When two or more actions are happening simultaneously in the past, or for an ongoing action in the past:
Il travaillait sur son ordinateur portable pendant que ses enfants faisaient de la peinture et que son compagnon parlait au téléphone.
He was working on his laptop while his children were painting and his partner was speaking on the phone.
To make a polite request, using the imperfect as an alternative to the present conditional:
Je voulais te demander si tu pouvais garder mon chat la semaine prochaine.
I wanted to ask you if you could look after my cat next week.
Je voudrais te demander si tu pourrais garder mon chat la semaine prochaine.
I would like to ask you if you could look after my cat next week.
For indirect speechNo definition set for indirect speechLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. when the introductory verb of the indirect speech is in the passé composé or past tense.
“Je vais à la boulangerie !” → Il a dit qu'il allait à la boulangerie.
I’m going to the bakery! → He said he was going to the bakery.
To mention an event that was about to happen.
Une minute de plus et je loupais mon bus !
One more minute and I would miss my bus.
For interrupted ongoing actions, in combination with the perfect tense:
The imperfect tense is used to set the scene (you are making a description), and the perfect tense is used for a sudden & single action.
On se promenait dans les bois, quand tout à coup, une biche a traversé le chemin.
We were walking in the woods when, all of a sudden, a doe crossed the path.
Two handy phrases you can use in the imperfect in this situation are être en train de(to be in the process of) and venir de(to have just).
J'étais en train de me brosser les dents quand mon portable a sonné.
I was (in the process of) brushing my teeth when my mobile rang.
Il venait de sortir de réunion quand son chef l’a appelé.
He was just coming out of a meeting when his boss called him.
Finally, there are ways in which you can use si(if) along with the imperfect in French.
To recap the French imperfect tense, keep the following tips in mind:
Form the imperfect by taking the nous form of the verb in the present tense, keep the stem, and add the endings -ais/-ais/-ait/-ions/-iez/-aient.
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Only the verb être is irregular (j’étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient).
Use the imperfect when:
you are describing things that used to happen in the past;
you want to set the scene in the past;
you are describing something that was happening over a period of time with no definite beginning or end;
you want to mention two things happening simultaneously or when one action interrupts the other.
Remember it is different to the passé composé as this tense is for an action that happens at a definite moment in the past.
Ready to practice? Try out these exercises on the French imperfect!
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