“A Blast from the Past: Mastering the Imperfect Tense in French.”

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Mastering the Imperfect Tense (Imparfait) in French

The imperfect tense, or imparfait in French, is a past tense used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, as well as setting the scene for past events. Unlike the passé composé, which is used for specific, completed actions, the imperfect is used for actions without a definite beginning or end.re you ready to delve into one of the most interesting aspects of French grammar? Mastering the imperfect tense in French opens up a world of storytelling and detailed past descriptions. This tense, known as “l’imparfait” in French, is essential for expressing ongoing or habitual actions in the past. Whether you’re narrating childhood memories or describing a scene from a favorite book, the imperfect tense is your go-to tool for painting vivid pictures with your words. Let’s embark on this linguistic journey together and master the imperfect tense in French!

Formation of the Imparfait

To form the imparfait, take the nous form of the present tense, drop the -ons ending, and add the following endings:

• je : -ais
• tu : -ais
• il/elle/on : -ait
• nous : -ions
• vous : -iez
• ils/elles : -aient

Examples

Let’s look at some examples to see how it works:

1. Parler (to speak)
   • Nous form: parlons
   • Imperfect stem: parl-
   • Je parlais (I was speaking) – Pronunciation: “Zhuh par-lay” – ज़े पर्ले
   • Tu parlais (You were speaking) – Pronunciation: “Too par-lay” – तू पर्ले
   • Il/elle parlait (He/she was speaking) – Pronunciation: “Eel/ell par-lay” – इल/एल पर्ले
   • Nous parlions (We were speaking) – Pronunciation: “Noo par-lee-on” – नू पर्ली-ओन
   • Vous parliez (You were speaking) – Pronunciation: “Voo par-lee-ay” – वू पर्ली-ए
   • Ils/elles parlaient (They were speaking) – Pronunciation: “Eel/ell par-lay” – इल/एल पर्ले
2. Finir (to finish)
   • Nous form: finissons
   • Imperfect stem: finiss-
   • Je finissais (I was finishing) – Pronunciation: “Zhuh fee-nees-say” – ज़े फीनीस्से
   • Tu finissais (You were finishing) – Pronunciation: “Too fee-nees-say” – तू फीनीस्से
   • Il/elle finissait (He/she was finishing) – Pronunciation: “Eel/ell fee-nees-say” – इल/एल फीनीस्से
   • Nous finissions (We were finishing) – Pronunciation: “Noo fee-nees-see-on” – नू फीनीस्सी-ओन
   • Vous finissiez (You were finishing) – Pronunciation: “Voo fee-nees-see-ay” – वू फीनीस्सी-ए
   • Ils/elles finissaient (They were finishing) – Pronunciation: “Eel/ell fee-nees-say” – इल/एल फीनीस्से

Conditions and Exceptions

The imparfait is used in the following situations:

1. Ongoing actions in the past:
   • Example: “Je lisais un livre.” (I was reading a book.) – Pronunciation: “Zhuh lee-zay uh(n) leev-ruh.” – ज़े लीज़े अ (लिवर)
2. Habitual actions in the past:
   • Example: “Nous allions souvent au parc.” (We often went to the park.) – Pronunciation: “Noo zah-lee-on soo-vah(n) oh park.” – नू ज़ाली-ओं सूवां ओ पार्क
3. Descriptions and background information:
   • Example: “Il faisait beau.” (The weather was nice.) – Pronunciation: “Eel fuh-zay boh.” – इल फज़े बो
4. Simultaneous actions:
   • Example: “Elle parlait pendant qu’il écrivait.” (She was talking while he was writing.) – Pronunciation: “Ell par-lay pah(n)-dah(n) keel ay-kree-vay.” – एल पर्ले पांदान किल एक्रीवे
     

Exceptions:

The verb être (to be) is irregular in the imperfect tense. Its stem is ét-:

• J’étais (I was) – Pronunciation: “Zhuh-tay” – ज़ेते
• Tu étais (You were) – Pronunciation: “Too ay-tay” – तू एते
• Il/elle/on était (He/she/one was) – Pronunciation: “Eel/ell/ohn ay-tay” – इल/एल/ओं एते
• Nous étions (We were) – Pronunciation: “Noo zay-tee-on” – नू ज़ेती-ओन
• Vous étiez (You were) – Pronunciation: “Voo zay-tee-ay” – वू ज़ेती-ए
• Ils/elles étaient (They were) – Pronunciation: “Eel/ell ay-tay” – इल/एल एते

Importance of the Imperfect Tense

The imparfait is essential for storytelling in French. It allows you to set the scene, describe the background, and explain what was happening over a period of time in the past. It is especially useful for creating a vivid picture of past events and providing context.

Identifying the Imperfect Tense in a Sentence

In a sentence like “Je parlais avec mes amis.” (I was talking with my friends.), “parlais” is the verb in the imperfect tense, indicating an ongoing action in the past.

Funny Example

Let’s add a bit of humor:

Imagine a conversation between two friends:

Friend 1: “Tu te souviens de quand nous allions à l’école en pyjama?” (Do you remember when we used to go to school in pajamas?) – Pronunciation: “Too tuh soo-vyah(n) duh kah(n) noo zah-lee-oh(n) ah lay-kohl ah(n) pee-zhah-mah?” – क्या तुम्हें याद है जब हम स्कूल में पजामा पहनकर जाते थे?

Friend 2: “Oui, c’était vraiment drôle !” (Yes, it was really funny!) – Pronunciation: “Wee, say-tay vray-mah(n) drohl!” – हाँ, यह सचमुच मज़ेदार था!

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Ready to take your French skills to the next level? Join our A2 French course at the Learn Language Store and embark on an exciting linguistic journey!