The Imparfait

📌 Note de grammaire

To form the imparfait, take the present tense 'nous' form of the verb, drop the '-ons' ending, and add the imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. This applies to almost all regular and irregular verbs.

📌 Note de grammaire

The imparfait uses the exact same endings for all verbs (regular and irregular): -ais (je), -ais (tu), -ait (il/elle/on), -ions (nous), -iez (vous), -aient (ils/elles). Note that -ais, -ais, -ait, and -aient are all pronounced identically.

📌 Note de grammaire

'Être' is the only verb in French that does not use the 'nous' present stem for the imparfait. Instead, its stem is 'ét-', to which the standard imparfait endings are attached: ét-ais, ét-ais, ét-ait, ét-ions, ét-iez, ét-aient.

📌 Note de grammaire

For verbs ending in -ger (like manger, nager, voyager), a silent 'e' must be inserted between the stem and the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, and -aient. This keeps the 'g' soft (sounding like the 's' in 'pleasure'), rather than hard like a 'g' in 'game'.

📌 Note de grammaire

For verbs ending in -cer (like commencer, placer, lancer), add a cedilla (ç) to the 'c' before endings that start with 'a' (-ais, -ais, -ait, -aient). This preserves the soft 's' sound instead of a hard 'k' sound.

📌 Note de grammaire

Verbs whose stems end in 'i' (like étudier, rire, crier) naturally result in a double 'i' in the 'nous' and 'vous' forms of the imparfait (-iians, -iiez). Do not drop one of the i's; both belong to the grammar pattern.

📌 Note de grammaire

The imparfait is used to describe past habits, routines, or things you 'used to' do regularly. It paints a picture of ongoing or habitual lifestyle patterns without specifying a strict beginning or end.

📌 Note de grammaire

Use the imparfait for background descriptions in the past, including weather, age, feelings, physical appearance, and mental states (e.g., wanting, knowing, thinking).

📌 Note de grammaire

A very common pattern uses the imparfait for the background scene (ongoing state or action) interrupted by the passé composé (a sudden, specific action).

📌 Note de grammaire

Certain phrases naturally trigger the imparfait because they signal habit or background timeframes: 'autrefois' (formerly), 'd'habitude' (usually), 'souvent' (often), 'toujours' (always), 'le lundi' (on Mondays / every Monday), and 'quand j'étais petit' (when I was little).

📌 Note de grammaire

Verbs expressing mental states, wishes, knowledge, or opinions (vouloir, pouvoir, savoir, croire, penser, aimer) are almost always in the imparfait in past narratives because they describe ongoing internal conditions rather than completed events.

📌 Note de grammaire

Think of the imparfait as the background canvas of a painting (ongoing, habitual, descriptive) and the passé composé as the specific events painted on top of the canvas (completed, sudden, sequential actions).