MeraSkill Logo

Imperfect Tense in French

Verbs:

It is a word which is used to describe an action, state, and occurrence. In french, an auxiliary verb is the first verb in a compound tense. It is either avoir or être.Here, you are learning etre and avoir of singular and plural voyelle.

English Meaning Verbs Présent Future Passe Compose
Key auxiliaires
To have avoir ai aurai (avoir)eu
To be étre suis serai (avoir)été

Conjugate as below(Conjuguez comme ci-dessous):

Singulier Etre Avoir
Je suis j’ai
Tu es as
ll est a
Elle est a

 

Imperfect Tense in French 

Imparfait-Imperfect Tense:

To refer to previously ongoing and repeated events that are now completely finished.

To express an action that happened often in the past, such as a habit that one has grown out of.

Example:”I used to eat a kiwi while watching the news.” is in French, “Je mangeais un kiwi en regardant les information”

In Describing the past, including things such as time, location, weather, age, physical and emotional conditions or states, attitudes, and desires and other mental experiences.

Actions that occurred while something else happening.

To compare and contrast events in the present with events in past.

To talk about the emotion or abstract qualities of a person/thing in the past or to discuss an irritating quality or subject.

To suggest or ask certain “forceful” question such as, “Si on faisait une promenade”
When phrases like I used to do...and I would do...are used in English.

Formation of the Imperfect - Imperfect Ending

To conjugate in the imperfect, add the appropriate ending to the imperfect stem.

Subject Ending
Je ais
Tu ais
ll ait
Nous ions
Vous iez
lls aient

Example:

Aller Être
J’allais J’étais
Tu allais Tu étais
ll allait ll était
Nous allions Nous étions
Vous alliez Vous étiez
lls allaient ll étaient

Exceptions are:

Manger Commence
Je mangeais Je commençais
Tu mangeais Tu commençais
ll mangeait ll commençait
Nous mangions Nous commenciez
Vous mangiez Vous commenciez
lls mangeaient lls commençaient

Learn French

Learn French Fast