Week 4, Day 1 Imperfect Tense

Question 1

Describe the imperfect tense

Answer 1

The imperfect tense is another way to talk about something that has happened in the past. It usually translates as “was,” i.e. “the weather was nice.” It also is used when describing an event where the start and end are not specified, e.g. “I liked the bit when the woman fell over in the film.”

The imperfect tense often plays a complementary role to the perfect tense (passé composé).

Question 2

How do you conjugate in the imperfect tense

Answer 2

In order to conjugate a verb in the imperfect tense, you need to take the first person plural pronoun “nous,” which means “we,” and change the ending of the verb to suit the subject as the root form (For example: Nous prenons/ Nous sortons). You remove –ons and then add one of the following: –ais, –ais, –ait, -ions, –iez, or –aient depending on the subject.

Question 3

What verb has an irregular stem in the imperfect tense?

Answer 3

The only verb that has an irregular stem for the imperfect tense is être:

Question 4

to go out, come out, stay out

Answer 4

sortir

Question 5

I came out

Answer 5

Je sortais- sor tay

Question 6

You came out

Answer 6

tu sortais- Sor tay

Question 7

He/she came out

Answer 7

Il/ Elle sortait- Sor tay

Question 8

We came out

Answer 8

nous sortions

Question 9

You came out

Answer 9

vous sortiez- sor tee a

Question 10

They came out

Answer 10

ils/elles sortaient- Sor tay

Question 11

Situation- Action

Answer 11

While the perfect tense is used to talk about a specific action in a specific time in the past, the imperfect tense is used to describe the situation (the framework) of this action.

• J’étais à la maison quand il est venu.

I was at home when he came.

(situation) (action)

Question 12

Habit

Answer 12

The imperfect tense is also used to talk about a habit in the past.

• Il jouait au tennis le Mardi (mais il a arrêté depuis).

He used to play tennis on Tuesdays (but now he has stopped).

Question 13

To remember

Answer 13

souvenir- irregular

Question 14

Every year

Answer 14

chaque année- shack annie

Question 15

once a week

Answer 15

une fois par semaine

Question 16

I use to eat

Answer 16

je mangeais- mon jay

Question 17

I use to watch

Answer 17

regardais- regar day

Question 18

He used to see

Answer 18

il voyait- vhwa yea

Question 19

you use to love me

Answer 19

tu m’aimais- meh meh

Question 20

you were little

Answer 20

tu étais- e tay

Question 21

she used to play

Answer 21

elle jouait- ju way

Question 22

when

Answer 22

quand- kon

Answer 25

The imperfect tense refers to an unfinished action from the past. It is usually either:

• a description:

À l’époque, il faisait très chaud.

At that time, the weather was very hot.

• a habit in the past:

Quand il était jeune, il jouait au tennis tous les mardis.

When he was younger, he played tennis on Tuesdays.

Answer 26

The perfect tense is used to express an action or a fact in the past. This action is usually abrupt and prompt.

Example:

Ce matin, il s’est réveillé tôt.

He woke up early this morning.

When you are telling a story about something that has happened in the past, you will normally use the imperfect tense to set the scene and describe the situation. The perfect tense will then mark a sudden change in this situation.

Je marchais seul dans la rue. Soudain, je l’ai vu apparaître au coin de la rue.

Imperfect perfect

I was walking alone. Suddenly, I saw him at the corner of the street.

Answer 27

Perhaps you have noticed that the words that describe something in the imperfect tense express a repeated action, or habit, but the words that describe something in the perfect tense express a sudden occurrence or the exact time the action occurred. This is an important difference between the two tenses; if you can remember this, you will be able to distinguish easily between the perfect and imperfect tenses.

Question 28

Usually used with imperfect tense
Everyday
Every morning
Each day
Usually
In the past
Always

Answer 28

tous les jours
tous les matins
chaque jour
Habitude
autrefois- o tra fwha
toujours

Question 29

Usually used with Perfect tense
One day
One morning
Suddenly
Suddenly
Immediately
immediately

Answer 29

Un jour
Un matin
soudain- sue dah
tout d’un coup
tout de suite
immédiatement- E may d ah ter maw

Answer 30

This lesson discussed the major differences between the perfect and imperfect tenses.
The imperfect tense mostly refers to unfinished past events such as a description or a past habit.
The perfect tense is used to express a completed action or a fact in the past.
You can make use of both tenses to share a story during conversations: use the imperfect tense to set the scene and describe the situation, and the perfect tense to mark a sudden change in this situation.