Week 4, Day 1 Imperfect Tense Flashcards
Describe the imperfect tense
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).
How do you conjugate in the imperfect tense
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.
What verb has an irregular stem in the imperfect tense?
The only verb that has an irregular stem for the imperfect tense is être:
to go out, come out, stay out
sortir
I came out
Je sortais- sor tay
You came out
tu sortais- Sor tay
He/she came out
Il/ Elle sortait- Sor tay
We came out
nous sortions
You came out
vous sortiez- sor tee a
They came out
ils/elles sortaient- Sor tay
Situation- Action
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)
Habit
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).
To remember
souvenir- irregular
Every year
chaque année- shack annie
once a week
une fois par semaine
I use to eat
je mangeais- mon jay
I use to watch
regardais- regar day
He used to see
il voyait- vhwa yea
you use to love me
tu m’aimais- meh meh
you were
tu étais- e tay
she used to play
elle jouait- ju way
when
quand- kon
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.
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.
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.
Everyday
Every morning
Each day
Usually
In the past
Always
tous les jours
tous les matins
chaque jour
Habitude
autrefois- o tra fwha
toujours
Usually used with Perfect tense
One day
One morning
Suddenly
Suddenly
Immediately
immediately
Un jour
Un matin
soudain- sue dah
tout d’un coup
tout de suite
immédiatement- E may d ah ter maw
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.
