When Do You Use Imparfait vs. Passé Composé?

A common question among more advanced French learners is: When should I use the imparfait (imperfect) and when should I use the passé composé (past tense)? Both tenses describe actions that took place in the past, but they serve different purposes. Let’s break it down with plenty of examples to clarify their uses.

1. Imparfait – Ongoing or Habitual Actions

The imparfait is used for ongoing, habitual, or background actions in the past. It describes situations, feelings, or actions that were ongoing or repeated. The imparfait can often be understood in English as “used to” or as the past continuous tense.

  • Example 1:
    • Quand j’étais enfant, je jouais souvent au parc.
      (When I was a child, I often used to play in the park.)

    Here, jouais (was playing) indicates a habitual action in the past.

  • Example 2:
    • Il faisait froid et il neigeait.
      (It was cold and it was snowing.)

    Both faisait (was) and neigeait (was snowing) describe ongoing conditions in the past.

  • Example 3:
    • Tous les étés, nous allions à la plage.
      (Every summer, we used to go to the beach.)

    The phrase indicates a habitual action that occurred every summer.

  • Example 4:
    • Elle lisait un livre quand je suis arrivé.
      (She was reading a book when I arrived.)

    Here, lisait (was reading) describes an ongoing action that was happening when another action occurred.

2. Passé Composé – Completed Actions

The passé composé is used for specific, completed actions in the past. It describes events that happened once or had a clear beginning and end.

  • Example 1:
    • Hier, j’ai mangé une pizza.
      (Yesterday, I ate a pizza.)

    In this sentence, ai mangé (ate) indicates a completed action that happened at a specific time.

  • Example 2:
    • Nous avons visité Paris l’année dernière.
      (We visited Paris last year.)

    Here, avons visité (visited) describes a specific event that occurred in the past.

  • Example 3:
    • Il a plu toute la nuit.
      (It rained all night.)

    This sentence uses a plu (rained) to indicate a completed action over a specific duration.

  • Example 4:
    • La semaine dernière, elle a fini son projet.
      (Last week, she finished her project.)

    A fini (finished) refers to a specific event that took place during the past week.

Combining the Two Tenses

You often see these two tenses used together in a sentence. The imparfait sets the scene or describes background actions, while the passé composé highlights specific events that occurred.

  • Example 1:
    • Je lisais un livre quand tu as frappé à la porte.
      (I was reading a book when you knocked on the door.)

    In this case, lisais (was reading) is in the imparfait because it describes an ongoing action, while as frappé (knocked) is in the passé composé for a completed action.

  • Example 2:
    • Il regardait la télévision pendant que sa mère préparait le dîner.
      (He was watching television while his mother was preparing dinner.)

    Here, both regardait (was watching) and préparait (was preparing) are in the imparfait, describing ongoing actions happening at the same time.

  • Example 3:
    • Nous étions à la fête quand elle est arrivée.
      (We were at the party when she arrived.)

    In this sentence, étions (were) is the background action in imparfait, and est arrivée (arrived) is the specific event in passé composé.

  • Example 4:
    • Il faisait beau et nous avons décidé d’aller au parc.
      (It was nice out, and we decided to go to the park.)

    Here, faisait (was) describes the ongoing condition, while avons décidé (decided) refers to a specific decision made.

Summary

  • Imparfait: Used for habitual actions, ongoing states, or background information in the past. It is similar to “used to” or the past continuous in English.
  • Passé Composé: Used for completed actions or events that occurred at a specific moment in the past.

Quick Tip: Remember that the imparfait describes what was happening or used to happen, while the passé composé focuses on what happened or was completed.

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