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    The Imparfait: Notes

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    Anish Kantheti
    The document provides notes on using the imparfait tense in French. It explains that the imparfait is used to describe states of being or habitual/repeated actions in the past. It gives the formation of the imparfait by taking the nous form of the present tense verb and removing -ons, then adding imparfait endings. Several uses are illustrated, including describing background situations, habitual actions signaled by time/frequency expressions, and ongoing actions interrupted by another past action. Irregular verbs like être are also addressed.

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    The Imparfait: Notes

    Uploaded by

    Anish Kantheti
    758 views3 pages
    The document provides notes on using the imparfait tense in French. It explains that the imparfait is used to describe states of being or habitual/repeated actions in the past. It gives the formation of the imparfait by taking the nous form of the present tense verb and removing -ons, then adding imparfait endings. Several uses are illustrated, including describing background situations, habitual actions signaled by time/frequency expressions, and ongoing actions interrupted by another past action. Irregular verbs like être are also addressed.

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    L'Imparfait

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    The document provides notes on using the imparfait tense in French. It explains that the imparfait is used to describe states of being or habitual/repeated actions in the past. It gives the formation of the imparfait by taking the nous form of the present tense verb and removing -ons, then adding imparfait endings. Several uses are illustrated, including describing background situations, habitual actions signaled by time/frequency expressions, and ongoing actions interrupted by another past action. Irregular verbs like être are also addressed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    758 views3 pages

    The Imparfait: Notes

    Uploaded by

    Anish Kantheti
    The document provides notes on using the imparfait tense in French. It explains that the imparfait is used to describe states of being or habitual/repeated actions in the past. It gives the formation of the imparfait by taking the nous form of the present tense verb and removing -ons, then adding imparfait endings. Several uses are illustrated, including describing background situations, habitual actions signaled by time/frequency expressions, and ongoing actions interrupted by another past action. Irregular verbs like être are also addressed.

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    At a glance
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    The imparfait tense is used to describe background, habitual actions, and a continuous action that was interrupted in the past.

    The imparfait tense is used to describe background/context, habitual or repetitive past actions, and a continuous past action interrupted by another past action expressed in the passé composé tense.

    To form the imparfait tense, take the nous form of the present tense verb and remove the -ons ending to get the stem. Then add the imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) to the stem.

    Notes

    AUGUST 2021
    Grammaire: L’IMPARFAIT
    GRADE: IGCSE 1 SUBJECT: FRENCH

    The Imparfait
    The uses of the imparfait (imperfect) are some of the most difficult aspects of
    French grammar to master. While the passé composé is used to talk about an
    action that took place on a specific occasion in the past, the imparfait plays a different
    role. It is used to describe a state of mind and being in the past as well as
    continuous, repeated, or habitual past actions.
    To form the imperfect, take the nous form of the present tense and remove
    the -ons ending, which gives you the stem. Then add the imparfait endings (-ais,
    -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) to this stem. For example:

    Parler to speak
    nous parlons parl
    je parlais I was speaking/I used to speak
    tu parlais you were speaking/you used to speak
    il/elle parlait he/she was speaking/he/she used to speak
    nous parlions we were speaking/we used to speak
    vous parliez you were speaking/we used to speak
    ils/elles parlaient they were speaking/they used to speak

    Note that the -ais, -ait, -aient endings are pronounced alike. Verbs with
    spelling changes in the present tense nous form, such as manger and commencer
    retain the spelling change only for the je, tu, il, elle, ils, and elles
    subject pronouns.

    j’encourageais
    elle exigeait
    ils partageaient
    il avançait
    elle remplaçait
    elles annonçaient
    The extra e or the ç are not needed in the nous and vous forms of the
    imparfait.
    nous nagions
    nous protégions
    nous commencions
    vous effaciez
    Depending on the context, the imparfait has several past equivalents in
    English.

    FRENCH/Notes/AUGUST 2021 1
    Elle faisait… She was doing . ..
    Elle faisait… She used to do . . .

    Note that the verb être has an irregular stem in the imparfait.

    J’étais I was /used to be


    Tu étais you were /used to be
    Il/elle était he/she was/used to be
    Nous étions we were/used to be
    Vous étiez you were/used to be
    Ils/elles étaient they were/used to be

    Let’s look at the different uses of the imparfait. It is used for background and description.
    It describes a situation that existed in the past, a state of mind or being.
    Les rues étaient embouteillées. The streets were jammed.
    La circulation était fluide. The traffic was flowing.
    Il faisait trop chaud. It was too hot.

    Another use of the imparfait is to express habitual, repetitive action. It describes past events
    that were repeated. Used to and would (meaning habitually) are translated into French by the
    imparfait.
    Autrefois, elle faisait partie de la chorale. In the past, she used to belong to the choir.
    Ils allaient en Inde chaque année. They used to go (would go) to India every year.
    Il jouait au tennis le mardi. He used to (would) play tennis on Tuesdays.
    As you can see in the previous examples, some expressions of time or repetition may be an
    indication of the imparfait:
    souvent often
    fréquemment frequently

    toujours always

    le mardi on Tuesdays

    le vendredi on Fridays
    chaque jour every day
    tous les jours every day
    chaque semaine every week
    chaque mois every month
    chaque année every year
    d’ordinaire ordinarily
    d’habitude usually
    habituellement usually

    FRENCH/Notes/AUGUST 2021 2
    régulièrement regularly
    comme à l’accoutumée as usual
    autrefois formerly
    jadis in times past

    The imparfait is also used to describe a continuous action that was going on in the past
    when another action (expressed in the passé composé) interrupted it.
    Elle regardait la télévision quand She was watching television when suddenly
    soudain elle a entendu un grand she heard a loud noise.
    bruit.
    Il faisait ses devoirs quand son frère est He was doing his homework when his brother
    arrivé. arrived.
    To express the idea that an action had been going on for a period of time before being
    interrupted,
    use the imparfait with depuis. This is the equivalent to the past of depuis 1 present tense

    FRENCH/Notes/AUGUST 2021 3

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