Imparfait

The imparfait describes ongoing or habitual past actions, background details, and states of mind. It sets the scene rather than marking completed events.

Usage

Use the imparfait for repeated actions, descriptions, external conditions, and internal states in the past. Use it to paint a picture rather than to advance the narrative with specific events.

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Formation

Start with the nous form of the present tense, drop -ons, and add imparfait endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. This pattern works for regular verbs and most common auxiliaries.

Examples

French Example	English Translation
☕ Je préparais le café quand tu es arrivé.	I was making coffee when you arrived.
🥐 Elle faisait des croissants pendant que je mettais la table.	She was making croissants while I set the table.
🌧 Il pleuvait, alors nous restions à l'intérieur pour cuisiner.	It was raining, so we stayed inside to cook.
🍰 Ils faisaient un gâteau quand le four a sonné.	They were making a cake when the oven timer went off.

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Exceptions

The main exception is être, which uses the stem ét- for the imparfait endings. Other verbs follow the standard pattern from the nous form.

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French Example	English Translation	Note
🍳 Je mettais de l'eau à bouillir.	I was putting water to boil.	Setting the scene
🥣 Elle coupait les légumes en rondelles.	She was slicing the vegetables.	Ongoing action
🕰 Pendant ce temps, la pâte reposait.	Meanwhile, the dough was resting.	Background action
🍞 Nous faisions du pain tous les dimanches.	We made bread every Sunday.	Repeated past action

Common Verbs

Familiar verbs like avoir, être, faire, aller, and venir regularly appear in the imparfait when describing past circumstances or habitual actions.

French Verb	English Verb
avoir	to have
être	to be
faire	to do / to make
aller	to go
venir	to come

French Example	English Translation
🍶 Je buvais du jus d'orange.	I was drinking orange juice.
🥛 Elle finissait son verre de lait.	She was finishing her glass of milk.
🧂 Nous prenions toujours un peu de sel.	We always took a bit of salt.
🥄 Tu mettais une cuillère de sucre.	You were putting a spoonful of sugar.
🥬 Ils mangeaient des feuilles de salade.	They were eating lettuce leaves.

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Signal Words

Signal words that often appear with the imparfait include toujours, souvent, tous les jours, and pendant que. They cue ongoing or repeated past actions.

French Word	English Word
toujours	always
souvent	often
tous les jours	every day
pendant que	while

French Example	English Translation
🍽 Quand il arriva, je cuisinais.	When he arrived, I was cooking.
⏳ Pendant que la soupe mijotait, je lisais un livre.	While the soup was simmering, I was reading a book.
🔄 Chaque été, nous faisions des confitures.	Every summer, we made jam.
🌙 Tant que la pâte levait, je préparais la sauce.	As long as the dough was rising, I prepared the sauce.

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Summary

The imparfait sets scenes, describes habitual actions, and expresses background details in the past. Form it from the nous stem and use signal words to recognize when it applies.

Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025