Imparfait describes ongoing past actions, habits, background details, and mental or physical states. It sets scenes and shows what was happening rather than what happened suddenly.
Usage
Imparfait is used for habitual actions, descriptions, ongoing past actions, and for setting scenes in the past. It also expresses mental states, time, weather, and background information.
When I was a child, I used to play in the garden every afternoon.
Formation
To form the imparfait, start with the nous form of the present tense, drop -ons, and add the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. The stem stays consistent for all endings.
Endings
| Person | Ending | French Ending | English Ending | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | parlais | I was speaking / I used to speak | |
| tu | -ais | parlais | you were speaking / you used to speak | |
| il/elle/on | -ait | parlait | he/she/one was speaking | |
| nous | -ions | parlions | we were speaking / we used to speak | |
| vous | -iez | parliez | you were speaking / you used to speak | |
| ils/elles | -aient | parlaient | they were speaking / they used to speak |
Example
Key Verbs
Some common verbs are used frequently in the imparfait to describe habitual past actions, background details, and mental or physical states.
être
The verb être is irregular in the imparfait and is often used to set scenes and describe past conditions. Its stem is ét-.
| Person | Ending | French Form | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | j'étais | I was | |
| tu | -ais | tu étais | you were | |
| il/elle/on | -ait | il/elle/on était | he/she/one was | |
| nous | -ions | nous étions | we were | |
| vous | -iez | vous étiez | you were | |
| ils/elles | -aient | ils/elles étaient | they were |
avoir
The verb avoir follows the regular imparfait pattern and is used to describe past possessions, sensations, and conditions. Its stem comes from the nous form avons → av-.
| Person | Ending | French Form | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | j'avais | I had | |
| tu | -ais | tu avais | you had | |
| il/elle/on | -ait | il/elle/on avait | he/she/one had | |
| nous | -ions | nous avions | we had | |
| vous | -iez | vous aviez | you had | |
| ils/elles | -aient | ils/elles avaient | they had |
faire
The verb faire follows the regular imparfait pattern and is used to describe habitual past actions and background activities. Its stem comes from the nous form faisons → fais-.
| Person | Ending | French Form | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | je faisais | I was doing / I used to do | |
| tu | -ais | tu faisais | you were doing / you used to do | |
| il/elle/on | -ait | il/elle/on faisait | he/she/one was doing | |
| nous | -ions | nous faisions | we were doing / we used to do | |
| vous | -iez | vous faisiez | you were doing / you used to do | |
| ils/elles | -aient | ils/elles faisaient | they were doing / they used to do |
Signal Words
Signal words often appear with the imparfait to indicate habitual past actions, ongoing states, or background time. These words help identify when to use the tense.
| French Word | English Word | |
|---|---|---|
| toujours | always | |
| souvent | often | |
| chaque | each / every | |
| parfois | sometimes | |
| tous les jours | every day | |
| pendant que | while | |
| d'habitude | usually |
| French Word | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| ☁️ quand j’étais petit | when I was little | |
| 🌧 souvent | often | |
| 🌂 tous les soirs | every evening | |
| 🕰️ parfois | sometimes | |
| 🌙 pendant que | while | |
| ⚡ toujours | always |
Summary
Imparfait describes habitual past actions, ongoing background activities, physical and mental states, and scenes in the past. Form it from the nous present stem plus imparfait endings, and watch for signal words that trigger its use.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025