L'imparfait - The imperfect past tense

In this lesson, we will learn about the imperfect past tense in French, its use cases, and how to formulate it in an easy and simplified way.

When do we use the imperfect past - l'imparfait?

We use the imperfect past:

• To describe an event or a person in the past.
• To describe a habitual or repeated action.
• To show the simultaneous occurrence of two events in the past.
• To describe a continuous action or event (lasting for some time).
• To describe a repeated event or a recurring phenomenon.
• To express a request politely.

How to form the imperfect past:

To form the imperfect past for a verb, follow these steps:

• Conjugate the verb in the present tense with the pronoun "nous."
• Remove the "ons" ending from the verb, leaving the stable part that we use to conjugate the verb in the imperfect past.
• Add the imperfect past endings according to the pronouns.

Imperfect Past Endings:

Let's take the verb "parler" (to speak) as an example:

• In the present tense, "nous parlons" means "we speak."
• Remove the "ons" ending to get the verb stem: "parl-".
• Add the imperfect endings according to each pronoun:

So, for example, "nous parlions" means "we were speaking" in the imperfect tense. This is how you conjugate regular verbs in the imparfait in French.

Now, let's take the verb "finir" (to finish) as an example:

• In the present tense, "nous finissons" means "we finish."
• Remove the "ons" ending to get the verb stem: "fin-".
• Add the imperfect endings according to each pronoun:
  
  

Irregular verbs in the imperfect tense:

The verb "être" (to be) is irregular in the imperfect tense. Let's see how it is conjugated:

So, for example, "nous étions" means "we were" in the imperfect tense.

This verb is one of the irregular verbs in the imperfect tense, and its stem changes from "ét-" in the present to "éta-" in the imperfect. 

Exceptions:

1- For verbs ending in "cer," their conjugation in the present tense with the pronoun "nous" involves changing 'c' to 'ç' (to preserve the soft 'c' sound). The 'ç' remains unchanged in the imperfect tense (except for the first person plural "nous" and the second person plural/formal "vous").

2- For verbs ending in "ger," their conjugation in the present tense with the pronoun "nous" involves adding 'e' (to preserve the soft 'g' sound). The 'e' remains unchanged in the imperfect tense (except for the first person plural "nous" and the second person plural/formal "vous").

3- Verbs like "falloir" (to be necessary) and "pleuvoir" (to rain), which are used only in the third person singular (il), are conjugated in the imperfect tense as follows:

Notes:

For verbs ending in (ier):

• Take the present tense conjugation with the pronoun "nous" (we). For example, for "étudier" (to study), "Nous étudions" (We study).
• Remove "ons" and add the imperfect past endings based on each pronoun.
  
  

For verbs ending in (yer):

• Take the present tense conjugation with the pronoun "nous" (we). For example, for "payer" (to pay), "Nous payons" (We pay).
• Remove "ons" and add the imperfect past endings based on each pronoun.

And so, we have finished with the imperfect past, understanding how to form it, when to use it, and how to conjugate it. If you have any questions or inquiries, feel free to write them in the comments, and I will respond to you with pleasure.