When to use passe compose versus imparfait in French, with contrasting example sentences. Front: the French word or phrase. Back: English meaning.
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- Passé composé expresses
- A completed action that happened at a specific moment in time, or a series of completed actions
- Imparfait expresses
- Repeated or habitual actions in the past, or a continuous state or background action
- How to form passé composé
- Auxiliary verb (avoir or être) in present tense plus past participle
- How to form imparfait
- Take nous form of present tense, remove -ons, add: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient
- Past participle: parler
- parlé
- Past participle: finir
- fini
- Past participle: vendre
- vendu
- Past participle: aller
- allé
- Auxiliary for passé composé with aller
- être (je suis allé)
- Auxiliary for passé composé with parler
- avoir (j'ai parlé)
- Passé composé time reference
- Specific, defined moments (yesterday, at 3 o'clock, last Tuesday)
- Imparfait time reference
- Indefinite or repeated times (every day, usually, often, or no specific time mentioned)
- Je parlais au téléphone quand tu as appelé
- I was talking on the phone (ongoing - imparfait) when you called (completed - passé composé)
- Il fumait une cigarette
- He was smoking a cigarette or used to smoke (state or habit - imparfait)
- Il a fumé une cigarette
- He smoked a cigarette (one completed action - passé composé)