Imperfect Tense in French: L’imparfait Rules

Key takeaways

• The imperfect tense in French, l’imparfait (lam-par-FEH), describes past habits, background details, ongoing actions, emotions, age, time, and weather.
• Form l’imparfait from the present tense nous form, remove -ons, then add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
• Être (to be) is the main irregular verb in l’imparfait, with the stem ét-, as in j’étais (I was).
• The hardest part is not the endings, it is choosing between l’imparfait and le passé composé in real stories.
• A French tutor helps you turn rule knowledge into natural past narration through correction, story retelling, and spoken drills.

The imperfect tense in French is the past tense for “used to,” “was doing,” and background description: Quand j’étais petit, je jouais au foot tous les jours (When I was little, I used to play soccer every day).

It is called l’imparfait, one of the main tools for telling stories without making every past action sound finished and separate.

italki has operated since 2007, which matters here because l’imparfait often needs live correction: a learner has to hear why je regardais (I was watching) fits one sentence while j’ai regardé (I watched) fits another.

Practice l’imparfait in short stories, childhood memories, and travel recaps with a French tutor who corrects tense choice as you speak.

What is the imperfect tense in French?

The imperfect tense in French describes past situations that were ongoing, repeated, unfinished, or part of the background. In English, it often matches “was doing,” “used to do,” or “would do.”

The French name is l’imparfait. “Imperfect” does not mean “wrong.” It means the action is not shown as a single completed event.

French	Pronunciation	English	Meaning
Je lisais.	zhuh lee-ZEH	I was reading.	The reading was in progress.
Je lisais tous les soirs.	zhuh lee-ZEH too leh swahr	I used to read every evening.	It was a habit.
Il faisait froid.	eel fuh-ZEH frwah	It was cold.	This gives background.

L’imparfait is a storytelling tense. It sets the scene before something happens: Il pleuvait, les enfants dormaient, et la maison était silencieuse (It was raining, the children were sleeping, and the house was quiet).

Learners who already know one past tense benefit from comparing l’imparfait with the wider French past tense system. L’imparfait paints the background; other past forms move the action forward.

How do you form l’imparfait in French?

Take the present tense nous form, remove -ons, and add the imperfect endings. This rule works for nearly every French verb.

1. Start with the present tense nous form.
2. Remove -ons.
3. Add the l’imparfait ending.

Subject	Ending	Parler, nous parlons	Finir, nous finissons	Prendre, nous prenons
je	-ais	je parlais	je finissais	je prenais
tu	-ais	tu parlais	tu finissais	tu prenais
il, elle, on	-ait	il parlait	elle finissait	on prenait
nous	-ions	nous parlions	nous finissions	nous prenions
vous	-iez	vous parliez	vous finissiez	vous preniez
ils, elles	-aient	ils parlaient	elles finissaient	ils prenaient

Parler (to speak) becomes je parlais (I was speaking). Finir (to finish) becomes je finissais (I was finishing). Prendre (to take) becomes je prenais (I was taking).

The guide to er verbs French supports the ER verb base, especially for common verbs like aimer (to like), habiter (to live), and regarder (to watch).

Être (to be) is the main exception. It uses ét- as the stem:

Subject	Être in l’imparfait	English
j’	j’étais	I was
tu	tu étais	you were
il, elle, on	il était	he was
nous	nous étions	we were
vous	vous étiez	you were
ils, elles	ils étaient	they were

Turn the rule into spoken reflexes with a French teacher online who prompts forms quickly: hier, je…, quand tu étais enfant, tu…, à l’université, nous…

Which l’imparfait verbs need spelling changes?

Some verbs keep a spelling marker in l’imparfait so the sound stays correct. These are not new endings, only spelling adjustments.

For -ger verbs, keep e before a and o endings to preserve the soft “zh” sound.

Verb	Nous form	L’imparfait	English
manger	nous mangeons	je mangeais	I was eating
voyager	nous voyageons	tu voyageais	you were traveling
changer	nous changeons	elle changeait	she was changing

Je mangeais is pronounced zhuh mahn-ZHEH. The e keeps the g soft.

For -cer verbs, ç appears before a and o endings to keep the soft “s” sound.

Verb	Nous form	L’imparfait	English
commencer	nous commençons	je commençais	I was starting
avancer	nous avançons	tu avançais	you were moving forward
lancer	nous lançons	il lançait	he was throwing

Je commençais is pronounced zhuh koh-mahn-SEH. Without ç, the c would sound like k.

Verbs ending in -ier have double i in nous and vous forms:

• étudier (to study), nous étudiions (we were studying)
• oublier (to forget), vous oubliiez (you were forgetting)

These forms look heavy on the page, but in speech they are normal. Nous étudiions sounds like noo zay-too-DYON, with a clear y sound before the ending.

When do you use the imperfect tense in French?

Use l’imparfait for past habits, repeated actions, ongoing actions, descriptions, age, time, weather, feelings, and states of mind. If the sentence answers “what was going on?” l’imparfait is often the right choice.

Past habits and repeated actions

• Quand j’étais enfant, je jouais dehors tous les jours. (When I was a child, I used to play outside every day.)
• Nous allions chez mes grands-parents le dimanche. (We used to go to my grandparents’ house on Sundays.)
• Elle buvait du thé chaque matin. (She used to drink tea every morning.)

Signal words that point toward l’imparfait: souvent (often), toujours (always), tous les jours (every day), chaque été (every summer), d’habitude (usually), à l’époque (back then).

Background and description

• Il faisait nuit. (It was nighttime.)
• La rue était vide. (The street was empty.)
• Les gens parlaient doucement. (People were speaking quietly.)

This is the tense for describing what the camera would show before the main action begins.

Ongoing actions

• Je regardais un film quand tu as appelé. (I was watching a movie when you called.)
• Elle dormait pendant que nous préparions le dîner. (She was sleeping while we were preparing dinner.)

The ongoing action uses l’imparfait. The interrupting action often uses passé composé.

Feelings, thoughts, and physical states

• J’avais peur. (I was scared.)
• Il voulait partir. (He wanted to leave.)
• Nous étions fatigués. (We were tired.)
• Tu pensais à ton examen. (You were thinking about your exam.)

Search for French tutors when this tense feels clear in writing but harder in speech, especially for childhood memories and travel stories.

How is l’imparfait different from passé composé?

L’imparfait describes the scene or habit; passé composé presents a completed event. Many French stories use both in the same sentence.

French	English	Tense logic
Je lisais quand Marie est arrivée.	I was reading when Marie arrived.	lisais = background, est arrivée = event
Il pleuvait, alors nous sommes restés à la maison.	It was raining, so we stayed home.	pleuvait = condition, sommes restés = result
Quand j’étais étudiant, j’ai rencontré mon meilleur ami.	When I was a student, I met my best friend.	étais = life period, ai rencontré = one event

A useful test: if English uses “was doing” or “used to,” try l’imparfait first. If English says “did,” “went,” or “finished” as one completed event, passé composé often fits.

Some verbs change meaning depending on the tense:

Verb	L’imparfait	Passé composé
savoir	Je savais. (I knew.)	J’ai su. (I found out.)
connaître	Je connaissais Paris. (I knew Paris.)	J’ai connu Paris en 2010. (I got to know Paris in 2010.)
vouloir	Il voulait partir. (He wanted to leave.)	Il a voulu partir. (He tried/decided to leave.)
pouvoir	Elle pouvait venir. (She was able to come.)	Elle a pu venir. (She managed to come.)

This contrast is why many learners need spoken correction. The grammar rule is short, but choosing the tense inside a real story takes practice.

Retell yesterday, last summer, or a childhood memory with an online French tutor and ask for one thing: every time l’imparfait should replace passé composé, stop and repeat the corrected sentence.

How do negatives and questions work in l’imparfait?

Negatives and questions in l’imparfait follow normal French sentence patterns. The verb changes tense, but the structure stays familiar.

For negatives, place ne and pas around the imperfect verb:

• Je ne savais pas. (I didn’t know.)
• Elle ne voulait pas parler. (She didn’t want to speak.)
• Nous n’étions pas prêts. (We were not ready.)

With jamais (never), plus (no longer), and rien (nothing), use them in the second negative position:

• Tu ne venais jamais. (You never used to come.)
• Il ne travaillait plus ici. (He no longer worked here.)
• Je ne comprenais rien. (I understood nothing.)

For questions, intonation is the easiest spoken pattern:

• Tu habitais à Lyon ? (Did you live in Lyon?)
• Vous travailliez le week-end ? (Did you use to work on weekends?)

Est-ce que also works:

• Est-ce que tu jouais d’un instrument ? (Did you play an instrument?)
• Est-ce qu’elle était malade ? (Was she sick?)

Inversion sounds more formal:

• Étiez-vous souvent en retard ? (Were you often late?)
• Avait-il peur ? (Was he afraid?)

italki helps learners get started with live grammar correction. The learning task stays focused: ask your tutor to ask questions in l’imparfait about your past and answer in full sentences.

What does l’imparfait sound like in real speech?

Most singular and third-person plural l’imparfait endings sound the same: -ais, -ait, and -aient all sound like eh. Je parlais, tu parlais, il parlait, and ils parlaient sound alike in normal speech.

Form	Pronunciation	English
je parlais	zhuh par-LEH	I was speaking
tu parlais	too par-LEH	you were speaking
il parlait	eel par-LEH	he was speaking
ils parlaient	eel par-LEH	they were speaking

The subject tells you who did the action. The ending alone often does not.

Nous and vous sound different:

• nous parlions, noo par-LYON (we were speaking)
• vous parliez, voo par-LYAY (you were speaking)
• nous finissions, noo fee-nee-SYON (we were finishing)
• vous finissiez, voo fee-nee-SYAY (you were finishing)

Pay attention to the difference between l’imparfait and infinitive sounds. Je parlais sounds like par-LEH, while parler (to speak) sounds like par-LAY. The vowel is close, and some accents make the contrast subtle.

The guide to French vowels is useful here because tense endings sound easier once the vowel system feels less random.

How should learners practice l’imparfait?

Practice l’imparfait by telling short past stories, not by filling pages of isolated verb charts. The tense becomes natural when it sits inside real scenes.

Use this three-step drill:

1. Describe the background with three l’imparfait sentences.
2. Add one completed event with passé composé.
3. Finish with one feeling or reaction in l’imparfait.

Example:

• Il faisait froid. (It was cold.)
• J’attendais le bus. (I was waiting for the bus.)
• Les gens marchaient vite. (People were walking quickly.)
• Soudain, j’ai vu mon ami. (Suddenly, I saw my friend.)
• J’étais content. (I was happy.)

For childhood memories:

• Quand j’étais petit(e), j’habitais… (When I was little, I lived…)
• Tous les étés, nous allions… (Every summer, we used to go…)
• Mon plat préféré était… (My favorite dish was…)
• Je voulais toujours… (I always wanted…)

For travel stories:

• Il faisait beau / mauvais. (The weather was nice / bad.)
• Nous cherchions… (We were looking for…)
• Je ne comprenais pas… (I didn’t understand…)
• J’avais faim / soif / peur. (I was hungry / thirsty / scared.)

Rules make sense alone, then disappear during speech. Use French tutoring for targeted correction and ask the tutor to mark each tense choice as “background,” “habit,” “ongoing,” or “event.”

Ready to tell better stories in French?

L’imparfait lets French stories sound natural: the weather, the mood, the habits, the ongoing action, and the memory all need this tense. Learn the endings first, then practice choosing between je parlais (I was speaking) and j’ai parlé (I spoke) until the contrast feels automatic.

italki has 30,000+ teachers across 150+ languages, so learners studying l’imparfait can find grammar-focused help, conversation practice, or pronunciation feedback in one place.

Book a trial lesson and practice l’imparfait through childhood stories, travel memories, and real past conversations.

FAQ

What is the imperfect tense in French?

The imperfect tense in French, l’imparfait, describes past habits, ongoing actions, background details, feelings, weather, age, and time. Example: Je travaillais (I was working, I used to work).

How do you form l’imparfait?

Take the present nous form, remove -ons, and add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Example: nous parlons becomes je parlais (I was speaking).

Is être irregular in l’imparfait?

Yes. Être uses the stem ét-: j’étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient.

What is the difference between imparfait and passé composé?

L’imparfait gives background, habits, or ongoing action. Passé composé gives a completed event. Je dormais quand il a appelé means I was sleeping when he called.

What are common l’imparfait signal words?

Often, l’imparfait appears with souvent (often), toujours (always), d’habitude (usually), tous les jours (every day), chaque été (every summer), and à l’époque (back then).