The Passé composé vs Imparfait: which one to use?

Texte de Florence Harang

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French past tenses

What is the difference between the passé composé versus the imparfait in the French language? How to use them, which one to use when you speak in the past, how to articulate them in the same sentence?

For French learners, the most tricky aspect of these French verb forms is that they often work together within individual sentences. Understanding the contrasting relationship between the passé composé and the imparfait will help you to overcome your fear of relating events or situations in the past.



1 - Imparfait: the imperfect in English



A - The imperfect and habits in the past

The imperfect tense imparfait in French is used to express ongoing or lasting action in the past. It corresponds to the past progressive in English (i.e. I was reading). It can also correspond to the English tense structure with used to.

«Je blaguais» - «I was joking»

 «Quand j’étais enfant, j’aimais l’école» - «When I was a child, I used to love school»

«Quand on partait en vacances, on allait toujours à la montagne» - «When we were going on vacations we used to go to the montain »

B  - The imparfait used with the passé composé in the same sentence

One common use of the imparfait is in sentences that relate two past events to each other, one expressing an ongoing situation which sets the scene (using the imparfait) the other a specific action (using the passé composé in French)  

«Je suis tombé de mon vélo au moment où je sortais du garage» - «I fell off my bike as I was coming out of the garage»
«Je dormais quand j'ai entendu le réveil» - «I was sleeping when I heard the alarm»

C - The imparfait & the background

The imparfait describes the background, it captures and sets the scene as a postcard and gives indications about the moment of the day, the weather, feelings, physical conditions, attitudes, or external circumstances. It captures the whole scene and is used for the description.

«Hier j’étais fatigué, il faisait très chaud et il y avait beaucoup de monde à la bibliothèque» - «Yesterday I was tired, it was very hot and there was a lot off people at the library»

With this sentence you describe the scene in the past and give information about your physical condition j’étais fatigué, about the weather il faisait très chaud and about the whole scene il y avait beaucoup de monde.

D – The endings of the imparfait

For all verbs, the imperfect tense is formed with the endings:
        -ais,  -ais,  -ait,  -ions  - iez  -aient

Sample verb: porter
Singular: Je portais, tu portais, il/elle/on portait
Plural: Nous portions,  vous portiez,  ils/elles portaient

2 - Passé composé: the past perfect in English



This is the tense which is most commonly used for describing events in the past whereas the imperfect describes the background.

A - Passé composé with the auxililiary Avoir

It corresponds to either the preterite or the present perfect tense in English.
It is formed using the auxiliary avoir (or for some verbs être) and the past participle.

«J’ai entendu un bruit bizarre et j’ai couru jusque chez moi»

«I heard a strange noise and I ran to my house»

B - Passé composé with the auxiliary Etre

With common verbs of movement, the perfect tense is conjugated with the auxiliary être, not avoir.
These verbs are: aller, venir, monter, descendre, entrer, sortir, arriver, partir, rester, tomber, naître, mourir (and devenir, rentrer, remonter, repartir etc.) except when these verbs are used transitively, i.e.with an object.

«Je suis allé à Paris la semaine dernière et je suis rentré chez deux jours plus tard»

«I went to Paris last week and I returned home two days later»

C - The endings

Sample verbs with the auxiliary avoir :
Etre: j'ai été, tu as été, il/elle a été, nous avons été, vous avez été, ils ont été
Avoir: j'ai eu, tu as eu, il/elle/on a eu, nous avons eu, vous avez eu, ils/elles ont eu
Pouvoir: j'ai pu, tu as pu, il/elle a pu, nous avons pu, vous avez pu, ils/elles ont pu
Vouloir: j'ai voulu, tu as voulu, il/elle/on  a voulu, nous avons voulu, ils/elles ont voulu
Voir: j'ai vu, tu as vu, il/elle/on a vu, nous avons vu, vous avez vu, ils/elles ont vu

Dormir: j'ai dormi, tu as dormi, il/elle/on a dormi, nous avons dormi, vous avez dormi
Vendre: j'ai vendu, tu as vendu, etc.

Sample verbs with auxiliary être:

Aller: je suis allé(e), tu es allé(e), il/elle/on est allé(es), nous sommes allé(es), vous êtes allé(es), ils/elles sont allé(es)

Venir: je suis venu, tu es venu, il est venu, nous sommes venus, ils sont venus

Partir: je suis parti(e), tu es parti(e), il/elle/on est parti(e), nous sommes parti(es), vous êtes parti(es), ils/elles sont parti(es)

Sortir: je suis sorti(e), tu es sorti(e), il/elle/on est sorti(e), nous sommes sorti(e)s, vous êtes sortis(ies), ils/elles sont sorti(es)

Arriver: je suis arrivé(e), tu es arrivé(e), il/elle est arrivé(e), nous sommes arrivé(es), vous êtes arrivé(es), ils/elles ont arrivé(es)

Rester: je suis resté(e), tu es resté(e), il/elle est resté(e), nous sommes resté(es), vous êtes resté(es), ils/elles/ sont resté(es)

Naitre: je suis né(e), tu es né(e), il/elle est né(e), nous sommes né(e), vous êtes né(es), ils/elles sont né(es)

3  - Past perfect and imperfect in the same sentence

For French students, the trickiest aspect of these French verb forms is that they often work together, juxtaposed not only throughout stories, but even within individual sentences.

Imparfait describes what was happening or an on going situation when …

… the passé composé interrupted with news of some occurence.

1- J’étais chez Bob…

I was at Bob's when

… il a commencé à pleuvoir.

… it started raining.

2- J’essayais de me concentrer sur mes devoirs quand

I was trying to focus on my studies when

… j’ai reçu un appel.

… I received a call.

The Imparfait describes the background            ….the passé composé introduces an event

-       1- Hier il faisait très chaud                   ….et je suis allé à la piscine

-       Yesterday it was very hot…                ….and I went to the swimming pool

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“Hello! I am Florence Harang, a French tutor and the owner of French à La Carte. I am also a Parisian with my eyes looking abroad.

Through my blog, I share tips related to the learning process of the French language that I have taught for the last ten years to more than a hundred and fifty students. 

I also provide insight on the French culture. This blog is for all French learners at all levels but also for those curious about French culture and Paris!

Thank you for reading ! ”

— Florence Harang

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