French Passé Composé vs Imparfait

For completed actions at a specific moment, single events, and actions in a sequence. Hier, j'ai mangé une pizza. = Yesterday I ate a pizza.

For background description, ongoing states, habits in the past (used to), and age, time and weather in the past. Quand j'étais petit, je jouais au foot. = When I was little, I used to play soccer.

Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons, add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. nous parlons → je parlais Only exception: être → j'étais.

Present of avoir or être + past participle. j'ai parlé, je suis allé(e)

Reflexive verbs and about 16 verbs of movement or change of state (aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, rester, tomber, retourner, passer, devenir, revenir...). The past participle agrees with the subject: elle est partie.

souvent, tous les jours, d'habitude, chaque été, autrefois, pendant que

hier, soudain, tout à coup, un jour, une fois, ce matin-là

Yesterday we visited the Louvre. Passé composé: a completed action at a specific time (hier).

When I was a child, I used to play in the garden. Imparfait: a past habit.

The weather was nice and the sun was shining. Imparfait: background description and weather.

I was reading when the phone rang. The interrupting event is in the passé composé; the ongoing action is in the imparfait.

I was sleeping when you called. Imparfait: the action in progress that got interrupted.

She arrived at eight o'clock. Passé composé with être; the participle agrees with elle (arrivée).

Every summer we used to go to the seaside. Imparfait: repeated habit (tous les étés).

One day he decided to leave. Passé composé: a single event (un jour).

She was twenty in 2010. Imparfait: age in the past.

It was midnight when they came home. Imparfait: time in the past.

They left early this morning. Passé composé with être; participle agrees: partis.

Suddenly the light went out. Passé composé: a sudden event (soudain). Reflexive verbs take être.

I usually used to take the bus. Imparfait: a habit (d'habitude).

I saw this movie three times. Passé composé: a specific number of completed occurrences.

We were happy to see you. Imparfait: a state or feeling in the past.

While I was cooking, he set the table. Passé composé for the completed action; imparfait for the background (cuisinais).

She was born in Lyon. naître takes être in the passé composé.

The castle was very big. Imparfait: description in the past.