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Questions and Answers
The imperfect past tense in French is used to describe actions that were habitual, repeating, progressive, or ______ in the past without a definite end time.
The imperfect past tense in French is used to describe actions that were habitual, repeating, progressive, or ______ in the past without a definite end time.
continuous
In English, the imperfect tense often corresponds to the past continuous or past ______ tense, using the 'was/were + present participle' structure.
In English, the imperfect tense often corresponds to the past continuous or past ______ tense, using the 'was/were + present participle' structure.
progressive
To form the imperfect tense, you start with the '______' form of the verb in the present tense and then modify its ending.
To form the imperfect tense, you start with the '______' form of the verb in the present tense and then modify its ending.
nous
After obtaining the 'nous' form and before adding the endings, the '______' ending must be dropped to create the stem for the imperfect tense.
After obtaining the 'nous' form and before adding the endings, the '______' ending must be dropped to create the stem for the imperfect tense.
The imperfect tense endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, and -aient are notable because they are all pronounced the ______.
The imperfect tense endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, and -aient are notable because they are all pronounced the ______.
For verbs like manger (to eat), an '______' is added after the 'g' in most forms of the imperfect tense (except for nous and vous) to maintain its soft sound.
For verbs like manger (to eat), an '______' is added after the 'g' in most forms of the imperfect tense (except for nous and vous) to maintain its soft sound.
In verbs ending in '-cer', like commencer (to begin), a ______ is added before the imperfect endings to maintain the soft 'c' sound.
In verbs ending in '-cer', like commencer (to begin), a ______ is added before the imperfect endings to maintain the soft 'c' sound.
When conjugating verbs such as essuyer (to wipe) in the imperfect tense, the stem will feature ______ i's together.
When conjugating verbs such as essuyer (to wipe) in the imperfect tense, the stem will feature ______ i's together.
Être (to be) is the only ______ verb in the imperfect tense.
Être (to be) is the only ______ verb in the imperfect tense.
The verb boire (to drink) becomes buvait in the imperfect. This conjugation is formed by taking the nous form, dropping the ons, and adding the appropriate ______.
The verb boire (to drink) becomes buvait in the imperfect. This conjugation is formed by taking the nous form, dropping the ons, and adding the appropriate ______.
Flashcards
Imperfect Past Tense
Imperfect Past Tense
Describes habitual, repeating, or continuous past actions with an unknown end time.
Imperfect Tense Use
Imperfect Tense Use
Actions that are not obviously completed.
Forming Imperfect Tense
Forming Imperfect Tense
- 'Nous' form of present tense. 2. Drop 'ons'. 3. Add imperfect endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
Imperfect: Boire (to drink)
Imperfect: Boire (to drink)
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Imperfect: Lire (to read)
Imperfect: Lire (to read)
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Imperfect: Parler (to speak)
Imperfect: Parler (to speak)
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Imperfect: Être (to be)
Imperfect: Être (to be)
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Verbs ending in -ger and -cer
Verbs ending in -ger and -cer
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Study Notes
Imperfect Past Tense Overview
- Used to describe habitual, repeating, progressive, or continuous actions in the past.
- The action is "imperfect" because the exact end time is unknown.
- Corresponds to the past continuous or past progressive in English.
- Used for actions that are not obviously completed.
- Often appears in English as "was/were + present participle (ing form)".
- It sets the scene by describing continuous ongoing action in the past.
Examples of Imperfect Tense in Use
- "I was reading when you called": "I was reading" sets the scene, while "you called" is a specific, completed action.
- "He broke his arm while he was snowboarding": "broke" is a completed action, while "was snowboarding" is an ongoing action.
- Context determines use of the verb "to be" in the imperfect, as English rarely uses "was being".
Forming the Imperfect Tense in French
- Step 1: Obtain the "nous" form of the verb in the present tense.
- Step 2: Drop the "ons" ending.
- Step 3: Add the following endings to the stem:
- -ais
- -ais
- -ait
- -ions
- -iez
- -aient or -aient
- Pronunciation: All of the above endings are pronounced the same way.
- The rules apply to -er, -ir, and -re verbs.
Examples of Forming the Imperfect Tense
- Boire (to drink):
- "Nous" form: buvons
- Drop "ons": buv-
- Imperfect conjugations: buvais, buvais, buvait, buvions, buviez, buvaient
- Lire (to read):
- "Nous" form: lisons
- Drop "ons": lis-
- Imperfect conjugations: lisais, lisais, lisait, lisions, lisiez, lisaient
- Parler (to speak):
- "Nous" form: parlons
- Drop "ons": parl-
- Imperfect conjugations: parlais, parlais, parlait, parlions, parliez, parlaient
Irregularities and Special Cases
- The main challenge is memorizing the endings.
- Être (to be) is the only irregular verb in the imperfect:
- j'étais, tu étais, il/elle/on était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils/elles étaient.
- Don't forget the accents on the E
- For verbs like "Essuyer", there will be two i's together, but that's normal
- Verbs ending in -ger and -cer:
- Verbs like "manger" and "commencer" need special attention to preserve consonant sounds.
- Add an "e" after the "g" (except for "nous" and "vous" forms) to keep the G sounding soft, and a "ç" (cédille) before all the endings to keep the C sounding soft.
- Verbs like "manger" and "commencer" need special attention to preserve consonant sounds.
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