Imparfait: Formation and Regular Patterns

The imparfait (imperfect tense) is the second major past tense in French. While the passé composé tells you what happened (completed events), the imparfait tells you what was happening, what used to happen, or what things were like in the past. It paints the background, describes ongoing states, and expresses habits.

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How to Form the Imparfait

The imparfait is remarkably regular. The formation process is:

1. Take the nous form of the present tense.
2. Remove the -ons ending to get the imparfait stem.
3. Add the imparfait endings.

The Imparfait Endings

Person	Ending
je	-ais
tu	-ais
il / elle / on	-ait
nous	-ions
vous	-iez
ils / elles	-aient

Pronunciation note: The endings -ais, -ait, and -aient all sound the same: /ɛ/. The nous and vous forms (-ions, -iez) are the only ones that sound distinctly different.

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Step-by-Step Examples

Parler (to speak) — nous parlons → stem: parl-

Person	Imparfait	Translation
je	parlais	I was speaking / I used to speak
tu	parlais	you were speaking
il / elle / on	parlait	he/she was speaking
nous	parlions	we were speaking
vous	parliez	you were speaking
ils / elles	parlaient	they were speaking

Finir (to finish) — nous finissons → stem: finiss-

Person	Imparfait	Translation
je	finissais	I was finishing
tu	finissais	you were finishing
il / elle / on	finissait	he/she was finishing
nous	finissions	we were finishing
vous	finissiez	you were finishing
ils / elles	finissaient	they were finishing

Avoir (to have) — nous avons → stem: av-

Person	Imparfait	Translation
je	avais	I had / I was having
tu	avais	you had
il / elle / on	avait	he/she had
nous	avions	we had
vous	aviez	you had
ils / elles	avaient	they had

Faire (to do/make) — nous faisons → stem: fais-

Person	Imparfait	Translation
je	faisais	I was doing
tu	faisais	you were doing
il / elle / on	faisait	he/she was doing
nous	faisions	we were doing
vous	faisiez	you were doing
ils / elles	faisaient	they were doing

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The One Irregular Verb: Être

Être is the only verb that is truly irregular in the imparfait:

Person	Imparfait	Translation
je	étais	I was
tu	étais	you were
il / elle / on	était	he/she/it was
nous	étions	we were
vous	étiez	you were
ils / elles	étaient	they were

Good news: Être is the only irregular verb in the imparfait. Every other verb follows the regular pattern.

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Spelling Notes