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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.
The imparfait is remarkably regular. The formation process is:
| 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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