French conjugation explanation
Compound past vs. imperfect

Practice conjugations

<p>The <strong>compound past</strong> (<span style="font-style: italic;">passé composé</span>) and the <strong>imperfect</strong> (<span style="font-style: italic;">imparfait</span>) tenses are both used to describe actions in the past. However, their usage is quite different. Let's have a closer look at these two tenses. </p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Passé composé</div>

The <span style="font-style: italic;">passé composé</span> is used when referring to an action <strong>completed in the past</strong> (an action that had a definite beginning and a definite end). The action can be:

<ul>

<li>

<div>a single event:</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Elle lui <strong>a donné</strong> sa veste. (<span style="font-style: italic;">She gave him his jacket.</span>)</div>

</li>

<li>

<div>part of a chain of events:</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Il <strong>a déserté</strong> sa famille et <strong>est parti</strong> à l'étranger. (<span style="font-style: italic;">He deserted his family and went abroad.</span>)</div>

</li>

<li>

<div>an action repeated a specific number of times:</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Je <strong>me suis réveillé</strong> trois fois dans la nuit. (<span style="font-style: italic;">I awoke three times in the night.</span>)</div>

</li>

<li>

<div>a past action with a specific time marker:</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Je lui <strong>ai parlé</strong> au téléphone hier soir. (<span style="font-style: italic;">I talked to him on the telephone yesterday night.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Nous <strong>avons parlé</strong> et <strong>parlé</strong> jusqu'au petit matin. (<span style="font-style: italic;">We talked and talked until the day broke.</span>)</div>

</li>

</ul>

<p>Expressions that are usually used with the <span style="font-style: italic;">passé composé</span>:</p>

<ul>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">enfin</span> (finally)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">ensuite</span> (then, next)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">hier</span> (yesterday)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">l’année dernière</span> (last year)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">plusieurs fois</span> (several times)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">puis</span> (then, afterwards)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">soudain</span> (suddenly)</li>

</ul>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Imparfait</div>

<p>Using the <span style="font-style: italic;">imparfait</span> tense implies that the past action <strong>did not have a definite beginning or a definite end</strong>. It can be used to describe:</p>

<ul>

<li>

<div>a habitual or repeated action:</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Parfois, il <strong>agissait</strong> comme s'il était mon patron. (<span style="font-style: italic;">Sometimes he acted as if he were my boss.</span>)</div>

</li>

<li>

<div>two simultaneous actions:</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Nous <strong>lisions</strong> un livre pendant que nous <strong>mangions</strong>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">We were reading a book while eating.</span>)</div>

</li>

<li>

<div>a background action that sets the stage for other actions:</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Une femme nous a rendu visite pendant que tu <strong>dormais</strong>. (<span style="font-style: italic;">A woman visited us while you were sleeping.</span>)</div>

</li>

<li>

<div>a condition or state:</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">J'ai supposé que vous <strong>étiez</strong> heureux. (<span style="font-style: italic;">I assumed that you were happy.</span>)</div>

</li>

<li>

<div>someone or something:</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Les boissons <strong>étaient</strong> gratuites. (<span style="font-style: italic;">The drinks were free.</span>)</div>

</li>

<li>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Il <strong>était</strong> 2 heures de l'après-midi. (<span style="font-style: italic;">It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon.</span>)</div>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Quand j'<strong>avais</strong> 18 ans, je buvais. (<span style="font-style: italic;">When I was 18 I drank.</span>)</div>

</li>

</ul>

<p>Expressions that are usually used with the imperfect:</p>

<ul>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">chaque fois</span> (every time)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">de temps en temps</span> (from time to time)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">d’habitude</span> (usually)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">parfois</span> (sometimes)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">rarement</span> (rarely)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">souvent</span> (often)</li>

<li><span style="font-style: italic;">tous les jours</span> (every day)</li>

</ul>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Forming the passé composé</div>

<p>The <span style="font-style: italic;">passé composé</span> is formed by combining the auxiliary verb (<span style="font-style: italic;">avoir</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">être</span> conjugated in the present) and the past participle of the verb (e.g. <span style="font-style: italic;">donner</span> → <span style="font-style: italic;">donné</span>, see details further below).</p>

<p>Most French verbs use <span style="font-style: italic;">avoir</span> as an auxiliary verb. The verbs that use <span style="font-style: italic;">être</span> are intransitive (=<strong>not taking a direct object</strong>) verbs that usually indicate <strong>motion or change of state</strong>. <strong>Reflexive verbs</strong> also require <span style="font-style: italic;">être</span>. To learn more about how to choose to correct auxiliary verb, study the following explanations:</p>

<ul>

<li>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/french_wrong_auxiliary_verb" target="_blank">Auxiliary verbs</a>

</li>

<li>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/french_wrong_auxiliary_verb_for_reflexive" target="_blank">Auxiliary verb for reflexive verbs</a>

</li>

<li>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/french_wrong_variable_auxiliary_verb" target="_blank">Variable auxiliary verbs</a>

</li>

</ul>

<p>When the auxiliary verb is <span style="font-style: italic;">être</span>, the past participle has to agree in gender and number with the subject (<span style="font-style: italic;">-e-</span> is added to agree with a feminine subject, and <span style="font-style: italic;">-s-</span> with the plural). When the auxiliary verb is <span style="font-style: italic;">avoir</span>, the agreement is usually not necessary, but there are a few exceptions. To learn more about the agreement of the past participle, study the following explanations:</p>

<ul>

<li>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/missing_agreement_for_etre_form" target="_blank">Agreement with être</a>

</li>

<li>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/avoir_no_agreement" target="_blank">Agreement with avoir</a>

</li>

<li>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/french_preceding_direct_object_agreement" target="_blank">Agreement with a preceding direct object</a>

</li>

<li>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/changing_direct_object" target="_blank">Indirect object agreement</a>

</li>

<li>

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/conjugationExplanation/causative_agreement" target="_blank">Causative agreement</a>

</li>

</ul>

<p>Regular past participles are formed as follows:</p>

<ul>

<li><strong>-ER verbs:</strong> donner → donn<strong>é</strong> </li>

<li><strong>-IR verbs:</strong> finir → fin<strong>i</strong> </li>

<li><strong>-ER verbs:</strong> attendre → attend<strong>u</strong> </li>

</ul>

<p>There are many verbs with irregular past participle, as well. For example:</p>

<ul>

<li>avoir → eu</li>

<li>faire → fait</li>

<li>venir → venu</li>

<li>mettre → mis</li>

<li>prendre → pris</li>

</ul>

<p>For a complete list of past participles, check out our

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuide/2884" target="_blank">past participle guide</a>

.</p>

<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">Imparfait conjugations</div>

<p>Regular conjugation in the <span style="font-style: italic;">imparfait</span> tense for <strong><span style="font-style: italic; white-space: nowrap;">-er</span> verbs</strong> using the verb <span style="font-style: italic;">donner</span> (to give):</p>

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/26/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Imparfait</a>

</span>donnais

</span>

</div>

</span>donnais

</span>

</div>

</span>donnait

</span>

</div>

nous

</span>donnions

</span>

</div>

vous

</span>donniez

</span>

</div>

ils

</span>donnaient

</span>

</div>

<p>Regular conjugation in the <span style="font-style: italic;">imparfait</span> tense for <strong><span style="font-style: italic; white-space: nowrap;">-ir</span> verbs</strong> using the verb <span style="font-style: italic;">finir</span> (to finish):</p>

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/26/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Imparfait</a>

</span>finissais

</span>

</div>

</span>finissais

</span>

</div>

</span>finissait

</span>

</div>

nous

</span>finissions

</span>

</div>

vous

</span>finissiez

</span>

</div>

ils

</span>finissaient

</span>

</div>

<p>Regular conjugation in the <span style="font-style: italic;">imparfait</span> tense for <strong><span style="font-style: italic; white-space: nowrap;">-re</span> verbs</strong> using the verb <span style="font-style: italic;">attendre</span> (to wait):</p>

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/26/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Imparfait</a>

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun"><span>j'</span></span>attendais

</span>

</div>

</span>attendais

</span>

</div>

</span>attendait

</span>

</div>

nous

</span>attendions

</span>

</div>

vous

</span>attendiez

</span>

</div>

ils

</span>attendaient

</span>

</div>

<p>For all imperfect conjugations, check out our

<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuide/2877" target="_blank">tense guide</a>

.</p>

French conjugation explanation Compound past vs. imperfect

French conjugation explanation
Compound past vs. imperfect