When to identify whether something in French is using the 'Imparfait' tense or the 'Passe Compose' when they both mean the past tense?

Answer 1

There are rules which determine when the imparfait and the passé composé are used.

The passé composé is used to express an action which started and ended in the past. For instance, "Monday I went to the library." : Lundi je suis allé à la bibliothèque.

The imparfait is used to express an action in the past which was continuous, habitual, or repeated, and is also used in descriptive passages.

habitual / repeated

Lorsque j'avais dix ans (at a particular point in time), je faisais du vélo tous les jours (a habitual action, one that starts and stops on a habitual basis).When I was ten, I cycled every day.

continuous

Quand nous étions à Nice, le soleil brillait tous les jours (the sun was continuously shining while we were there) When we were at Nice, the sun shone every day.

description

En 1965, elle avait 15 ans. Elle était mince, belle et coquette. Elle portait des jupes très courtes, et elle avait les cheveux très longs. (description of how she looked at that point in time, when she was 15 years old) In 1965, she was 15. She was thin, beautiful, and flirtatious. She wore short skirts and her hair was very long.

It takes time and a lot of practice to learn to use the passé composé and imparfait correctly, but if you stick with it, it will seem very natural after a while. If you are writing homework exercises using one, the other, or both together in the same sentence, you may have to think it through at first, but those writing exercises really do help to fix it in your mind. Then when you use these tenses in conversation, you may still have to stop and think about it at first, and check yourself once in a while. But with time and practice, it does become automatic, and your French friends will be very impressed when you use both tenses correctly.

Hope that helps!