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"Imparfait" in the indicative mode is the standard tense to describe an action happening or that happened in the past, regardless of its start or duration.

The "passé composé" is used mostly to refer to a specific moment, not an action over its whole duration. The "passé simple" isn't used anymore, at least in oral French.

The imparfait may also be used for modal reasons (for instance after a verb in "present", "passé simple" or "passé composé"), and can also be used to describe an hypothetical action.

"Imparfait" in the subjonctive mode is not used in French anymore, because of the ridiculous pedantic sounding ending forms.

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What is the ending for vous in the imparfait?

"iez" is the vous ending in the imperfect. (For example, aimer --> aimiez.)


How do you say the past tense for the word had in french?

Verbe 'avoir' à l'indicatif imparfait: J'avais (=I had) Tu avais Il avait Nous avions Vous aviez Ils avaient


When writing a story in French of the past how do you know when to use Imparfait or Passe Compose?

The quick rule of thumb when writing or speaking is "Imparfait" is the very near past, i.e. this morning, a few hours ago at most yesterday. Whereas "Passé Composé" is the past, usually a longer time has passed.So for an example:Je buvais du café ce matin. (Imparfait)I drank coffee this morning.J'ai acheté du café la semaine dernière. (Passé composé)I bought coffee last week.


Why do the french call the past tense the past perfect?

There are several different tenses in French which express things that happened in the past. The imparfait expresses things that were repeated or were continuing in the past. For instance: When I was a little girl, I spent every Saturday with my grandmother. The passe compose expresses things that were started and finished in the past. Eg: When I was ten, I bought my first bicycle.The French do not have a tense which they call the past perfect. The tense that we refer to as the past perfect is called "perfect" because it is an occurrence that has been completed in the past (as opposed to something that was continuous or repeating, which would be expressed by the imparfait). GThey do have a tense called the plusque parfait (literally, more than perfect), which expresses things like: By the time I was ten, I had learned three languages. Lorsque j'avais dix ans, j'avais appris trois langues. These are actions that were completed before another action took place - I learned three languages (first completion) before I turned ten (second event).hope that helps :)


What is the past tense of the French word est?

The past tense of the French word "est" is "était."

Related Questions

What is the ending for vous in the imparfait?

"iez" is the vous ending in the imperfect. (For example, aimer --> aimiez.)


What is the French 'imparfait'?

The word 'imparfait' may be an adjective in French. As such, it may mean imperfect, as of an image; incomplete, as of a work; and partial, as of a cure. The word also may be used as a noun. As such, perhaps its most common use is the name of the verb tense that's the French equivalent of the English imperfect. The French imperfect tense may be expressed in the indicative mood [of reality] or the subjunctive mood [of wishes].


How do you say imperfect in french?

imparfait


What does saviez mean?

'saviez' is a form of the verb 'savoir', meaning to know in French ; it is the second person plural at the past tense 'imparfait'. vous saviez: you knew (you plural or formal)


How do you write i had in french?

"j'avais" (imparfait) or "j'ai eu" (passé composé)


How do you distinguish between imparfait and passé composé in French?

Imparfait only the verb;pase compose 2 parts avoir or etre & the verb not the infinitive form like I was lookING in Eng in french voir & vu


How do you say the past tense for the word had in french?

Verbe 'avoir' à l'indicatif imparfait: J'avais (=I had) Tu avais Il avait Nous avions Vous aviez Ils avaient


What is had in French?

"had" is the past tense of "to have", which is the verb "avoir" in French imparfait tense for avoir: j'avais tu avais il avait nous avions vous aviez ils avaient It is one of the two "auxiliary" verbs in French, it enables you to conjugate verbs in composite tenses like plus que parfait or passé composé. auxiliary verbs: to have: avoir to be: être


What is faire masculin past tense in french?

imparfait :je faisaistu faisaisil faisaitnous faisionsvous faisiezils faisaientpassé composé :j'ai faittu as faitil a faitnous avons faitvous avez faitils ont fait


What tenses are used in the French GCSE?

In the French GCSE curriculum, students typically encounter several tenses, including the present tense, passé composé (past tense), imparfait (imperfect tense), future proche (near future), and futur simple (simple future). They may also be introduced to the conditional and subjunctive moods. Mastery of these tenses allows students to express a range of actions and events in different time frames. Understanding how to use these tenses accurately is essential for effective communication in French.


When writing a story in French of the past how do you know when to use Imparfait or Passe Compose?

The quick rule of thumb when writing or speaking is "Imparfait" is the very near past, i.e. this morning, a few hours ago at most yesterday. Whereas "Passé Composé" is the past, usually a longer time has passed.So for an example:Je buvais du café ce matin. (Imparfait)I drank coffee this morning.J'ai acheté du café la semaine dernière. (Passé composé)I bought coffee last week.


How do you say it had in french?

There are numerous past tenses in French. "It had" will most likely be imperfect (imparfait), so it would be "il avait". If "it had" is preterite (passé composé), it would be "il a eu".