Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense is formed from the stem of the 2nd person plural nous form of the present tense and the following endings:

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*the verb être is the only exception to this pattern

 Nota Bene:

-The example in the table above shows how to conjugate the verb jeter- to throw. Firstly, it shows the verb in the 2nd person plural nous form – jetons, then it combines the stem from this form – jet, with the appropriate endings.

– It also shows the only exception to this pattern, the verb être – to be.

With -cer verbs, the cedilla is dropped in the nous and vous forms of the imperfect tense

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With -ger verbs, no extra ‘e’ is added in the nous and vous forms of the imperfect tense

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Usage of the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense describes:

–  A state of affairs or state of mind in the past

 e.g. La mer était calme pour la première fois, which means , The sea was calm for the first time.

– An action presented as a background to another event in the past

 e.g. Pendant que tu dormais, je me suis promené dans le jardin, which means , While you were sleeping, i walked in the garden.

– A habitual action in the past:

e.g. Quand Michelle était une adolescente, elle sortait souvent avec des amis, which means , When Michelle was a teenager, she often went out with friends.

Usage with the conjunction ‘si’

The imperfect tense is used after si when:

– The main verb is in the conditional tense

 e.g. Si j’étais riche, je ferais construire une grande piscine derrière ma maison, which means , If i were rich, I would build a big pool behind my house.

– Making a suggestion

 e.g. Si on allait au cinéma ce soir , which means , If we went to the movies tonight.
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