L’emploi et La distinction entre le passé composé et l’imparfait :
The following key words and phrases can help you figure out whether to use l'imparfait or le passé composé:
L’Imparfait
I.
An ongoing action with no specified completion
Quand j’étais petit, je voyageais en France.
- When I was young, I was traveling to France.
Quand j’avais dix ans, je jouais au tennis.
- When I was ten years old, I was playing tennis.
II.
A habitual or repeated action
J’allais à l’école catholique.
- I used to go to catholic school.
Je me réveillais à six heures du matin tous les jours.
-I used to wake up at 6 AM every day.
III.
Description/background info; set the scene of how things were or what was happening when... (to be + -ing usually indicates this)
Je traversais la rue....
- I was crossing the street ...
Je faisais la cuisine
- I was cooking ....
Je parlais au téléphone ....
- I was talking on the phone ....
Le professeur enseignait ...
- The professor was teaching
IV.
General description of physical or mental state of being
J'avais peur des chiens.
- I was afraid of dogs.
Le Passé Composé
VS One or more events or actions that began and ended in the past
L’année dernière, j’ai voyagé en France trois fois.
- Last year I traveled to France three times.
- Last year I traveled to France three times.
Hier, j’ai joué au tennis jusqu’à six heures du soir.
- Yesterday I played Tennis until 6 PM.
VS A single event
Hier, je suis allé à l’église.
-Yesterday I went to the church.
-Yesterday I went to the church.
Hier, je me suis réveillé à six heures du
matin.
- Yesterday I woke up at 6 AM.
+ ...when something happened, interrupting the description/background.
quand la voiture m’a renversé.
- when the car ran me over.
quand le téléphone a sonné.
- when the phone rang.
quand il est entré dans ma chambre.
- when he entered my room.
quand un des étudiants est arrivé en classe.
- when one of the students arrived in the classe.
VS Change in physical or mental state at a
recise moment or for an isolated cause
Quand le chien a aboyé, j’ai eu peur.
- When the dog barked, I got afraid.
V.
Expression of the time of day, age in the past or description of the weather.
Il était cinq heures du matin.
- It was five a.m.
C'était son anniversaire; il avait douze ans.
- It was his birthday; he was twelve.
Il faisait très froid et il neigeait beaucoup.
- It was very cold and it was snowing a lot.
VI.
L’imparfait is also used after SI to express a suggestion or a wish:
Ah! Si j’étais seulement plus belle!
- Ah!! if only I was more beautiful.
Si nous allions au restaurant chinois ce soir après la classe ?
- should we go to a chinese restaurant this evening after the class?
L’Imparfait
d'habitude
de temps en temps
autrefois
le week-end
le lundi
tous les jours
souvent
claque semaine
Chaque mois
Chaque année
le week-end
le soir
normalement
en général
Le Passé Composé
une/deux (etc.) fois
plusieurs fois
soudainement
un week-end
lundi
un jour
tout d'un coup
tout de suite
usually
from time to time
formerly
on the weekends
on Mondays
every day
often
every week
every month
every year
on the weekends
in the evenings
usually
in general, generally
once/twice (etc.)
several times
suddenly
one weekend
on Monday
one day
all of a sudden
right away
Voilà Capitaine Haddock qui donne la description d’un soir dans le passé. Regardez comment il emploi les verbes à l’imparfait.
Encounter any issues such as inactive links, spelling problems, etc. Please email me at mdamghani@ccc.edu Merci Beaucoup.
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