L'Imparfait Formation
Form the imparfait from the nous present-tense stem. Add the endings -ais/-ais/-ait/-ions/-iez/-aient. Apply to descriptions, habitual past actions, and background context. Note the single exception: être → ét-.
A lesson of French A2 — Elementary, in L'Imparfait, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will form the imparfait for any French verb and know the three core uses of this tense.
What Is the Imparfait?
The imparfait (imperfect) is French's second major past tense. Where the passé composé marks completed, bounded events, the imparfait marks:
- Ongoing states — what things were like
- Repeated or habitual actions — what used to happen, what happened regularly
- Background context — the scene in which a passé composé event took place
Formation: One Rule
The imparfait stem comes directly from the nous form of the present tense. Drop -ons to get the stem, then add the imparfait endings.
Stem = nous present tense form − -ons
| Verb | Nous Present | Stem | |
|---|---|---|---|
| parler | nous parlons | parl- | |
| finir | nous finissons | finiss- | |
| prendre | nous prenons | pren- | |
| voir | nous voyons | voy- | |
| boire | nous buvons | buv- | |
| faire | nous faisons | fais- |
Imparfait Endings
These endings are the same for every verb without exception:
| Pronoun | Ending | Parler | Finir | Prendre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | parlais | finissais | prenais |
| tu | -ais | parlais | finissais | prenais |
| il/elle/on | -ait | parlait | finissait | prenait |
| nous | -ions | parlions | finissions | prenions |
| vous | -iez | parliez | finissiez | preniez |
| ils/elles | -aient | parlaient | finissaient | prenaient |