Past Tenses
Passé composé vs imparfait: formation and usage
Passé Composé (Compound Past)
Expresses completed actions and specific past events. This is the most common past tense in spoken French.
Formation: avoir/être (present tense) + past participle
Most verbs use avoir as the auxiliary:
| Subject | Example: manger (to eat) |
|---|---|
| j' | ai mangé |
| tu | as mangé |
| il/elle | a mangé |
| nous | avons mangé |
| vous | avez mangé |
| ils/elles | ont mangé |
Past Participle Rules
| Verb group | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -er | → -é | parlé, mangé, aimé |
| -ir | → -i | fini, choisi, réussi |
| -re | → -u | vendu, attendu, répondu |
| Irregular | must memorize | fait, dit, écrit, pris, mis, vu, lu |
Verbs that use être (DR MRS VANDERTRAMP)
These 16 verbs (+ all reflexive verbs) use être instead of avoir:
| Verb | Past Participle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Devenir | devenu | to become |
| Revenir | revenu | to come back |
| Monter | monté | to go up |
| Rester | resté | to stay |
| Sortir | sorti | to go out |
| Venir | venu | to come |
| Aller | allé | to go |
| Naître | né | to be born |
| Descendre | descendu | to go down |
| Entrer | entré | to enter |
| Rentrer | rentré | to go home |
| Tomber | tombé | to fall |
| Retourner | retourné | to return |
| Arriver | arrivé | to arrive |
| Mourir | mort | to die |
| Partir | parti | to leave |
Key rule: With être verbs, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject!
- Elle est allée. (she went — add -e for feminine)
- Ils sont allés. (they went — add -s for masculine plural)
- Elles sont allées. (they went — add -es for feminine plural)
Imparfait (Imperfect Past)
Expresses past states, habits, and background descriptions. Think of it as "setting the scene."
Formation: nous present-tense stem + endings
| Subject | Ending | Example: parler (nous parl-ons) |
|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | parlais |
| tu | -ais | parlais |
| il/elle | -ait | parlait |
| nous | -ions | parlions |
| vous | -iez | parliez |
| ils/elles | -aient | parlaient |
The only exception: être → j'étais (the stem does NOT come from nous sommes).
Pronunciation tip: je parlais, tu parlais, il parlait, and ils parlaient all sound the same — [paʁlɛ].
When to Use Which?
| Passé Composé | Imparfait |
|---|---|
| Specific events/actions | Background / states / descriptions |
| Completed actions | Ongoing actions (in progress) |
| One-time occurrences | Habitual / repeated actions |
| "What happened" | "What things were like" |
Example in context:
- Quand je suis arrivé (PC), il pleuvait (Imp).
- When I arrived (specific event), it was raining (background/ongoing).
TCF Tip: In listening passages, the passé composé tells you what happened (the events), while the imparfait provides context (weather, feelings, descriptions). Being able to distinguish them quickly is crucial for comprehension.