L*imparfait - cloudfront.net

Français I –Leçon 8A
Structures
Le verbe: vivre
Passé composé vs. L’imparfait

vivre = to live
je vis
tu vis
il/elle vit
nous vivons
vous vivez
ils/elles vivent
Passé composé : avoir + vécu
L’imparfait: viv + imparfait ending

passé composé vs. l’imparfait
1. The passé composé and the imparfait are
both past tenses. The choice between these
two tenses depends on the context and on
the point of view of the speaker.
2. The passé composé and the imparfait are
often used together to narrate a story or an
incident. The imparfait usually sets the scene
or the background, while the passé composé
moves the story along.

Le passé composé vs. l’imparfait
Passé composé
It is used to talk about:
•Main facts
•Specific, completed events
•Actions that advance the
plot
L’imparfait
It is used to describe:
•The framework of the story:
weather, date, time,
background scenery
•Descriptions of people: age,
physical and personality traits,
clothing, feelings, state of
mind
•Background setting: what was
going on, what others were
doing

When the passé composé and the
imparfait occur in the same sentence,
the action in the passé composé often
interrupts the ongoing action in the
imparfait.
Je chantais quand mon ami est arrivé.
I was singing when my friend arrived.
Maxime et Céline dormaient quand le téléphone a sonné.
Maxime and Céline were sleeping when the phone rang