What is the difference between the passé composé and imparfait?

The passé composé is used to express a completed action in the past, whereas the imparfait can be used to describe an ongoing state or action, or something that used to happen.Passé composécomplete actionJ’ai fini mes devoirs.(I finished my homework)countedJ’ai perdu mon livre deux fois.(I lost my book twice)newÀ ce moment, j’ai détesté l’école.(At that moment, I hated school)Imparfaitincomplete actionJe faisais mes devoirs.(I was doing my homework)uncountedJe perdais constamment mon livre.(I always used to lose my book)ongoing/continuousJ’aimais l’école.(I liked school)Here's a sentence that uses both tenses...Je faisais mes devoirs quand le téléphone a sonné.(I was doing my homework when the phone rang)

EH
Answered by Esmat H. French tutor

2087 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Tu participes à un événement sportif au Canada. Tu postes cette photo (3 friends, one a basketballer) sur des médias sociaux pour tes amis. Écris une description de la photo et exprime ton opinion sur le sport. Écris 20–30 mots environ en français.


Lire le text, est ce qu'il est a) a baker, b) a postman ou c) a sailor?


Describe where you live, population, characteristics and geographical location.


How do you form the subjunctive of an -er verb?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning