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

2299 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How would you say "I enjoy being with my friends. When I can't see them, we keep contact by text message" in French ?


When should I use the perfect tense and the imperfect tense?


Which verbs take être in compound tenses?


La cigarette est un vrai problème chez les jeunes. Which social issue is being mentioned here?


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:

© 2026 by IXL Learning