What is the difference between the imperfect tense and the passé composé?

They are both used to talk about the past, however the imperfect tense talks about something that happened habitually or over a long period of time in the past and the passé composé is used to talk about a finished one-off action that happened in the past. For example: To say: "When I was younger I played tennis" you would use Imperfect as you played tennis multiple times when you were younger. "Quand j'étais plus jeune, je jouais au tennis"To say: "On Sunday I played tennis" you would use the passé composé as you only played tennis on Sunday as a one-off completed action. "Dimanche, j'ai joué au tennis"

EW
Answered by Eleanor W. French tutor

1975 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Parlez de votre passion


How do you conjugate irregular verbs that take être in the passé composé (present perfect)?


How do I remember when to use the perfect or the imperfect tense?


How do you use direct object pronouns in French?


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