How do I use the imperfect in French?

In French, the imperfect is used to describe a scene (il FAISAIT beau), to say that you did something regularly in the past (je MANGEAIS un burger toutes les semaines) or to describe a continuous action in the past (je COURAIS très vite).

It is formed by taking the nous form of the present, taking off the 'ons' and adding the endings (ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient). For example, if I want to say "you (plural) used to say", I would take the nous form of the present (nous disons), take off the ending and add iez. "Vous disiez". Et voilà!

SG
Answered by Sérina G. French tutor

2990 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How can I improve my written style to sound more sophisticated/to a higher level?


What is the conditional and how do we conjugate it?


What is the difference between the "near future" and the "simple future"?


How do I know when an adjective is masculine of feminine ?


We're here to help

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

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences