What is the difference between the imperfect past tense and the simple past tense?

The imperfect past tense is used when:-speaking of an event in the past that has happened repeatedly (eg: tous les jours j'allais à l'école)-describing a person, object or event in the past (eg: il avait un manteau noir)The simple past tense is used when referring to something that happened at a specific time, it is focused on the action itself rather than the description of what is happening (eg: il mit ses chaussures)

CS
Answered by Charles S. French tutor

1684 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Please could you explain to me when past participles must agree when using the passé composé? (NB in my experience, this was an issue for A-Level students of French too)


Vous décrivez là où vous avez passé les vacances. Décrivez: 1) Qui vous avez rencontré 2) Ce que vous avez fait. Écrivez environ 150 mots en français.


What is the use of the plus-que-parfait tense in French?


How do I conjugate regular verbs in the present tense?


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