How do you know when to use the imperfect tense and when to use the perfect tense?
Simply, the imperfect tense is used to convey an action in the past that was taking place over a period of time e.g. 'Je regardais la télé' = 'I was watching TV' - the act of watching TV was not instantaneous. On the other hand, the perfect tense is used to convey a finished action in the past e.g. 'J'ai vu Paul' = 'I saw Paul' - the act of catching sight of Paul IS instantaneous and completed immediately.
GE
Related French GCSE answers
All answers ▸Translate the following words into French: glass, towards, worm, and green. (hint: they're all homophones)
How do you know whether to use « er » or « é/ée/és/ées » at the end of a verb ?
How do I know when to use the verb 'etre' or 'avoir' in the past tense? (how do I form the simple past tense?)
Vous décrivez vos vacances pour votre blog. Décrivez: • votre destination de vacances préférée • le voyage pour aller à cette destination • vos vacances l’année dernière • votre préférence pour les vacances à l’avenir.