imperfect tense

What does imperfect tense describe?

used to do

were doing

was doing

How do we use imperfect tense?

• Nous form of present tense and remove the “ons”

• Add stems of ais ais ait ions iez aient

-ger verbs

keep “e” to soften the g on every verb except the nous and vous verbs

etre verb

Et

Ais ais ait ions iez aient

to rain

il pleuvait pleuvoir

to be necessary

il fallait falloir

to be worth

il valait valoir

to please

ca me plaisait plaire

used to do / make
were doing / making
was doing / making

Je faisais
Tu faisais
Il/elle faisait
Nous faisions
Vous faisiez
Ils / elles faisaient

used to eat
were eating
was eating

Je mangeais
Tu mangeais
Il / elle / on mangeait
Nous mangions
Vous mangiez
Ils / elles mangaient

used to know a fact
were knowing
was knowing

Je conaissais
Tu conaissais
Il connaissait
Nous connaissions
Vous connaissiez
Ils / elles connaissaient

used to see
were seeing
was seeing

Je voyais
Tu voyais
Il voyait
Nous voyions
Vous voyiez
Ils voyaient

used to take
were taking
was taking

Je prenais
Tu prenais
Il prenait
Nous prenions
Vous preniez
Ils prenaient