French Past Tenses Study Guide: Passé Composé vs. Imparfait

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the French past tenses, specifically the use of imparfait and passé composé.

Imparfait

Background / Ongoing Past tense used for descriptions, habitual actions, ongoing actions, and emotions.

Passé Composé

Completed Actions / Events tense used for actions that happened once, sudden events, and story-moving actions.

Description

Used in imparfait to explain what things were like in the past.

Habitual Actions

Actions that were done repeatedly in the past, indicated by 'used to' or 'would'.

Ongoing Actions

Actions that were occurring at a certain moment in the past, expressed as 'was ___ -ing'.

Emotions

Imparfait is used to describe emotions and mental states in the past.

Signal Words for Passé Composé

Words such as 'soudain', 'tout à coup', 'un jour' indicate sudden events.

Golden Rule of Past Tenses

Imparfait describes what was going on, while passé composé explains what happened.

Formation of Imparfait

Drop -ons from the nous form of present tense and add endings: -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.

Être Irregular in Imparfait

Forms of être in imparfait: j’étais, tu étais, il était, etc.

Formation of Passé Composé

Combines a helping verb (avoir or être) with a past participle.

Past Participle for -er Verbs

The past participle of -er verbs is formed by replacing -er with -é.

Past Participle for -ir Verbs

The past participle of -ir verbs is formed by replacing -ir with -i.

Past Participle for -re Verbs

The past participle of -re verbs is formed by replacing -re with -u.

Agreement with Être in Passé Composé

Past participles agree in gender and number with the subject when using être.

À + Person Rule

Certain verbs require 'à' before a person, such as 'demander à', 'donner à'.

Pronoun for à + Person

Pronouns like 'lui' and 'leur' replace 'à + person' for indirect objects.

Example of À + Person

Structure: Verb + thing, Verb + à + person, e.g., 'J’ai demandé des carottes à ma mère'.

Identify Tense: When j’ _ (être) jeune

Use imparfait (description): étais.

Identify Tense: Je (jouer) quand le chien (aboyer)

Uses imparfait for 'jouais' (ongoing) and passé composé for 'aboyé' (interruption).

Completed Action Example

For completed actions use passé composé, e.g., 'Nous avons vu un film'.

Emotion Example

Emotions in past tense use imparfait, e.g., 'Nous étions tristes'.

Sudden Event Example

A sudden action uses passé composé, e.g., 'Tout à coup, elle est tombée'.

Verb Requirements with A + Person

Identify when a verb requires 'à' before a person.

Choosing the Right Tense

Ask if it's a description (use imparfait) or a completed event (use passé composé).

Examples of Ongoing Actions

Imparfait gives examples: 'Je jouais quand…'.

Examples of Completed Actions

Passé composé gives examples: 'J’ai crié'.

Imparfait for Personality

Describes personality traits in the past, e.g., 'Il était timide'.

Imparfait Key Words

Keywords that often indicate imparfait include: was, were, used to.

Passé Composé Key Words

Keywords for passé composé include: suddenly, one day.

Imparfait for Physical Conditions

Describes physical states in the past, e.g., 'Il avait peur'.

Examples of Interruption

An action that interrupts: 'Je jouais quand j’ai entendu un bruit'.

Common Verbs for à + Person

Verbs like donner and parler require 'à' before a person.

Examples of Habitual Actions

'J’habitais ici' indicates habitual action.

Checklists Before Tests

Ask questions to determine tense: description vs. completed event.

Examples of Movement Verbs

Verbs like aller and venir use être in passé composé.

Sudden Event Key Phrase

E.g., 'Tout à coup' signals a sudden event.

Agreement in Past Participle

Past participles must agree with the subject when using être.

Avoir Most Common Helping Verb

Avoir is used as the helping verb for most verbs in passé composé.

Reflexive Verbs

Require être in passé composé and reflect agreement.

Examples of Past Participles

Examples include: parlé (from parler), fini (from finir), vendu (from vendre).

Identify the Verb

For verbs that indicate actions requiring 'à', example structure is needed.

Tense Identification Example

Identify based on habitual actions, sudden events:** 'nous étions tristes' (emotion) or '**'soudain'.