Imperfect Tense – Regular Verbs
This lesson covers the imperfect tense in French for regular verbs, ending -er, -ir and -re.
When is the imperfect tense used in French?
The imperfect tense is used to describe a repeated or habitual action in the past or an action that took place continually over an undetermined period of time (so there is no explicit beginning or end). For example: ‘I was sleeping, ‘ or ‘I used to swim,’ would be instances where the imperfect tense would be the correct tense to use in French.
What are the endings for the French imperfect tense?
The following endings are added to the verb stem to create the imperfect tense in French:
| Person | Ending |
|---|---|
| je | -ais |
| tu | -ais |
| il | -ait |
| elle | -ait |
| nous | -ions |
| vous | -iez |
| ils | -aient |
| elles | -aient |
How is the imperfect tense formed for regular -er verbs?
| French | English |
|---|---|
| jouer | to play |
| je jouais | I was playing |
| tu jouais | you were playing |
| il jouait | he was playing |
| elle jouait | she was playing |
| nous jouions | we were playing |
| vous jouiez | you were playing |
| ils jouaient | they were playing |
| elles jouaient | they were playing |
How is the imperfect tense formed for regular -re verbs?
| French | English |
|---|---|
| vendre | to sell |
| je vendais | I was selling |
| tu vendais | you were selling |
| il vendait | he was selling |
| elle vendait | she was selling |
| nous vendions | we were selling |
| vous vendiez | you were selling |
| ils vendaient | they were selling |
| elles vendaient | they were selling |
How is the imperfect formed for regular -ir verbs?
These are formed in the same way as the -er and -re verbs, except that -iss is inserted between the stem and the ending, as follows:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| finir | to finish |
| je finissais | I was finishing |
| tu finissais | you were finishing |
| il finissait | he was finishing |
| elle finissait | she was finishing |
| nous finissions | we were finishing |
| vous finissiez | you were finishing |
| ils finissaient | they were finishing |
| elles finissaient | they were finishing |