Grammar: Imperfect tense

ByFast French

The Imperfect verb tense (l’imparfait) in French is used to express continuous action in the past.

If we use the English verb “to give” as an example, the meanings of the French Imperfect version of this verb would be “I was giving,” “I used to give,” “I kept on giving,” or even “I gave.” There is some slight overlap with the Passé Composé tense in French, but we will discuss that in a future post.

How to form the Imperfect

  1. Start with the “nous” form of the verb. Eg for the verb “aller” (to go), start with “nous allons” (we go).
  2. Remove the “-ons” part from the verb itself. This leaves you with the imperfect stem (“all-“).
  3. Add the appropriate imperfect ending. For je, it is “-ais.” For tu, it is also “-ais.” For il/elle, it is “ait.” For nous, it is “ions.” For vous, it is “iez.” And for ils/elles, it is “aient.”
PersonImperfect stemEndingResultEnglish
jeall--aisj’allaisI was going, used to go, kept on going, went
tuall--aistu allaisyou were going, used to go, kept on going, went
il/elleall--aitil allaithe was going, used to go, kept on going, went
nousall--ionsnous allionswe were going, used to go, kept on going, went
vousall--iezvous alliezyou were going, used to go, kept on going, went
ilsall--aientils allaientthey were going, used to go, kept on going, went

Quick & dirty method

  1. Go to the “vous” form of the verb (eg “vous allez” – you go)
  2. Substitute “je,” “tu,” “il,” “elle,” “ça,” “on,” “ils” or “ils” for the word “vous”
  3. This leaves you with something that sounds like “je allez” which becomes “j’allais”
    • There is a slight pronunciation difference, but it is not critical for beginners
  4. The only other things you need to know are that the “nous” form ends in “ions” and the “vous” form ends in “iez.” (“nous allions” – we were going, “vous alliez” – you were going).

Don’t miss out on new posts – subscribe now!

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • expression of quantity + à + infinitive

    ByFast French

    French frequently combines expressions of quantity with an infinitive to describe tasks, obligations, potential actions, or intended outcomes. These constructions are especially common with avoir, but avoir is not a grammatical requirement. The governing verb can vary, provided it can introduce a noun phrase that the infinitive logically modifies. 1. The core structure The general…

  • prévenir

    ByFast French

    The French verb “prévenir” means “to prevent” or “to warn.” It also means “to let [someone] know,” “to avert,” “to advise,” “to inform,” “to guard against,” “to notify” and “to forewarn.” Examples Etymology The word “prévenir” comes from the Latin verb “praeventire,” composed of “prae” (before) and “eventire” (to come).

  • prendre

    ByFast French

    The French verb “prendre” means “to take,” but a bit confusingly it can also mean “to bring.” Its conjugation in the present tense is irregular, so it must be memorised. However, “prendre” forms the basis for compound verbs such as “comprendre” (to understand), “apprendre” (to learn), “reprendre” (to take back), “surprendre” (to surprise) and many…

  • aller

    ByFast French

    In French, one of the most important verbs is “aller,” which means “to go.” Let’s look at how it works in different situations. Present Tense: In the present tense, “aller” (to go) is conjugated as follows: Example: Je vais au cinéma ce soir. (I am going to the cinema tonight.) Imperfect Tense: When describing ongoing…

  • Verb: bouillir

    ByFast French

    The French verb “bouillir” means “to boil.” It is conjugated irregularly in the Present tense. So it must be memorised. Present tense It is only the Present tense of bouillir that is irregular. So this is the only part you need to memorise. Passé composé In the Passé composé, “bouillir” is conjugated with “avoir,” like…