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Introduction

The imperfect tense (l'imparfait) is a past tense used to describe habitual actions, ongoing situations, or states in the past. It's particularly simple to form for first group verbs (those ending in -er in the infinitive).

Forming the Imperfect Tense

To conjugate a first group verb in the imperfect tense, follow these steps:

1. Take the "nous" form of the present indicative
2. Remove the "-ons" ending
3. Add the imperfect endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient

Examples of First Group Verbs in the Imperfect

• Aimer (to like/love): J'aimais, tu aimais, il/elle aimait, nous aimions, vous aimiez, ils/elles aimaient
• Chanter (to sing): Je chantais, tu chantais, il/elle chantait, nous chantions, vous chantiez, ils/elles chantaient
• Danser (to dance): Je dansais, tu dansais, il/elle dansait, nous dansions, vous dansiez, ils/elles dansaient

Uses of the Imperfect

The imperfect is used to:

• Describe habits or repeated actions in the past:
  Example: Quand j'étais petit, je jouais souvent au football.
  (When I was little, I often played football.)
• Describe a state or continuous situation in the past:
  Example: Il faisait beau ce jour-là.
  (It was a beautiful day that day.)
• Describe ongoing actions in the past:
  Example: Pendant que je cuisinais, le téléphone a sonné.
  (While I was cooking, the phone rang.)

Special Cases

As in the present tense, some first group verbs have spelling particularities in the imperfect:

• Verbs ending in -ger keep the "e" after the "g" to maintain the soft "j" sound:
  Example: manger (to eat) → je mangeais
• Verbs ending in -cer take a cedilla under the "c" before "a" to keep the soft "s" sound:
  Example: commencer (to begin) → je commençais

Exercise

Conjugate the following verbs in the imperfect tense:

1. Je (parler) _______ français tous les jours./ I speak French every day.
2. Tu (aimer) _______ beaucoup la musique classique./ You like classical music very much.
3. Il (jouer) _______ au football chaque weekend./ He plays football every weekend.
4. Nous (étudier) _______ la grammaire française./ We study French grammar.
5. Vous (manger) _______ souvent au restaurant./ You eat at the restaurant often.
6. Elles (danser) _______ tous les samedis soir./ They dance every Saturday night