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French 2

Unit 4

The Imparfait

5 topics · 21 practice questions · Free responseNot yet reviewed

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Notes

Forming the imparfait

  • Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons, add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient: nous parlons → je parlais, nous finissons → il finissait, nous prenons → elles prenaient.
  • Être is the only irregular stem: j'étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient.
  • Spelling: je mangeais (not mangais), je commençais (ç), nous étudiions (double i).

Uses of the imparfait

  • Habits and repeated actions: Quand j'étais petit, je jouais au foot tous les jours. Signals: souvent, toujours, d'habitude, chaque été, le samedi, autrefois.
  • Descriptions: weather (Il faisait beau), age (Elle avait dix ans), feelings (J'étais fatigué), time (Il était midi), appearance, and il y avait.
  • Ongoing actions with no clear start or end: Pendant que je lisais, ma sœur écoutait de la musique.
  • Meaning: je parlais = I was talking / I used to talk.

Topics in this unit

Each topic has its own short notes and practice.

Practice

What is the imparfait of "nous avons" for "j'"?
Which form is correct for "She used to go to the beach every summer"?
Which sentence correctly describes the weather in the past?
How do you spell the imparfait of "commencer" with je?
Read: "Quand j'étais petite, j'habitais près de la mer. Tous les étés, ma famille et moi nous allions à la plage. Mon père nageait et ma mère lisait." What did the writer's mother do at the beach?
Which sentence tells you the person's age in the past?

Free response

Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.

Free-response question

Antoine remembers his childhood in a small village. Use the imparfait.

(a) Write a sentence in French saying that when Antoine was little, he lived near his grandparents and played in the garden.

Show the answer and scoring guide

Quand Antoine était petit, il habitait près de ses grands-parents et il jouait dans le jardin.

Check off the points you earned:

(b) Write two sentences describing one winter morning: the weather and how Antoine felt.

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Il neigeait et il faisait froid. Antoine était content.

Check off the points you earned:

(c) Explain why the imparfait is used in these sentences and not the passé composé.

Show the answer and scoring guide

They describe habits, background and ongoing situations with no clear start or end point, so the imparfait is used instead of the passé composé, which is for completed single actions.

Check off the points you earned:

Previous unitUnit 3: The Passé Composé with Être