Mission: share a childhood memory
The imparfait. Set the scene and say what used to happen, then tell what happened with the passé composé.
FrenchA2 · Telling storiesAbout 5 min: 2 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Form the imparfait from the nous form of the present
- Use it for descriptions, feelings and habits in the past
- Use the passé composé for single events
- Tell a short story that mixes the two
Telling stories: lesson 3 of 4
- A2 · Telling stories
- Mission: tell a friend about your weekend 6 min
- Mission: tell a colleague about your trip 5 min
- Mission: share a childhood memory 5 min
- Mission: tell your new neighbour how you got here 5 min
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Level Level A2 (around the DELF A2 exam). Real French: the stories people tell about when they were little.
What it is
Your mission: at dinner, your host Claire asks, « Et toi, tu habitais où quand tu étais petit(e) ? » Describe where you lived and what you used to do, then tell one day you remember.
Forming it. Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons, and add the endings:
Text description
Present tense of parler: je parlais (ending -ais); tu parlais (ending -ais); il / elle / on parlait (ending -ait); nous parlions (ending -ions); vous parliez (ending -iez); ils / elles parlaient (ending -aient).
It works for almost every verb: nous finissons → je finissais, nous faisons → je faisais, nous prenons → je prenais. The one exception is être: j'étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient.
The endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -aient all sound the same.
When to use it:
| Imparfait | Passé composé |
|---|---|
| the scene: weather, place, time, how things looked | single events: what happened |
| feelings and states: j'étais fatigué | a change: je suis tombé |
| habits: tous les étés, nous allions à la mer | something done once: un été, nous sommes allés en Grèce |
A useful picture: the imparfait is the background, the passé composé is the action that happens in front of it.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
Which imparfait form of avoir goes with « j' »?
- That mixes nous and je
- That is the passé composé
Show answer
j'avais. nous avons → av- + -ais: j'avais.
Why it matters
Memories, holidays, how things used to be: these are the stories people actually tell each other. A story with only the passé composé sounds like a list; the imparfait for the setting and the habits makes it sound natural, and it's what A2 examiners listen for too.
Worked example
How the memory might sound at Claire's table:
- Quand j'étais petit, j'habitais à la campagne. When I was little, I lived in the country. (description)
- Tous les dimanches, nous allions chez ma grand-mère. Every Sunday we used to go to my grandmother's. (habit)
- Un dimanche, il faisait très beau et nous sommes allés au lac. One Sunday the weather was lovely and we went to the lake. (scene + event)
- Mon frère est tombé dans l'eau ! My brother fell in the water! (event)
Real French: on is the usual "we" in conversation: Le dimanche, on allait chez ma grand-mère.
Common mistake
Using the passé composé for descriptions: wrong: Il a fait beau et j'ai été content sounds like two separate events. To describe how things were, use the imparfait: Il faisait beau et j'étais content.
Clue words help: tous les jours, souvent, d'habitude, quand j'étais petit → imparfait; un jour, soudain, hier, une fois → passé composé.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Quand j'étais enfant, je … au foot tous les samedis. »
- tous les samedis is a habit: imparfait
- This is a past habit, not the present
Show answer
jouais. Habit in the past → imparfait.
Key terms
- imparfait
- past tense for descriptions, states and habits
- passé composé
- past tense for single completed events
- d'habitude
- usually
- quand j'étais petit(e)
- when I was little
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 4 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| imparfait | past tense for descriptions, states and habits |
| passé composé | past tense for single completed events |
| d'habitude | usually |
| quand j'étais petit(e) | when I was little |
Practice
Sort it
Imparfait or passé composé?
Il pleuvait.
weather: the sceneShow answer
Imparfait. weather: the scene
Le téléphone a sonné.
a single eventShow answer
Passé composé. a single event
J'étais fatigué.
a stateShow answer
Imparfait. a state
Nous sommes partis à 8 h.
a single eventShow answer
Passé composé. a single event
Le samedi, on allait au marché.
a habitShow answer
Imparfait. a habit
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
What is the imparfait of « vous » with faire?
- That is the present
- The stem is fais- (from nous faisons)
Show answer
vous faisiez. nous faisons → fais- + -iez.
« Je lisais quand le téléphone … »
- For a single interruption you need the passé composé: a sonné
- The story is in the past
Show answer
a sonné. Background (lisais) + event (a sonné).
Build the sentence
Build "When I was young, I lived in Lille." (start with "When")
Show answer
Quand j'étais jeune, j'habitais à Lille.. Description and state in the past: imparfait for both.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Claire, my French host, chatting over dinner at level A2. Speak slowly and clearly. Ask me about my childhood, one question at a time, using the imparfait: où est-ce que vous habitiez, comment était votre maison, qu'est-ce que vous faisiez le week-end, vous aviez un animal, quel était votre plat préféré. Then ask me to tell one memorable day, using the passé composé for what happened. I will make up the details. After each answer, tell me what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch imparfait for descriptions and habits and passé composé for events. When I have described where I lived, one habit and one memorable day, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences. Explain corrections in English.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Imparfait: nous form minus -ons + -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
- Être is the exception: j'étais.
- Imparfait for the scene, feelings and habits; passé composé for events.
- Clue words: tous les jours, d'habitude → imparfait; un jour, soudain → passé composé.
Mastery check
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Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
What is the imparfait of « ils » with aller?
Show answer
ils allaient.
Why is it « il faisait beau » in a story, not « il a fait beau »?
Show answer
The weather is the background description: imparfait.
Translate: "We used to go to the beach every summer."
Show answer
Nous allions à la plage tous les étés.
Further reading
- RFI, Journal en français facile: listen to reports that set the scene (il faisait…, il y avait…) and then say what happened.
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français, free A2 exercises on real clips.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.