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French grammar · Level A2–B1

Passé composé or imparfait: how to choose

French has two main past tenses. The passé composé is for completed events — things that happened: Hier, j’ai vu un film. The imparfait is for background, description, habits and ongoing states: Quand j’étais petit, je jouais au foot. In a story they often sit side by side: the imparfait sets the scene, the passé composé says what happened.

QuizContents
Contents
  1. How both tenses are formed
  2. When to use the passé composé
  3. When to use the imparfait
  4. Both tenses in one sentence
  5. Common mistakes
  6. Quiz
  7. FAQ

How both tenses are formed

The passé composé is avoir or être in the présent + the participle: j’ai mangé, je suis allé(e). With être the participle agrees with the subject: elle est allée. The imparfait takes the nous stem of the présent without -ons + -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient: nous parl-ons → je parlais. The only exception is être: j’étais.

Parler in the two past tenses
PersonPassé composéImparfait
jej’ai parléje parlais
tutu as parlétu parlais
il / elleil a parléil parlait
nousnous avons parlénous parlions
vousvous avez parlévous parliez
ils / ellesils ont parléils parlaient

When to use the passé composé

A completed action in the past — once or a set number of times; a sequence of events; an action that interrupts another. It answers “what happened?”.

  • Hier, j’ai rencontré Marie.I met Marie yesterday.
  • Il est arrivé, il a pris un café et il est parti.He arrived, had a coffee and left.
  • J’ai visité Paris trois fois.I’ve been to Paris three times.

When to use the imparfait

Description in the past (weather, looks, feelings, age), habits and repeated actions (“used to”), and an ongoing action that was happening when something else did. It answers “what was it like? what was going on?”.

  • Il faisait beau et les enfants jouaient dans le parc.The weather was nice and the children were playing in the park.
  • Quand j’étais petit, j’allais chez ma grand-mère tous les étés.When I was little I used to go to my grandmother’s every summer.
  • Elle avait vingt ans.She was twenty.

Both tenses in one sentence

The imparfait is the background, the passé composé the event against it: Je lisais quand le téléphone a sonné — I was reading (ongoing) when the phone rang (happened). Compare Il pleuvait (it was raining — description) with Il a plu toute la journée (it rained all day — a finished stretch of time).

Imparfait or passé composé
ImparfaitPassé composé
description, background: “what it was like”an event: “what happened”
habit: souvent, tous les jours, d’habitudeonce: hier, soudain, un jour, une fois
duration with no limitsa set stretch: pendant deux heures, de 8 h à 10 h
  • Nous dînions quand il est arrivé.We were having dinner when he arrived.
  • Il était fatigué, alors il est rentré.He was tired, so he went home.

Tip: A test: if you could add “at that moment … was happening” or “usually” — imparfait. If “and then…” fits — passé composé.

Common mistakes

The mistakes people make most often — and the right way.

  • Wrong: Hier, je regardais un film et après je dormais.

    Right: Hier, j’ai regardé un film et après j’ai dormi.

    A sequence of completed actions takes the passé composé.

  • Wrong: Quand j’ai été petit, j’ai habité à Lyon.

    Right: Quand j’étais petit, j’habitais à Lyon.

    Description and states in the past take the imparfait.

  • Wrong: Il a fait beau quand je suis sorti.

    Right: Il faisait beau quand je suis sorti.

    Weather as background takes the imparfait.

  • Wrong: Je suis allé au cinéma tous les samedis.

    Right: J’allais au cinéma tous les samedis.

    A past habit takes the imparfait.

Passé composé or imparfait

Quiz

10 questions: choose the right option — the explanation appears straight away.

  1. Question 1

    Hier, nous _____ un bon film.

  2. Question 2

    Quand j’étais petit, nous _____ au foot tous les jours.

  3. Question 3

    Ce matin-là, il _____ beau.

  4. Question 4

    Je lisais quand le téléphone _____.

  5. Question 5

    Elle _____ fatiguée, alors elle est rentrée.

  6. Question 6

    En 2019, nous _____ à Paris pour la première fois.

  7. Question 7

    Avant, il _____ toujours le bus pour aller au travail.

  8. Question 8

    Soudain, quelqu’un _____ à la porte.

  9. Question 9

    Quand il _____ jeune, il habitait à Lyon.

  10. Question 10

    L’été dernier, nous _____ trois musées.

Correct: 0 of 10

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FAQ

Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.

How do I choose between the passé composé and the imparfait?

Ask yourself: is it an event that happened and finished (passé composé), or a description, a habit or the background (imparfait)? In a story the imparfait paints the scenery and the passé composé tells what happened.

Are there signal words?

For the passé composé: hier, soudain, tout à coup, un jour, une fois, trois fois. For the imparfait: souvent, toujours, d’habitude, tous les jours, quand j’étais petit. But they’re only hints — the meaning decides.

What about the passé simple?

A literary past tense: in novels and history books it replaces the passé composé (il fut, il alla). Nobody uses it in conversation, so at first you only need to recognise it.

Other topics

All topicsFrench verb conjugationFrench irregular verbs

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