The French Imparfait: Everything You Need to Know
The imparfait is essential for narrating in French. It describes states, situations and habitual actions in the past. Together with the passé composé, it forms the backbone of narration for DELF B1 and B2. Knowing when to use each one is one of the keys to success in the exam.
Forming the imparfait
To form the imparfait, take the stem of the nous form of the present tense (nous + verb) and remove the -ons ending. Then add: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Example with parler: nous parlons → stem parl-. Result: je parlais, tu parlais, il parlait, nous parlions, vous parliez, ils parlaient. The only irregular stem: être → ét-: j'étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient.
Uses of the imparfait
The imparfait has four main uses: (1) Description in the past: La salle était grande et lumineuse (The room was big and bright). (2) Habitual or repeated actions in the past: Chaque été, nous allions à la mer (Every summer, we used to go to the seaside). (3) Mental or emotional states: Elle avait peur de l'obscurité (She was afraid of the dark). (4) The backdrop for a main action: Il lisait quand le téléphone a sonné (He was reading when the phone rang). This last use, combined with the passé composé, is especially important for DELF B2 — and it's precisely the pattern that has no direct English match, since English uses the past continuous (was reading) for this, a form French doesn't have at all.
The polite imparfait
The imparfait is also used in everyday situations to soften a request and make it more polite: Je voulais vous demander... (I wanted to ask you...), J'avais une question... (I had a question...). This use appears frequently in DELF listening materials and is useful in oral production for sounding more natural and courteous.
Imparfait vs Passé Composé: the key to the DELF
The distinction between these two tenses is one of the most heavily tested points in the DELF B1/B2. Practical rule: if the action has a clear beginning and end, or if it interrupts another action, use the passé composé. If it describes the background, a state, or an unbounded repetition, use the imparfait. Signal words for the imparfait: toujours (always), souvent (often), chaque jour/semaine (every day/week), quand j'étais jeune (when I was young), autrefois (in the past).
The imparfait in reported speech
When direct speech is converted to reported speech with a reporting verb in the past, the present tense becomes imparfait: Direct speech: Il a dit: 'Je suis fatigué.' Reported speech: Il a dit qu'il était fatigué (He said he was tired). This shift appears frequently in DELF B2 news-style texts, where statements or testimonies are reported.
Practice exercises
1Conjuga correctamente: 'Quand il _____ (être) petit, il aimait les bonbons.'
2Which form is correct? 'Nous _____ (manger) quand il a appelé.'
3Identify the use of the imparfait: 'La maison avait trois chambres.'
4Transforma al discurso indirecto: Il a dit: 'Je veux partir.' → Il a dit qu'il _____ partir.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to use a present-perfect-style construction ('I used to speak') and mapping it word for word instead of learning the imparfait as its own form: je parlais covers both 'I spoke [repeatedly]' and 'I used to speak' — there's no separate 'used to' construction in French.
- Reaching for the passé composé to describe background states or settings, since English's simple past doesn't distinguish the two: *La salle a été grande instead of La salle était grande.
- Missing that depuis + imparfait describes something that had been going on: 'I had been living there for 3 years [when...]' is j'habitais là depuis 3 ans, mirroring the present-tense rule for depuis.
- Pronouncing the -t of il parlait: it's silent. The ending -ait sounds like -è.
- Confusing the -ions/-iez endings of the imparfait with the present tense: 'parlions' /paʁljɔ̃/ vs 'parlons' /paʁlɔ̃/ must be pronounced distinctly.
DELF exam tips
- In B1/B2 written production, use the imparfait for background/context and the passé composé for specific events. This alternation is an explicit grading criterion.
- For describing people, places and past states: imparfait, always. 'Il était grand, il avait les yeux bleus…'
- Key words like toujours, souvent, chaque + time period, en ce temps-là signal that you need the imparfait.
- In listening comprehension, recognizing the imparfait helps you separate the story's background from its main events.