Published September 12, 2012 • Updated April 27, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson • Native Audio by Marie Assel Cambier
The French imperfect tense (l’imparfait) is used to talk about past habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and actions in progress. It usually means used to, was/were + -ing, or simple past depending on context.
French imperfect tense key rules
- Use the imperfect for repeated past actions
- Use it for descriptions, weather, age, and feelings in the past
- Use it for actions that were happening
- Form it from the nous present tense stem
- Endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient
For example:
Je lisais quand tu es arrivé.
I was reading when you arrived.
Quand j’étais petit, je jouais au foot.
When I was little, I used to play soccer.
How to conjugate the imperfect
Take the nous form of the present tense, remove -ons, then add the imperfect endings. In the conjugations below, each form can usually translate as was/were + verb-ing or used to + verb. For example, je parlais can mean I was speaking or I used to speak.
Example with parler:
nous parlons → parl-
je parlais
tu parlais
il / elle parlait
nous parlions
vous parliez
ils / elles parlaient
French imperfect endings
je -ais
tu -ais
il / elle / on -ait
nous -ions
vous -iez
ils / elles -aient
Regular verbs
Parler (to speak)
je parlais – I was speaking (or use to speak)
tu parlais – you were speaking
il/elle parlait – he/she was speaking
nous parlions – we were speaking
vous parliez – you were speaking
ils parlaient – they were speaking
Finir (to finish)
je finissais – I was finishing (or used to finish)
tu finissais – you were finishing
il/elle finissait – he/she was finishing
nous finissions – we were finishing
vous finissiez – you were finishing
ils/elles finissaient – they were finishing
Attendre (to wait)
j’attendais – I was waiting (or use dto wait)
tu attendais – you were waiting
il/elle attendait – he/elle was waiting
nous attendions – we were waiting
vous attendiez – you were waiting
ils/elle attendaient – they were waiting
Irregular verbs
Être (to be)
The only major irregular verb in the imperfect is être, which uses the stem ét-.
j’étais – I was being (or used to be)
tu étais – you were being
il/elle était – he/she was being
nous étions – we were being
vous étiez – you were being
ils/elles étaient – they were being
Avoir (to have)
Avoir follows the normal pattern from nous avons.
j’avais – I was having (or used to have)
tu avais – you were having
il/elle avait – he/she was having
nous avions – we were having
vous aviez – you were having
ils/elles avaient – they were having
When to use the French imperfect tense
1. Past habits
Use the imperfect for things people used to do regularly.
Quand j’étais étudiant, je travaillais le soir.
When I was a student, I used to work in the evening.
Elle buvait du café tous les matins.
She used to drink coffee every morning.
2. Repeated actions
Use it for actions that happened many times.
Nous visitions nos grands-parents chaque été.
We visited our grandparents every summer.
3. Descriptions in the past
Use it for age, weather, feelings, and appearance.
Il faisait beau.
The weather was nice.
La maison était vieille.
The house was old.
J’avais dix ans.
I was ten years old.
4. Actions in progress
Use it for something that was happening.
À huit heures, je faisais mes devoirs.
At eight o’clock, I was doing my homework.
Elle lisait quand je suis entré.
She was reading when I came in.
5. Story background
Use the imperfect to set the scene.
Le soleil brillait et les oiseaux chantaient.
The sun was shining and the birds were singing.
Common time expressions with the imperfect
souvent — often
toujours — always
chaque jour — every day
d’habitude — usually
autrefois — formerly
à cette époque — at that time
Quick mistake to avoid
Do not use the conditional to mean “used to”.
Correct:
Quand j’étais petit, je jouais au foot.
When I was little, I used to play soccer.
Incorrect:
Quand j’étais petit, je jouerais au foot.
Quick summary
Use the imperfect for:
➞ habits
➞ repeated actions
➞ descriptions
➞ weather and feelings
➞ actions in progress
➞ background in stories
📚 Related lessons
French verb tenses
- Present tense
- Past tense (passé composé)
- Future tense (futur simple)
- Near future tense (futur proche)
- Conditional (conditionnel)
- Subjunctive (subjonctif)
- Imperative mood (impératif)
