Grammaire 1: l’imparfait (pour décrire un état)

On étudie !

L’imparfait pour décrire un état (More on the use of the imparfait to describe a state)

(a) In French, you normally us the imparfait tense to describe situations, states, and conditions that were ongoing in the past, with no definite beginning or end, like actions that are part of a setting or background (weather, time, and place). These include: avoir expressions (e.g., avoir sommeil, faim, froid, envie.), expressions with être that describe how you are (e.g., être fatigué, content, curieux, stressé), and verbs that describe ongoing states like aimer, savoir, devoir, vouloir, pouvoir

« Il faisait chaud. J’avais très soif et j’étais fatigué. Je voulais rencontrer mes amis à la piscine, mais je ne pouvais pas parce que je devais travailler ».

   (It was hot. I was very thirsty and tired. I wanted to meet my friends at the pool but I could not because I had to work.)

(b) Temporal markers (les marqueurs temporels) help provide context for using the imperfect tense to describe habitual actions. Two common ones are chaque… (each…, every…) and tous les… , toutes les… (every….). We can use these to introduce habitual actions in both the present and the past. Here are some examples:

• chaque… + [nom au singulier]

Chaque jour je prenais une limonade avec ma cousine.

   (Each day, I would have a limonade with my cousin.)

On allait à Victoria chaque été.

   (We went to Victoria each summer.)

Je prenais deux leçons de piano chaque semaine.

   (I would take two piano lessons each week.)

Chaque printemps, nous plantions des graines dans notre jardin.

   (Each Spring, we planted seeds in our garden.)

• tous les… , toutes les… + [nom au pluriel]

Tous les samedis, j’allais au parc avec mon oncle.

  (Every Saturday, I went, used to go, to the park with my uncle.)

Je lisais tous les après midis.

   (I would read every afternoon.)

Angela allait au musée toutes les semaines.

   (Angela would go to the museum every week.)

(c) Other key words to express repeated or habitual activities include: souvent (often), de temps en temps (from time to time), tout le temps (all the time), rarement (rarely), constamment (constantly), toujours (always) and pendant… (during…), and more. Learn to spot these adverbs (and appreciate how they are used along with the imparfait).