{"id":104,"date":"2024-03-06T18:50:55","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T23:50:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/frenchoer2\/?post_type=chapter&p=104"},"modified":"2024-03-08T18:45:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-08T23:45:48","slug":"9-8-structure-imparfait-vs-passe-compose","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/frenchoer2\/chapter\/9-8-structure-imparfait-vs-passe-compose\/","title":{"raw":"9.8: Structure - Imparfait vs. pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9","rendered":"9.8: Structure – Imparfait vs. pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9"},"content":{"raw":"\n
In this section, you learn how to:<\/p>\n\n
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Use the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9 and the imparfait <\/li>\n
Use the imparfait and the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9 together when talking about the past<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/span>
Media Alternative<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
Listen to the audio clips that follow on this page to hear the French pronunciation of vocabulary and examples presented.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n
<\/span>
On \u00e9tudie !<\/h2>\n\n
It is time to practice combining the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/strong> with the imparfait<\/strong>. This will allow us to tell stories that take place in the past.<\/p>\n\n
(a) On the one hand, the imparfait<\/strong> will helps us describe:<\/p>\n\n
(i) actions we used to do or did regularly:<\/p>\n\n
Chaque ann\u00e9e, on allait<\/strong> chez mon grand-p\u00e8re \u00e0 Dakar. (Every year, we used to go to my granfather's house in Dakar.)<\/p>\n\n
(ii) states of being and feelings from the past (which are usually ongoing; not one-time events):<\/p>\n\n
Quand j'avais<\/strong> 14, j'aimais<\/strong> beaucoup le break-dancing. (When I was 14, I really loved break-dancing.)<\/p>\n\n
(iii) actions that set the scene or are in the background. We usually describe when and where things happened with the imperfect.<\/p>\n\n
Il \u00e9tait<\/strong> 10h du soir et il faisait<\/strong> froid.... (It was 10 at night and it was cold...)<\/p>\n\n
(b) On the other hand, the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/strong> will allow us to present actions that occurred as single events that were completed at a certain time in the past.<\/p>\n\n
Le week-end dernier, je suis all\u00e9<\/strong> \u00e0 Los Angeles. J'ai<\/strong> rencontr\u00e9<\/strong> mon ami Pat et on a parl\u00e9<\/strong> de la s\u00e9mantique interpr\u00e9tative. (Last weekend I went to Los Angeles. I met up with my friend Pat and we spoke about interpretive semantics.)<\/p>\n\n
In other words, the imperfect tells us what used to happen and how things were in general. The pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/strong> tells us what happened. The combination of these two past tenses gives us the ability to tells stories about the past - whether it's last weekend or 10 years ago.<\/p>\n\n
(c) Contextual clues will help you decide whether or not the imparfait<\/strong> or the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/strong> are required when talking about the past. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n\n