Imparfait

Four spellings, one sound

The imparfait has six endings, but in speech you hear only three different forms:

The final -s, -t, -ent are all silent (as always at the end of French verbs). What remains is /ɛ/: an open e, like the e in English bed or German Bett, or a short German ä (Männer).

-aient looks scary but is just /ɛ/. Ils étaient = /il‿zetɛ/, three syllables, not five.

Listening for tense

The ending is often the only clue to the tense, so train your ear on these minimal pairs:

• Present → imparfait: an extra /ɛ/ at the end.
• nous / vous: the difference is a tiny /j/ (like German j in ja, English y in yes): parlons vs. parlions.
• /ɛ/ vs. /e/: parlais (open, mouth wider, like Bett) vs. parlé (closed, smile, like the start of German See). Many speakers in Paris blur this, so also use context: is there an ai (j'ai) before the verb? Then it is passé composé.

Practice

Say these, keeping the ending short and open: j'étais, il avait, elle faisait, on allait, ils venaient, c'était, il y avait.

Formation: one rule for (almost) every verb

Take the nous form of the present, remove -ons, add the endings:

-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient

More stems: avoir → av- (j'avais), aller → all-, prendre → pren-, voir → voy-, boire → buv-, venir → ven-, pouvoir → pouv-, vouloir → voul-.

The only exception: être → ét-: j'étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient.

Spelling: -cer and -ger verbs keep their soft sound before a: je commençais, je mangeais, but nous commencions, nous mangions.

Impersonal forms you will see constantly: c'était (it was), il y avait (there was/were), il faisait (beau, froid ...), il fallait (one had to).

Use 1: description and states

How things were: weather, appearance, feelings, age, time, background.

• Il faisait beau et la mer était calme. = The weather was nice and the sea was calm.
• J'avais dix ans. = I was ten.
• Il y avait une forêt derrière la maison. = There was a forest behind the house.
• Elle était fatiguée. = She was tired.

Use 2: habits (English used to / would)

• Quand j'étais petit, j'allais à l'école à pied. = When I was little, I used to walk to school.
• Le dimanche, on mangeait chez ma grand-mère. = On Sundays we would eat at my grandmother's.
• Avant, je fumais. = I used to smoke.

Signal words: avant, autrefois, à l'époque, d'habitude, souvent, toujours, tous les jours, le lundi (= every Monday).

Use 3: action in progress (English was -ing)

The imparfait is the background; a sudden event in the passé composé interrupts it:

• Je dormais quand le téléphone a sonné. = I was sleeping when the phone rang.
• Nous discutions tandis que les enfants jouaient. = We were chatting while the children were playing.

Imparfait vs. passé composé

Think of a film: the imparfait is the scenery and the music, the passé composé is what happens.

German speakers: German uses the Präteritum (war, hatte, ging) or Perfekt for both. French forces a choice. Ask yourself: was it going on (imparfait) or did it happen (passé composé)?

Bonus: si + imparfait = suggestion

• Si on allait au cinéma ? = How about going to the cinema?
• Si on discutait de ça demain ? = Shall we discuss this tomorrow?

The rule

French -ain, -ien and -éen usually correspond to English -an, -ian and -ean. They mark nationalities, origins and professions. German often has -isch (adjective) or -er / -iker (person).

Forms and sounds

• -ain /ɛ̃/ → feminine -aine /ɛn/: américain, américaine. The nasal disappears and the n is heard.
• -ien /jɛ̃/ → -ienne /jɛn/ (double n): italien, italienne; musicien, musicienne.
• -éen /eɛ̃/ → -éenne: européen, européenne.

Traps

• Capital letters: only for people: *un Américain* (an American), but *une voiture américaine*, and the language *l'anglais*.
• contemporain = contemporary (not -an): l'art contemporain.
• ancien = old / former, no English -ian partner: mon ancien patron = my former boss.
• un politicien often sounds a bit negative (like politico); neutral is un homme / une femme politique.
• le pharmacien = the pharmacist (Apotheker), not pharmacian.
• Not every nationality follows: allemand (German), français, anglais, russe.