tense used to describe how things were or used to be in the past, or to say what was happening

C1 -1 Elle a parlé avec son amie. 

C1 -2 Il écoutait de la musique.

C1 -3 Tu es allé au parc. 

C1 -4 Je faisais mes devoirs. 

C1 -5 Il écoutait de la musique.

C1 -6 Ma mère a appelé son ami. 

C1 -7 Il a donné le livre à sa sœur. 

C1 -8 Tu lisais un livre. 

Simultaneous events: perfect and imperfect tenses together

French

Historical figures: 'avoir' and 'être' imperfect

Historical figures: imperfect tense

A mystery: perfect and imperfect tenses together

In this unit, pupils re-examine être and avoir in the imperfect tense in singular form, and add aller and faire in the imperfect what people used to do. The imperfect is then contrasted with the perfect tense to distinguish between ongoing vs specific events. The verb 'voir' is introduced.

Ongoing past events: imperfect tense

[r] is pronounced the same in French and English.

[r] is pronounced differently in French and English.

Which sentences are in the imperfect tense?

J'ai fait mes devoirs quand tu es arrivé.

Je faisais mes devoirs quand tu arrivais.

Je faisais mes devoirs quand tu es arrivé.

'I was doing my homework when you arrived'. Which translation is correct?

Order the words to say: 'Where were you when I was working?'.

Which verbs are used as auxiliary verbs in the perfect tense?

Order the words to say: 'yesterday he worked in the garden'.

Starter Quiz