Unit 4 · Lesson 3
Passé Composé vs Imparfait
Choosing between the passé composé and the imparfait is one of the most tested grammar points in French exams. The key question is: does this action have a defined beginning and end, or was it ongoing, repeated, or a state?
Think of the imparfait as a film running in the background and the passé composé as a snapshot: a photo capturing a specific moment that interrupted the film.
Comparison table
| Passé composé | Imparfait |
|---|---|
| Completed action | Ongoing/background |
| Single event | Habit / routine |
| Sequence of events | State / emotion |
| Interrupting action | Interrupted action |
PC signal words
soudain · tout à coup · un jour · d'abord · puis · ensuite
Imparfait signal words
quand · pendant que · chaque jour · toujours · autrefois · d'habitude
Passé composé vs imparfait: sentence pairs
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French
Hier, je suis allé au marché.
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English
Yesterday I went to the market.: passé composé
PC: specific, single, completed event at a defined point in time.
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Signal words — your tense compass
Passé composé signals
soudain — suddenly
tout à coup — all of a sudden
un jour — one day
d'abord — first
puis / ensuite — then / next
finalement — finally
Imparfait signals
quand / pendant que — when / while
chaque jour — every day
toujours / souvent — always / often
autrefois — in the old days
d'habitude — usually
à cette époque — at that time
Sentence → tense and reason
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Click a French word, then click its English match.
Choose the correct tense
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Hint: Ongoing background action interrupted: imparfait: dormir → stem dorm- → dormait
While she was sleeping, the phone rang.
Passé composé vs imparfait quiz
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Which tense describes the background/setting of a story?