The Imparfait in French: A2 flashcards

Question 1

Rule: What is the imparfait used for?

Accepted Answer

To describe the past: what things were like, actions that were in progress, habits, and states or feelings.
Quand j'étais enfant, j'habitais à Lyon. (When I was a child, I lived in Lyon.)
Il pleuvait et les gens attendaient le bus. (It was raining and people were waiting for the bus.)
For a single completed event, use the passé composé (see the deck Passé Composé vs Imparfait).

Question 2

Rule: How do you form the imparfait?

Accepted Answer

Take the « nous » form of the present, remove -ons, and add the endings.
parler (to speak): nous parlons (we speak) → parl-
je parlais (I was speaking, I used to speak)
tu parlais
il / elle / on parlait
nous parlions
vous parliez
ils / elles parlaient
finir (to finish): nous finissons (we finish) → je finissais (I was finishing)

Question 3

Complete in the imparfait: Tu ___ souvent au tennis. (jouer)

Accepted Answer

Tu jouais souvent au tennis. / (You often played tennis.)

Question 4

Complete in the imparfait: Nous ___ près de la mer. (habiter)

Accepted Answer

Nous habitions près de la mer. / (We lived near the sea.)

Question 5

Complete in the imparfait: Ils ___ beaucoup. (travailler)

Accepted Answer

Ils travaillaient beaucoup. / (They worked a lot.)

Question 6

Complete in the imparfait: Vous ___ le français à l'école ? (apprendre)

Accepted Answer

Vous appreniez le français à l'école ? / (Did you learn French at school?)

Question 7

Complete in the imparfait: Elle ___ ses devoirs le soir. (finir)

Accepted Answer

Elle finissait ses devoirs le soir. / (She used to finish her homework in the evening.)

Question 8

Complete in the imparfait: Je ___ le bus tous les matins. (prendre)

Accepted Answer

Je prenais le bus tous les matins. / (I took the bus every morning.)

Question 9

Complete in the imparfait: On ___ des lettres à nos grands-parents. (écrire)

Accepted Answer

On écrivait des lettres à nos grands-parents. / (We used to write letters to our grandparents.)

Question 10

Complete in the imparfait: Il ___ du café le matin. (boire)

Accepted Answer

Il buvait du café le matin. / (He used to drink coffee in the morning.)

Question 11

Rule: What are the imparfait forms of « être » (to be)?

Accepted Answer

« être » is the only irregular verb: the stem is ét-. / j'étais (I was) / tu étais / il / elle / on était / nous étions / vous étiez / ils / elles étaient

Question 12

Complete in the imparfait: Nous ___ fatigués. (être)

Accepted Answer

Nous étions fatigués. / (We were tired.)

Question 13

Complete in the imparfait: Tu ___ timide ? (être)

Accepted Answer

Tu étais timide ? / (Were you shy?)

Question 14

Complete in the imparfait: Les rues ___ calmes. (être)

Accepted Answer

Les rues étaient calmes. / (The streets were quiet.)

Question 15

Rule: Are « avoir », « faire » and « aller » regular in the imparfait?

Accepted Answer

Yes. They follow the « nous » rule. / nous avons (we have) → j'avais (I had) / nous faisons (we do) → je faisais (I was doing, I used to do) / nous allons (we go) → j'allais (I was going, I used to go)

Question 16

Complete in the imparfait: J'___ un chien. (avoir)

Accepted Answer

J'avais un chien. / (I had a dog.)

Question 17

Complete in the imparfait: Ils ___ à la plage le dimanche. (aller)

Accepted Answer

Ils allaient à la plage le dimanche. / (They used to go to the beach on Sundays.)

Question 18

Complete in the imparfait: Vous ___ du sport ? (faire)

Accepted Answer

Vous faisiez du sport ? / (Did you do any sport?)

Question 19

Rule: What happens to verbs ending in -ger and -cer in the imparfait?

Accepted Answer

They keep « e » or « ç » before « a », but not with « nous » and « vous ».
voyager (to travel): je voyageais, nous voyagions (I was travelling, we were travelling)
lancer (to throw): je lançais, nous lancions (I was throwing, we were throwing)

Question 20

Complete in the imparfait: Elle ___ à midi. (manger)

Accepted Answer

Elle mangeait à midi. / (She used to eat at noon.)

Question 21

Complete in the imparfait: Les cours ___ à huit heures. (commencer)

Accepted Answer

Les cours commençaient à huit heures. / (Classes started at eight o'clock.)

Question 22

Complete in the imparfait: Nous ___ ensemble. (manger)

Accepted Answer

Nous mangions ensemble. / (We used to eat together.)

Question 23

Complete in the imparfait: Je ___ le lundi et le jeudi. (nager)

Accepted Answer

Je nageais le lundi et le jeudi. / (I used to swim on Mondays and Thursdays.)

Question 24

Complete in the imparfait: Vous ___ souvent ? (voyager)

Accepted Answer

Vous voyagiez souvent ? / (Did you use to travel often?)

Question 25

Rule: What happens to verbs like « étudier » in the imparfait?

Accepted Answer

Their stem already ends in -i, so the « nous » and « vous » forms have a double i.
étudier (to study): nous étudiions, vous étudiiez (we were studying, you were studying)
The other forms are regular: j'étudiais, ils étudiaient. (I was studying, they were studying)

Question 26

Complete in the imparfait: Vous ___ toujours vos clés ! (oublier)

Accepted Answer

Vous oubliiez toujours vos clés ! / (You were always forgetting your keys!)

Question 27

Complete in the imparfait: Nous ___ toujours le chauffeur du bus. (remercier)

Accepted Answer

Nous remerciions toujours le chauffeur du bus. / (We always used to thank the bus driver.)

Question 28

Complete in the imparfait: Tu ___ en ville ? (étudier)

Accepted Answer

Tu étudiais en ville ? / (Were you studying in town?)

Question 29

Rule: How do you say “it was” to describe or comment on something in the past?

Accepted Answer

c'était / La fête ? C'était super. (The party? It was great.)

Question 30

Put in the imparfait: C'est difficile.

Accepted Answer

C'était difficile. / (It's difficult. → It was difficult.)

Question 31

Rule: How do you say “there was” or “there were” in the past?

Accepted Answer

il y avait (for one thing or several) / Il y avait beaucoup de monde. (There were lots of people.)

Question 32

Put in the imparfait: Il y a un marché sur la place.

Accepted Answer

Il y avait un marché sur la place. / (There's a market on the square. → There was a market on the square.)

Question 33

Rule: How do you describe the weather in the past?

Accepted Answer

il faisait + an adjective or an expression: il faisait beau (the weather was nice), il faisait 30 degrés (it was 30 degrees)
Weather verbs go straight into the imparfait: il pleuvait (it was raining), il neigeait (it was snowing)

Question 34

Put in the imparfait: Il fait froid.

Accepted Answer

Il faisait froid. / (It's cold. → It was cold.)

Question 35

Put in the imparfait: Il pleut.

Accepted Answer

Il pleuvait. / (It's raining. → It was raining.)

Question 36

Rule: How do you give the time in the past?

Accepted Answer

il était + time / Il était midi. (It was noon.)

Question 37

Put in the imparfait: Il est huit heures.

Accepted Answer

Il était huit heures. / (It's eight o'clock. → It was eight o'clock.)

Question 38

Rule: How do you say “you had to” or “it was necessary” in the past?

Accepted Answer

il fallait + infinitive (the imparfait of « il faut »). / Pour aller au travail, il fallait prendre deux bus. (To get to work, you had to take two buses.)

Question 39

Put in the imparfait: Il faut réserver une semaine avant.

Accepted Answer

Il fallait réserver une semaine avant. / (You have to book a week before. → You had to book a week before.)

Question 40

Rule: Which time words show a habit in the past?

Accepted Answer

d'habitude (usually), tous les jours (every day), souvent (often), le samedi (on Saturdays), quand j'étais petit (when I was little)…
With these words, use the imparfait.
Le soir, nous regardions la télé. (In the evening, we used to watch TV.)

Question 41

Put in the imparfait: Le dimanche, nous déjeunons chez mes grands-parents.

Accepted Answer

Le dimanche, nous déjeunions chez mes grands-parents. / (On Sundays, we have lunch at my grandparents'. → On Sundays, we used to have lunch at my grandparents'.)

Question 42

Put in the imparfait: D'habitude, je me lève à six heures.

Accepted Answer

D'habitude, je me levais à six heures. / (I usually get up at six. → I usually got up at six.)

Question 43

Put in the imparfait: Tous les étés, ils partent en Bretagne.

Accepted Answer

Tous les étés, ils partaient en Bretagne. / (Every summer, they go to Brittany. → Every summer, they went to Brittany.)

Question 44

Rule: Where do « ne » and « pas » go in the imparfait?

Accepted Answer

Around the verb, as in the present. / Je n'aimais pas les légumes. (I didn't like vegetables.)

Question 45

Make negative: Il travaillait le samedi.

Accepted Answer

Il ne travaillait pas le samedi. / (He worked on Saturdays. → He didn't work on Saturdays.)

Question 46

Make negative: C'était cher.

Accepted Answer

Ce n'était pas cher. / (It was expensive. → It wasn't expensive.)

Question 47

Make negative: Nous avions une voiture.

Accepted Answer

Nous n'avions pas de voiture. / (We had a car. → We didn't have a car.)

The Imparfait in French A2

The rules

What is the imparfait used for?

How do you form the imparfait?

What are the imparfait forms of « être » (to be)?

Are « avoir », « faire » and « aller » regular in the imparfait?

What happens to verbs ending in -ger and -cer in the imparfait?

What happens to verbs like « étudier » in the imparfait?

How do you say “it was” to describe or comment on something in the past?

How do you say “there was” or “there were” in the past?

How do you describe the weather in the past?

How do you give the time in the past?

How do you say “you had to” or “it was necessary” in the past?

Which time words show a habit in the past?

Where do « ne » and « pas » go in the imparfait?

Common mistakes

34 exercises

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