How do you know if you should use the perfect or imperfect tense?

Generally, the imperfect tense should be used for events which happened regularly in the past or which took place over a period of time. The perfect tense is used more for one off events. So for example, if you wanted to say "I used to play football", you would use the imperfect: "Je jouais au foot". But if you just wanted to say "I played football", then you would use the perfect: "J'ai joué au foot".

Answered by Leah T. French tutor

1811 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

how do I say how long I've been doing an activity eg playing the piano for two years?


Qu’est-ce que nous pouvons faire pour réduire le problème de changement climatiquement ?


Decris-moi les meilleurs vacances d'été que tu aies jamais eues.


What is the difference between the imperfect and perfect tense in French?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences