When is the imperfect tense used and how do you form it?

The imperfect tense is used to express the idea that something is happened continuously in the past. It translates in English as "I was X-ing".
To form the imperfect tense, you take the present tense nous form of a verb (e.g. avoir = nous avons), and take aways the -ons ending, giving you the stem for the imperfect tense.then you add these endings:-ais-ais-ait-ions-iez-aient
e.g avoir = nous avons, so the stem of avoir is -AV
Elle avAIT = she was having

Answered by Ally N. French tutor

1578 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Décrivez ton stage en entreprise.


Match up the following phrases that talk about weather


Conjugate the following verbs with the tense and pronoun specified: prendre (présent, vous), monter (passé composé, ils), acheter (futur simple, nous), s'habiller (présent, elles), faire (passé composé, nous), dormir (imparfait, je)


Which Tsar was famous for his Enthusiasm for France? http://www.lemonde.fr/arts/article/2017/05/29/vladimir-poutine-sur-les-pas-de-pierre-le-grand-a-versailles_5135554_1655012.html


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 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences