How do I know when to use the imperfect and when to use the past historic in French?

The imperfect may indicate:
- an action of the past whose duration is not defined;
"Il prenait son bain.""Elle occupait un poste dans l'administration."
- a repeated action or phenomenon
"Le soir, il dînait chez ses parents.""Tous les jours, il faisait la vaisselle."
- a description
À droite de l'océan, on voyait des dunes à perte de vue. Les rayons de soleil faisaient scintiller la mer."
The past historic may indicate:
- A completed action, as opposed to the imperfect tense
"Elle était sa femme depuis longtemps quand il lui dit..."
- a sudden action
"Il était (imperfect) dans sa douche quand quelqu'un sonna (past historic) à sa porte.""Sa journée se passait (imperfect) paisiblement quand soudain, il tomba (past historic) par la fenêtre."
Nota Bene: It should be noted that the simple past is not used orally, only in writing.

Answered by Pauline L. French tutor

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