Le Passé Composé et L’Imparfait

Le P.C. and l’Imparfait: Are both past tenses

Le P.C. Tells specifically what HAPPENED and narrates the ACTION It is used for -SPECIFIC/WELL-DEFINED EVENTS -ACTIONS which constitute a story line

En anglais… The P.C. has several English equivalents: “Jacques a fini le livre.” -This can mean any of the below (depending on context): -Jacques finished the book. -Jacques has finished the book. -Jacques did finish the book.

Key Words & Phrases used with the P.C. Use the PC with words and phrases that tell in what specific order EVENTS HAPPENED D’abord (First…) (Et) puis ( (And) then...) Ensuite (Next…) Enfin (Finally…)

Key Words & Phrases used with the P.C. Use the P.C. with words and phrases that indicate a specific moment in the past: -soudain (suddenly) -tout à coup (suddenly) -au moment où (just when) -une fois/deux fois…. (once, twice, etc) -plusieurs fois (several times) -un week-end (one weekend) -lundi (Monday…)

L’imparfait (The Imperfect) Use the Imparfait to DESCRIBE the BACKGROUND -Date, Time -Weather -Age -Scenery -Physical/Outward appearance, including clothing -What people were LIKE (health, attitudes, feelings, intentions, etc) -Description of a scene (what people were doing, what was going on) -Repeated/Habitual Actions -What was going on when another action interrupted

Key Words & Phrases used with the Imparfait D’habitude (usually) De temps en temps (from time to time) Autrefois (formerly) Le week-end (On the weekends/Every weekend) Le lundi (every Monday…) Tous les jours (every day) Normalement (normally) Souvent (often) En général (In general, generally) Chaque semaine/mois/année (Every week, month, year) Le soir, le matin (In the evenings, mornings, etc) Toujours (Always)

PC or Imparfait? He had blond hair. My grandfather used to take me fishing every summer. I sat down at the table. The class was very quiet. He watched a fantastic movie this weekend. Did you clean your room? We were talking about Pierre when he walked into the room.