L_Imparfait_Lesson
L_Imparfait_Lesson
L’Imparfait
The imperfect is formed by dropping the -ons ending from the present
tense nous form of the verb and adding the following endings:
Verbs such as étudier (to study), rire (to laugh), sourire (to smile),
and vérifier (to check) already end in -ions in the present. In the
imperfect, an extra i is necessary in the nous and vous forms:
« Nous étudiions pendant des heures. (We were studying for hours.)
- Vous riiez trop. (You were laughing too much.)
The following verbs have spelling changes in the imperfect:
Irregular verbs follow the same rules for the formation of the imperfect
as do regular verbs. The following is a list of the nous form of the most
common irregular verbs. To form the imperfect, simply drop the -
Note: Falloir (to be necessary) and pleuvoir (to rain) are used only in
the i/ form: i/ fallait (it was necessary) and i/ pleuvait (it was raining).
Note: The only verb that does not follow the rule for the formation of the
imperfect is étre (to be), whose imperfect stem is ét-: j'étais, tu étais, il
était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient.