Imperfect vs. Past Compound : When to use them? 

Imperfect vs. Past Compound : When to use them?
“Welcome! Today, find out how to never get confused between the imperfect and the passé composé again.”
The Past Compound - How does it work?
“Auxiliary ‘ have ’ or ‘ be ’ in the present + past participle”
“Have” is the most commonly used auxiliary and applies to the majority of verbs.
“‘Be’ is used with verbs of movement (to go, to come, to go up, to go down, etc.) and pronominal verbs (to get up, to go to bed, etc.).
Past participles must agree in gender and number with the subject when the auxiliary is “to be”.
Example of the conjugation of the verb to eat with the auxiliary “to have” in the passé composé:
To eat (regular verb in -er)
I ate
You ate
He/She/We ate
We ate
You ate
They ate
Example of the conjugation of the verb aller with the auxiliary “être” in the passé composé :
To go (verb of movement)
I went
You went
He went
She went
We went
You went
They went
They went
The passé composé expresses actions that are punctual, completed and located in the past. It emphasizes the result of the action.
The passé composé is used for :
punctual, completed actions in the past:
I ate an apple.
A series of completed actions in the past:
I traveled to Brazil, visited Rio de Janeiro and met many friends.
Historical facts or recent news:
Christopher Columbus discovered America.
The Imperfect tense
How does it work?
“Radical of the verb in the 1st person plural (we) in the present tense + endings”
Endings : -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient
Example of the conjugation of the verb Parler in the imperfect tense
Parler (regular verb in -er)
Je parlais
You were speaking
He/She/We were talking
We were speaking
You were speaking
They were speaking
The imperfect tense describes actions in progress, habits or context. It gives an impression of duration and continuity.
The imperfect tense is generally used to describe :
Habitual actions in the past:
I studied every night.
Descriptions of people or things in the past:
He was very tall and skinny.
Actions in progress in the past, often interrupted by another action:
I was reading a book when the phone rang.
The context of a main action in the past:
It was raining when I left my house.
Common pitfalls
“It has rained” vs. “It was raining”.
It has rained: Indicates an action completed in the past. It's a one-off action, a fait accompli. We can specify when: “It rained yesterday.”
It was raining: Describes an action in progress in the past, often linked to another action. It's a background action, a state. It can be used with expressions like “when”, “when”: “When I went out, it was raining.”
“There you go! Remember, it's simple: the passé composé is for a specific action that ended in the past, while the imparfait is perfect for describing a situation or talking about a habit. With these rules in mind, you're ready to master these two tenses like a pro!
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