Download Passé Composé vs. Imparfait part 2

Point de départ
You have already seen some uses of the passé composé
versus the imparfait while talking about things and events
in the past. Here are some other contexts in which the
choice of the tense you use is important.
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The passé composé and the imparfait are often
used together to narrate a story or an incident. In
such cases, the imparfait is usually used to set the
scene or the background while the passé composé
moves the story along.
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When the passé composé and the imparfait occur in the
same sentence, the action in the passé composé often
interrupts the ongoing action in the imparfait.
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Depending on how you want to express the actions, either
the passé composé or the imparfait can follow quand.
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Sometimes the use of the passé composé and the
imparfait in the same sentence expresses a cause and
effect.
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Certain adverbs often indicate a particular past tense.
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While talking about the past or narrating a tale, you might
use the verb vivre (to live) which is irregular.
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The past participle of vivre is vécu. The imparfait is
formed like regular –re verbs by taking the nous form,
dropping the –ons, and adding the endings.
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Essayez!
Choisissez la forme correcte du verbe au passé.
1. Lise (a étudié /étudiait) toujours avec ses amis.
2. Maman (a fait /faisait) du yoga hier.
3. Ma grand-mère (passait /a passé) par là tous les jours.
4. D’habitude, ils (arrivaient /sont arrivés) toujours en retard.
5. Tout à coup, le professeur (entrait /est entré) dans la classe.
6. Ce matin, Camille (a lavé /lavait) le chien.
© 2015 by Vista Higher Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.
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