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IMPARFAIT/ PASSÉ SIMPLE/ PASSÉ COMPOSÉ/ PLUS-QUE-PARFAIT
By Nathan Love (Western Kentucky University)
A. Imperfect -- Indicative (l'imparfait)
1. Formation:
The endings: ais, ais, ait; ions, iez, aient are added to the imperfect stem which is found by
dropping the ons ending from the first-person plural of the present indicative (see A.1. b, c., d. donn-,
finiss-, rend-). This formula will work for all verbs but être, whose stem is irregular (ét). Verbs of the
first conjugation, er verbs, that would have 'g' or 'c' as the final letter of the imperfect stem require the
inclusion of an 'e' (for 'g') and a cedilla (for 'c') before the imperfect endings are added for all imperfect
conjugated forms except the first and second persons plural. This measure maintains the softness of
the consonant before 'a' and 'o'. Examples: mangeais, mangeais, mangeait; mangions, mangiez,
mangeaient; commençais, commençais, commençait; commencions, commenciez, commençaient.
2. Use:
a. To describe an action habitually repeated in the past. Example: Il mangeait toujours dans le
même restaurant.
b. For general description. Example: Leur maison était très belle.
c. To provide a context by which or within which another past action is situated. Example: Je
lisais quand elle est entrée.
d. For indirect discourse. Example: Paul a dit qu'il n'aimait pas les Allemands.
There is no single English tense that corresponds by itself to the French imperfect. Normally,
some form of a past tense or a "used to ..." or "would ..." construction will suffice to translate an
imperfect verb. Here is how each of the examples could be translated:
a.' He used to eat always in the same restaurant. / He would always eat in the same restaurant.
b.' Their home was very beautiful.
c.' I was reading when she came in.
d.' Paul said he did not like the Germans.
B. Passé Simple -- Indicative
1. Formation:
a. Drop the er of the infinitive of er verbs to obtain the stem: donn- .
b. To the stem of er verbs, the following endings are added: ai, as, a; âmes, âtes, èrent -- thus
obtaining: donnai, donnas, donna; donnâmes, donnâtes, donnèrent.
c. Drop the ir and re of the infinitive of most ir and re verbs to obtain the stem: fin- , rendd. To the stem of most ir and re verbs, the following endings are added: is, is, it; îmes, îtes, irent -thus obtaing: finis, finis, finit; finîmes, finîtes, finirent ; rendis, rendis, rendit; rendîmes, rendîtes,
rendirent.
e. For the many verbs, the formation derives from the past participle (see H. 1. c. ). Examples:
dormir, dormi > dormis, dormis, dormit, dormîmes, dormîtes, dormirent ; sourire, souri > souris, souris,
sourit; sourîmes, sourîtes, sourirent.
2. Use:
To relate unique events that have been completed, are viewed as "over and done with" in the
past. (In this regard, it expresses past events that have been completed in parallel fashion to the
passé composé. See H. 1.) The passé simple is a literary preterite, and may seldom be encountered
outside formal writing. In conversational French, the passé composé is almost always preferred.
Example: Il écrivit dès son retour. ~ Il a écrit dès son retour.
The passé simple may distinguish itself from the passé composé, in that the event given in the
passé simple is seen to have less significance for the present moment, according to some
grammarians. Example: César envahit la Gaule ~ César a envahi la Gaule.
C. Passé Composé -- Indicative
1. Formation:
a. For most verbs in French, use the present tense indicative of avoir (ai, as, a; avons, avez, ont)
plus the past participle of the main verb.
b. Certain verbs (a minority), usually but not always intransitive verbs of motion or change in state
of being, require that the present tense of être (suis, es, est; sommes, êtes, sont) be used instead of
avoir (always with: aller, arriver, entrer, devenir, partir, rester, rentrer, retourner, venir, tomber, mourir,
and all reflexive/pronominal verbs -- sometimes with: passer, monter, descendre, sortir -- depending
on whether the verb is used transitively or intransitively, i.e., takes a direct object or not). In addition,
the past participle must agree in gender and number with its subject.
c. The past participles of regular verbs can be obtained by adding to the same verb stem that is
used for the formation of the present tense (see A.1.a.) the following set of endings: é for er verbs, i
for ir verbs, u for re verbs -- thus giving, for example: donné, fini, rendu.
2. Use:
To relate unique events that have been completed, are viewed as "over and done with" in the
past. It corresponds to the English present perfect or simple past. Tu as écouté ce disque? could be
rendered into English as: You listened to this record? or Have you listened to this record? or -- for that
manner -- even Did you listen to this record? in the emphatic past. Examples: César a envahi la
Gaule. Jean a parlé avec son prof. La voiture s'est arrêtée devant le musée.
It may also be used for repetitive actions in the past, but only if the time period during which the
repeated actions occurred is explicitly indicated. Example: Il est venu me voir tous les jeudis.
D. Pluperfect -- Indicative (le plus-que-parfait)
1. Formation:
a. For most verbs in French, use the imperfect tense of avoir (avais, avais, avait; avions,
aviez, avaient) plus the past participle of the verb that is being used in the pluperfect.
b. Certain verbs (a minority), usually but not always intransitive verbs of motion or change in
state of being, require that the imperfect tense of être (étais, étais, était; étions, étiez, étaient) be
used instead of avoir (see H. 1. a-c).
c. There is only one past participle for all compound tenses in French. See H. 1. c. concerning
the form it takes for regular verbs.
2. Use:
Just as the passé composé relates unique events that have been completed, are viewed as
"over and done with" in the past, so, too, does the pluperfect. It corresponds to the English
pluperfect. With French and English, the pluperfect indicates that an action takes place in a
remote past, or, at least, that an action takes place before another past action or state. Tu avais
écouté ce disque avant de le condamner ? could be rendered into English as: Had you listened to
this record before condemning it? Example: Ils avaient déjà fini leurs devoirs, quand le professeur
est entré dans la salle.