Imperfect indicative
French past tense for an unfinished past action, a habit or a background description.
Allowed persons
| Pronoun | Name | Number | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | First person singular | Singular | P1S |
| tu | Second person singular | Singular | P2S |
| il/elle/on | Third person singular | Singular | P3S |
| nous | First person plural | Plural | P1P |
| vous | Second person plural | Plural | P2P |
| ils/elles | Third person plural | Plural | P3P |
Rules linked to this tense
10 published rules, one per verb pattern.
Imperfect tense of -cer verbs (commencer)
The stem is the infinitive without -er (commencer → commenc-). The endings added to it are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. A spelling change applies in the three singular persons and the third-person plural: the c takes a cedilla before o and a (commenc- → commenç-).
- je commençais
- nous commencions
- ils commençaient
Imperfect tense of -ger verbs (manger)
The stem is the infinitive without -er (manger → mang-). The endings added to it are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. A spelling change applies in the three singular persons and the third-person plural: an e is inserted after the g before o and a (mang- → mange-).
- je mangeais
- nous mangions
- ils mangeaient
Imperfect tense of -yer verbs (nettoyer)
The stem is the infinitive without -er (nettoyer → nettoy-). The endings added to it are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. The model verb is nettoyer (je nettoyais, nous nettoyions).
- je nettoyais
- nous nettoyions
- ils nettoyaient
Imperfect tense of acheter-type verbs (e → è)
The stem is the infinitive without -er (acheter → achet-). The endings added to it are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. The model verb is acheter (j'achetais, nous achetions).
- j'achetais
- nous achetions
- ils achetaient
Imperfect tense of double-consonant verbs (jeter)
The stem is the infinitive without -er (jeter → jet-). The endings added to it are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. The model verb is jeter (je jetais, nous jetions).
- je jetais
- nous jetions
- ils jetaient
Imperfect tense of partir-type -ir verbs
The stem comes from the present first-person plural without -ons (nous partons → part-). The endings added to it are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. The model verb is partir (je partais, nous partions).
- je partais
- nous partions
- ils partaient
Imperfect tense of recevoir-type -oir verbs
The stem comes from the present first-person plural without -ons (nous recevons → recev-). The endings added to it are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. The model verb is recevoir (je recevais, nous recevions).
- je recevais
- nous recevions
- ils recevaient
Imperfect tense of regular -er verbs
The stem is the infinitive without -er (parler → parl-). The endings added to it are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. The model verb is parler (je parlais, nous parlions).
- je parlais
- nous parlions
- ils parlaient
Imperfect tense of second-group -ir verbs (finir)
The stem comes from the present first-person plural without -ons (nous finissons → finiss-). The endings added to it are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. The model verb is finir (je finissais, nous finissions).
- je finissais
- nous finissions
- ils finissaient
Imperfect tense of vendre-type -re verbs
The stem comes from the present first-person plural without -ons (nous vendons → vend-). The endings added to it are -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. The model verb is vendre (je vendais, nous vendions).
- je vendais
- nous vendions
- ils vendaient