The French Imperfect Tense

Ever wondered how to say "I used to..." in French? The imperfect tense is perfect for describing your childhood habits, what you were like as a kid, or things that happened regularly in the past. Think of it as your storytelling tense!

You've already been using two imperfect forms without realising it: c'était (it was) and il y avait (there was/were). These pop up everywhere in French, so you're already on the right track.

The formation is actually dead simple. Take any verb's nous form in present tense, chop off the -ons ending, and add these new endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. For example, nous regardons becomes je regardais (I used to watch).

There's just one awkward verb to remember: être (to be) uses the irregular stem ét-, giving you j'étais, tu étais, and so on. Once you've got this down, you can describe your entire childhood in French!

Quick Tip: The imperfect tense endings are the same for ALL verbs (except être's stem), so learn them once and you're sorted for life!