![]() Past imperfect
![]() The imperfect tense is used for describing things in the past. There is no direct equivalent in English - but it is like three types of sentence in English:
1. Basic descriptions in the past e.g. J'étais fatigué(e) - I was tired. e.g. ils avaient soif - they were thirsty. 2. What someone USED TO do, what something USED TO be like e.g. Quand j'étais petit, je jouais du piano - when I was young I played the piano - here the meaning is the same as 'I used to play the piano'. 3. What someone WAS doING, or WERE doING e.g. quand j'ai vu Bob, il parlait avec le prof - when I saw Bob he WAS TALKING to the teacher. ![]() Make a presentation to compare what your life was like when you were 8 years old with now.
e.g. Quand j'avais 8 ans, mon école était petite, pourtant maintenant mon écore est grande. Quand j'avais 8 ans, the n'aimais pas les carottes, mais maintenant je les adore. |
![]() Look how we can DESCRIBE things in the PAST using c'était, il y avait, il faisait. This is the IMPERFECT tense equivalent of c'est, il y a, il fait.
![]() ![]() ![]() Imagine that you took this photo on holiday. Describe where it was, what the town was like and what was happening in the photo. Choose another photo if you don't like this one so much.
e.g. C'était en Chine. Il faisait chaud. C'était un petit village où il y avait un petit marché. Un garçon jouait avec... |