One of the biggest hurdles for English speakers learning French is undoubtedly the battle of the past tenses: Le Passé Composé vs. L’Imparfait.
Unlike in English, where you might simply use the Past Simple (“I ate”), French requires you to choose between a completed action (action terminée) and a description or habit (description ou habitude). Do you say “J’ai mangé” or “Je mangeais”? Making the wrong choice can completely change the meaning of your story!
To make things easier, I have designed a comprehensive summary sheet. Think of this image as your ultimate cheat sheet: a single-page guide that summarizes everything you need to know to finally understand the difference between these two tenses.
In this post, we will use this visual guide to explore:
- The Passé Composé: Used for specific, completed events (The “Snapshot”).
- The Imparfait: Used for ongoing situations, background context, and habits (The “Movie”).
- Key Indicators: Words like hier (yesterday) versus souvent (often).
Check out the summary sheet below to master the formation and usage of the French past tenses once and for all.
