Forming the imperfect
A second past tense, and the easiest French tense to build: one set of endings, one stem rule, one irregular verb in the entire language.
The stem is the nous form of the present tense with -ons removed.
| infinitive | nous form | stem |
|---|---|---|
| parler | nous parlons | parl- |
| finir | nous finissons | finiss- |
| prendre | nous prenons | pren- |
| faire | nous faisons | fais- |
| aller | nous allons | all- |
The endings are the same for every verb without exception:
| je -ais | tu -ais | il/elle -ait |
|---|---|---|
| nous -ions | vous -iez | ils/elles -aient |
So: je parlais, tu finissais, il prenait, nous faisions, vous alliez, ils allaient.
One irregular verb: être, whose stem is ét- — j'étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient. It is irregular because nous sommes has no -ons to remove.
Pronunciation. -ais, -ait and -aient are all pronounced identically. Four of the six forms sound the same, so in speech the tense is carried by the stem and by context, and in writing the ending must still be right.
Two spelling adjustments, both to keep the sound of the stem:
- -ger verbs keep the e before a: je mangeais, nous mangions.
- -cer verbs take a cedilla: je commençais, nous commencions.
What the tense is for is week 17. This week is only the forms.
What this unlocks
Knowing the rule is not the same as producing it.
This page explains the pattern. The track drills it: the point arrives inside a mini-dialogue, then production marked against a CEFR descriptor, then a module test that returns you to your two weakest sessions if you miss it.