1. FR 3 Passé Composé ou Imparfait?

2. In French, when talking about the past, you may use EITHER the PASSÉ COMPOSÉ or the IMPARFAIT Choice of tense reflects the TYPE of action or events being described

3. Passé Composé Completed action or state Succession/series of past events (story line) NO idea of lasting/repeated action Specific point in time Specific number of times (can count them) interruptING action in the past

4. Passé Composé – clue words Un jour/an // une mois = one day/year/month Le ____(name of day) = on [day of week] La semaine dernière/l’année dernière/le mois dernier = last [week, year, month] Il y a + time frame = [time frame] “ago” ____(name of day) soir/après-midi = [“name of day” night/afternoon – ex = lundi soir = Monday night] Tout à coup = all of a sudden Soudain = suddenly Une (deux, trois, #) fois = # times enfin = finally

5. Hier = yesterday (name of day of the week) dernier = last “name of day” [ex = lundi dernier = last Monday] Avant = before Après = after Pendant =- during D’abord = first Ensuite = then Finalement = finally

6. Imparfait Continuous/repeated action in the past (‘used to”)  *can’t count the # of times Condition or prolonged action in the past interruptED action in the past (was/were ing) Setting scene/description in the past/scenery Date, time, weather Age, appearance, physical traits, health, feelings

7. Imparfait – CLUE WORDS Quelquefois = sometimes Souvent = often Autrefois = previously D’habitude = usually En général = generally Tous les jours = every day Toujours = always Fréquemment = frequently De temps en temps = from time to time Tout le temps = all the time Parfois = sometimes/at times

8. COMPARE Hier à 9 heures, nous dînions [yesterday, at nine we were eating dinner] – setting scene Hier nous avons dîné à 9 heures [yesterday we ate dinner at 9] – specific point in time

9. COMPARE Tous les jours j’allais à la plage [every day I used to go to the beach] – repeated action – what’s important is that I did it MULTIPLE time Tous les jours je suis allée à la plage [every day I WENT to the beach] – completed – not doing it any more – what’s important is that it’s in THE PAST, over and done

10. PC et IMP – dans la même phrase It is possible to have the Passé Composé and Imparfait together, in the same sentence In this case, one action is a SPECIFIC (pin point) action while the other is a PROGRESSIVE action (taking place over a long period of time) OR an action (PC) interruptING another action (IMP – being interruptED)

11. example J’ai vu un accident pendant que j’attendais le bus. [I saw (specific action) an accident while I was waiting (progressive action) for the bus] J’ai observé un oiseau qui chantait dans un arbre. [I noticed (PC-sp act) a bird that was singing (IMP – prog act) in a tree]

12. NOTICE? Did you notice that the verb in the IMPARFAIT in English translated as WAS/WERE (verb)ING??

13. Connector words When using the PC and IMP in the same sentence, you will often join the phrases with: Au moment où – just as Lorsque – when Pendant que - while Quand – when