Le mardi 31 mars

The Imperfect tense

Use the imperfect tense to
1. Translate the idea of 'used to do something'
2. Translate the idea of 'was/were doing
something' to set the scene in the past.
Objectif: To learn how to conjugate the
imperfect tense from an infinitive.
a) I was walking down the street when I saw the
girl.
b) The sun was shining.
c) It was raining.
d) I used to play tennis often.
e) My neighbour used to walk really slowly.
Take the je form of the present tense je
regarde.
Remove the je and the e from regarde regard
Add the endings
je: ais nous: ions
tu: ais vous: iez
il/elle: ait ils/ells: aient
This is the imperfect of 'regarder'
je regardais
tu regardais
il regardait
elle regardait
nous regardions
vous regardiez
ils regardaient
elles regardaient
I used to watch/ was watching
You(s) used to watch/ were watching
He used to watch/ was watching
She used to watch/ was watching
We used to watch/ were watching
You(pl) used to watch/ were watching
They(m) used to watch/ were watching
They(f) used to watch/ were watching
Je buvais - I used to drink/ was drinking
J'etais - I used to be/ was
Je faisais - I used to do/ was doing
Je voyais - I used to see/ was seeing
J'avais - I used to have/ was having
Je pouvais - I used to be able to/ was able to/
could
Je voulais - I used to want to/ wanted to
Je devais - I used to have to/ had to
J'allais - I used to go/ was going
What Do you Think These Mean In
English? Reading Task
1) I was going to town on the bus, when...
2) He used to like watching adventure films.
3) We were playing football in the park.
4) She used to have really long hair.
5) My sister used to love going dancing.
6) My parents wanted to live in France.
7) I had to do my homework after tea.
8) Did you used to eat too much chocolate?

2)