French Childhood Habits

What Is the Imparfait?

The imparfait is a past tense used for descriptions, habits and repeated actions, like "I used to play" or "it was". It is different from the passé composé, which is for single completed actions.

Forming the Imparfait

Take the nous form of the present tense, drop the -ons ending, then add the imparfait endings to that stem.

Conjugating JOUER (to play)

Here is the full imparfait conjugation of jouer, built from the stem jou-.

The Imparfait Endings

These six endings attach to the stem for every regular verb in the imparfait, no matter the verb group.

• •je → -ais
• •tu → -ais
• •il / elle → -ait
• •nous → -ions
• •vous → -iez
• •ils / elles → -aient

ÊTRE Is Irregular in the Imparfait

Être has an irregular stem (ét-), but it still uses the same regular imparfait endings. This makes être extremely common for descriptions.

Avoir and Common Descriptive Phrases

Avoir also appears constantly in the imparfait for descriptions, along with two very useful fixed phrases.

• •j'avais = I had
• •c'était = it was
• •il y avait = there was / there were

Imparfait Vocabulary for Habits

These verbs describe things you used to do regularly, not a single event.

• •je jouais = I used to play
• •j'habitais = I used to live
• •je mangeais = I used to eat
• •je regardais = I used to watch
• •j'aimais = I used to like
• •je détestais = I used to hate

Childhood Vocabulary

These words set the scene for talking about your childhood.

• •Quand j'étais petit(e) = When I was little
• •un enfant / un bébé = a child / a baby
• •l'école primaire = primary school
• •mon enfance = my childhood
• •autrefois = in the past / long ago

Building a Full Childhood Sentence

A strong childhood sentence usually starts with "Quand j'étais petit(e)" and combines an imparfait verb with a detail.

Common Mistakes

These are the slips learners make most often when building the imparfait.

• •✗ Je jouer / ✓ Je jouais (always use the imparfait stem + ending, not the infinitive)
• •✗ Nous jouons dans le parc (quand j'étais petite) / ✓ Nous jouions dans le parc (use imparfait for a repeated childhood habit, not present tense)
• •✗ J'était / ✓ J'étais (the je-form of être is étais, not était, which is for il/elle)
• •✗ Nous jouaons / ✓ Nous jouions (nous and vous always take -ions / -iez, never -aons)