#II et PC

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toxic roseBOT
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Please be patient

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II et PC

quiet cape
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I don't know if there's a "trick", choosing between the imparfait and the passé composé is really about their meaning and what you're trying to express.

The imparfait describes a state in the past, while the passé composé describes an event or a change in the past.

Here are some examples where using the same verb in a different tense changes what you're expressing. Hopefully they will help you understand the difference:

The verb "avoir":

  • J'avais 10 ans en mai 2010.
    ^The use of the imparfait indicates that you were 10 years old in May 2010. It's a state of being. It doesn't imply anything about when you turned 10.

  • J'ai eu 10 ans en mai 2010
    ^The use of the passé composé indicates that you turned 10 in May 2010. It's an event/a change.

The verb "savoir":

  • Quand il m'a parlé, je savais qu'il m'avait trompée.
    ^ Since "savais" is in the imparfait, it means this is a state of being. It means "When he spoke to me, I was aware that he had cheated on me". It describes the state of having knowledge but says nothing about when that knowledge was acquired.

  • Quand il m'a parlé, j'ai su qu'il m'avait trompée
    ^ Since "ai su" is in the passé composé, it describes an event or a change of state. It means "When he spoke to me, I found out / I knew right then and there / I came to understand that he had cheated on me". it describes the moment of change from not knowing to knowing.

light pier
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Thanks for explaining, but I still find it tough. I will exercise using your help and try to find ease through making many exercises on this.