realcosmicdev

[stable sequoia]

Please be patient

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[glad marsh]

Passe compose is for a past action that ended "J'ai fait ça" -> "I did this"
Imparfait is more about habits or actions that were lasting a certain time
"Je mangeais quand il est arrivé" -> "I was eating when he arrived"

[young flower]

I was always taught that Imparfait is saying you used to do something

e.g. "Je joueais au foot avec mes parents" would mdean "I used to play football with my parents".

[glad marsh]

It can, but not always

[young flower]

Wich one would I use if I were to say "This morning, I ate toast for breakfast" - passe compose right?

[glad marsh]

Yeah

Because it is an action which already ended

[young flower]

I don't understand though?

Because when you say I was eating when he arrived that is also an action wich ended

[glad marsh]

Hmm
Yeah, my explanation isn't the best

[young flower]

Not just yours. I've searched for ages and every explanation is the same lmao.

I just can't grasp it

[glad marsh]

Actually, when the main action happened (he arrived), the other one was still lasting

Yesterday, I died -> an instant action
Yesterday, I was dying-> it lasted, for the whole day

[young flower]

That makes more sense but the guy was eating all day?

[glad marsh]

No, but he was when the other one arrived

"Il a mangé quand l'autre est arrivé" is very different from "Il mangeait quand l'autre est arrivé"

[young flower]

ohhhhhh

thanks

[glad marsh]

You got it ?

[young flower]

More than I did before. Will keep revising it though.

appreciate it

[glad marsh]

Nice 👍

Do not hesitate to ping me if you need

[young flower]

Ty!

[ivory perch]

The focus between passé composé vs imparfait actually comes down to two things: background vs action. In « je mangeais quand il est arrivé », the imparfait is used to describe the background or condition of the action: what is it that I was doing (notice that I’m using the past progressive in English) when he arrived.

Both tenses describe something that has ended, they’re both past tenses after all, it just depends on whether or not something is background information or an action.

[young flower]

I see.

So passe composé would just be ‘J’ai mangé des céréales pour mon petit déjeuner » Because there is no background action

And l’imparfait would be ‘Je mangeais quand le téléphone a sonné’ because it’s a background action.

Right?

[ivory perch]

Exactly

The imparfait is used when you're setting the scene, so to speak; the passé composé is used for what happens within said scene

I forgot where I saw this but the idea was like in a film, the passé composé was what happened in front of the camera whereas the imparfait was happened around the camera