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Choosing Between Perfect and Imperfect

FoundationHigherAQA

Master Choosing Between Perfect and Imperfect for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). The perfect describes completed actions while the imperfect describes ongoing or repeated ones.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

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Higher

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Topic overview

Choosing between the perfect and the imperfect is the hardest decision in French past tense work, and it comes down to whether the action was completed or ongoing.

The perfect describes a single completed action: j'ai mangé une pizza. The imperfect describes an ongoing situation, a repeated habit, or a description: je mangeais quand il est arrivé, je mangeais toujours à midi, il faisait beau.

Certain signal words point one way or the other. Soudain, tout à coup and une fois suggest the perfect. Toujours, souvent, chaque jour, d'habitude and quand j'étais petit suggest the imperfect. When one action interrupts another, the interrupted one is imperfect and the interrupting one is perfect.

Revision notes

Perfect for completed actions

A single, finished event: j'ai mangé une pizza, il est arrivé, nous sommes partis.

The action has a clear beginning and end. Signal words include soudain, tout à coup, une fois, hier and la semaine dernière.

Imperfect for ongoing situations

A repeated habit, an ongoing action, or a description.

Je mangeais toujours à midi — habit. Il faisait beau — description. Signal words include toujours, souvent, chaque jour, d'habitude, and quand j'étais petit.

Interrupted actions

When one action interrupts another, the interrupted one is imperfect and the interrupting one is perfect.

Je mangeais quand il est arrivé — I was eating when he arrived. The eating was ongoing; the arrival was a single completed event.

Key points

  • The perfect describes completed actions.
  • The imperfect describes ongoing situations.
  • The imperfect covers habits and descriptions.
  • Soudain and une fois signal the perfect.
  • Toujours and souvent signal the imperfect.
  • An interrupted action takes the imperfect.

Worked examples

Example 1

Choose the correct tense: Je ___ quand il est arrivé. [2 marks]

Working

Je mangeais quand il est arrivéuse the imperfect for the interrupted action
The eating was ongoing when it was interrupted by the single completed arrivalexplain the choice

Example 2

Choose the correct tense: Chaque jour, je ___ à l'école à pied. [2 marks]

Working

Chaque jour, j'allais à l'école à pieduse the imperfect for the repeated habit
Chaque jour signals a repeated action, which requires the imperfectexplain the signal word

Example 3

Explain why il faisait beau uses the imperfect. [2 marks]

Working

It is a description of the weather rather than a completed eventstate the reason
Descriptions of past situations always take the imperfectstate the rule

Common mistakes

  • Using the perfect for a description.

    Descriptions take the imperfect: il faisait beau.

  • Using the imperfect for a single event.

    A completed action takes the perfect.

  • Getting the interruption the wrong way round.

    The interrupted action is imperfect; the interrupting one is perfect.

  • Ignoring signal words.

    Toujours and soudain point in opposite directions.

Exam tips

  • Ask whether the action was completed or ongoing.
  • Watch for signal words in the sentence.
  • Use the imperfect for descriptions and habits.
  • Put the interrupting action in the perfect.

Key terms

Completed action
A finished event, taking the perfect.
Ongoing action
An action in progress, taking the imperfect.
Signal word
A word such as toujours pointing to one tense.
Interruption
A perfect action cutting across an imperfect one.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.