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The Imperfect Tense (Singular)

FoundationHigherAQA

Practise The Imperfect Tense (Singular) 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 imperfect describes what used to happen or was happening, using singular forms at Foundation.

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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

The imperfect tense describes what used to happen, what was happening, or what something was like — an ongoing or repeated past situation rather than a single completed event.

It is formed from the nous form of the present tense. Take nous parlons, remove the -ons to leave parl-, then add the imperfect endings. The singular endings are -ais, -ais, -ait: je parlais, tu parlais, il parlait.

All three singular endings sound identical, so the subject pronoun is again the only clue in speech. The English translations vary — je parlais can mean I was speaking, I used to speak, or simply I spoke when describing a habit.

Revision notes

Forming the imperfect

Take the nous form of the present tense and remove -ons.

Nous parlons gives parl-. Nous finissons gives finiss-. Nous prenons gives pren-. This works for almost every verb in French, which makes the imperfect unusually regular.

The singular endings

-ais, -ais, -ait.

Je parlais, tu parlais, il parlait. All three sound identical, so the pronoun is the only spoken clue, exactly as with the present tense of -er verbs.

What it means

Ongoing or repeated past action, or a description.

Je parlais can mean I was speaking, I used to speak, or I spoke as a habit. The English translation depends on context, which is why the imperfect is often mistranslated.

Key points

  • The imperfect describes ongoing past action.
  • It is formed from the nous form of the present.
  • Remove -ons to find the stem.
  • The singular endings are -ais, -ais, -ait.
  • All three sound identical.
  • It can mean was doing or used to do.

Worked examples

Example 1

Form the imperfect stem of parler. [2 marks]

Working

Take nous parlons and remove -onsuse the nous form of the present
The stem is parl-state the resulting stem

Example 2

Give the il form of the imperfect of finir. [2 marks]

Working

The stem from nous finissons is finiss-find the stem
il finissaitadd the -ait ending

Example 3

Give two possible English translations of je parlais. [2 marks]

Working

I was speakinggive the first translation
I used to speakgive the second translation

Common mistakes

  • Using the infinitive stem.

    The imperfect stem comes from the nous form of the present.

  • Confusing -ais with -ai.

    -ai is the future; -ais is the imperfect.

  • Using the perfect for a repeated action.

    Repeated or habitual past actions take the imperfect.

  • Forgetting the stem for irregular verbs.

    Nous prenons gives pren-, not prend-.

Exam tips

  • Always start from the nous form of the present.
  • Learn the endings -ais, -ais, -ait.
  • Listen for the pronoun, not the ending.
  • Consider the context when translating.

Key terms

Imperfect tense
A tense for ongoing or repeated past actions.
Stem
What remains after removing -ons from the nous form.
Habitual action
A repeated past action, taking the imperfect.
Description
A past state, also taking the imperfect.

Related topics

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