Transcript Passé Composé & Imparfait

Passé
Composé &
Imparfait
Storytelling skills
Don’t forget: there is
homework assigned at the
end of this presentation.
Some of the instructions may
be oral!
Storytelling…
Take a moment and reflect on how often you use
storytelling in your daily life.
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You tell your parents and friends about what
happened at school today.
You talk about things that happened, or used to
happen, when you were younger.
You tell me about your previous French teachers.
You make excuses to your teachers about why the
homework didn’t get done!
You give reports at school about historical events
or to summarize books that you have read.
Storytelling is a major part of communication, not just
something we do around a campfire!
For storytelling, two types of
past-tense exist in French:
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Passé composé, used
in these contexts:
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Events on a specific
occasion
Sequence of events
Emotional reaction
An event that
interrupted
something already
happening
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Imparfait (Imperfect)
used in these contexts:
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Setting the scene
The concept “used to”
General description
Emotional description
Something already
happening when
another event
interrupted it
Something in the past
that was ongoing
Imparfait
Passé composé
Conjugation of verbs in
imparfait:
The only exception to
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Step 1: Conjugate
the verb for “nous” in
present tense.
Example – regardons
Step 2: Remove the
“ons” ending.
Example - regard
This gives you the
imparfait stem.
this rule is our good
friend “être.”
The imparfait stem of
être is: ét
Given that être is the
most common verb in
the language, it is
important to
remember this
exception.
Conjugation of verbs in
imparfait, continued:
Step 3: add imparfait endings to the stem
IMPARFAIT ENDINGS:
je: ais
nous: ions
tu: ais
vous: iez
il/elle/on: ait
ils/elles: aient
**in green are endings that sound exactly alike
– pronounced “eh”
Examples of Imparfait
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Setting the scene
The concept “used to”
General description
Emotional description
Something already
happening when
another event
interrupted it
Something in the past
that was ongoing
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Un jour, j’étudiais…
Il regardait “Glee.”
Paris était beau!
Ma mère était très
déçue.
Marie et Léa avaient
6 ans quand…
Nous assistions
Summit Ridge M.S.
See if you can do it yourself!
Note: Just like always, do not conjugate être (in
any tense) and follow it with a verb!
 It was six o’clock and we were eating
breakfast…
 My dad used to have a Corvette.
 She was tall.
 I was happy!
 I was doing dishes when…
 Every summer my parents went to the Grand
Canyon.
How did you do?
Note: Just like always, do not conjugate être (in any
tense) and follow it with a verb!
 It was six o’clock and we were eating breakfast…
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My dad used to have a Corvette.
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J’étais heureux!
I was doing dishes when…
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Elle était grande.
I was happy!
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Mon père avait une Corvette.
She was tall.
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Il était six heures et nous mangions le petit déjeuner…
Je faisais la vaisselle quand…
Every summer my parents went to the Grand
Canyon.
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Tous les étés, mes parents allaient au Grand Canyon.
How about questions and
negatives?
 What
were you (formal) doing when…?
 I didn’t used to want children.
 Was she pretty?
 We were not angry, we were
disappointed.
 Were you (plural) playing soccer when…?
 You (informal) did not finish your
homework when you were younger.
How Did You Do?
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What were you (formal) doing when…?
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I didn’t used to want children.
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Nous n’étions pas fâchés, nous étions déçus.
Were you (plural) playing soccer when…
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Etait-elle jolie?
We were not angry, we were disappointed.
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Je ne voulais pas d’enfants.
Was she pretty?
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Qu’est-ce que vous faisiez quand…?
Est-ce que vous jouiez au football quand…
You (informal) did not finish your homework when
you were younger.
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Tu ne finissais pas tes devoirs quand tu étais plus jeune.
Let’s talk about context
Before you can storytell in French, you have
context for passé composé and imparfait
“down pat.”
That means you have to know when to use
each tense (under what circumstances, in
what context).
If you were going to tell this
story in French…
…which tense would you use for each underlined word? Passé composé or imparfait?
Yesterday, I when I was walking home, a dragon came up to me and he said, “Hello – I believe
we have met before.”
I said, “I think we used to live next door to each other! You’re Bill – I remember you!”
He replied, “Yes! And I can recall, when you were six, your dog died and your dad told you
that he went to live on a farm!”
I became suddenly very melancholy, and I told the dragon, “That was a sad day.
Bill sighed, and said, “My family and I liked your dog. We were sorry that he departed.”
“Thanks,” I said, and I patted his arm.
We chatted some more, and finally exchanged phone numbers. He called me yesterday and
asked if I’d like to go out to dinner. I said yes!
Now let’s try it in French, with
both tenses!
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Melanie and I were talking on the phone when my
grandfather arrived.
I used to think that televisions were evil, but
yesterday I bought a Sony!
Our house was green and white, but my dad
didn’t like it.
It was a sad day, but after the “goodbye,” she
was content.
When Samuel was ten, the Broncos won the
Superbowl.
We have gone to Las Vegas every July, but this
year, we did not go.
How did you do?
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Melanie and I were talking on the phone when my grandfather
arrived.
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I used to think that televisions were evil, but yesterday I bought
a Sony!
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C’était un jour triste, mais après les “au revoirs” elle a été contente.
When Samuel was ten, the Broncos won the Superbowl.
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Notre maison était verte et blanche mais mon père ne l’aimait pas.
It was a sad day, but after the “goodbye,” she was content.
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Je pensais que les télévisions étaient malveillantes, mais hier j’ai
acheté un Sony.
Our house was green and white, but my dad didn’t like it.
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Mélanie et moi parlions au téléphone quand mon grand-père est
arrivé.
Quand Samuel avait dix ans, les Broncos ont gagné le Superbowl.
We have gone to Las Vegas every July, but this year, we did
not go.
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Nous allions à Las Vegas tous les juillets, mais cette année, nous ne
sommes pas allées.
Things to remember
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Passé composé and imparfait are “partners” but
they are not interchangeable
Imparfait does not need a helping verb
Imparfait endings cannot be used alone; it’s an
entire conjugated verb!
In speaking, you have to be super-careful about
pronunciation, especially when there is an “il a” plus
an –er past participle
These two tenses don’t really exist in English, so it
doesn’t translate well. Don’t translate; use context
and ideas.
It takes a while to get used to it! (The only thing that
will help is lots of practice.)
Homework, to be turned in
next class:
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What skill does learning about imparfait/passé
composé build? Why do you think you need that
skill?
What are the context criteria for passé composé
and imparfait?
Why is it important to know how to conjugate
verbs for “nous”?
What is the imparfait stem of être?
Who is Bill the Dragon?
Which one of the “things to remember” is the most
likely to help you in the future?
You will need to show me notes that you took and
the practice sentences that you tried, while
watching this video!
Good luck with
storytelling!