imparfait

Quand j'étais petit, je jouais souvent au parc.

When I was little, I used to play often at the park.

Here, 'étais' (être) and 'jouais' (jouer) are in the imperfect to describe a repeated action or state in the past.

Il faisait toujours beau pendant nos vacances d'été.

It was always beautiful during our summer holidays.

The imperfect 'faisait' (faire) describes a habitual condition in the past.

Nous mangions des crêpes tous les dimanches matin.

We would eat crêpes every Sunday morning.

'Mangions' (manger) in the imperfect indicates a regular activity in the past.

Elle lisait un livre pendant que j'écrivais une lettre.

She was reading a book while I was writing a letter.

'Lisait' (lire) and 'écrivais' (écrire) are in the imperfect to describe simultaneous actions in the past.

Vous aviez un grand jardin avec beaucoup de fleurs.

You used to have a big garden with many flowers.

'Aviez' (avoir) in the imperfect describes a past state or possession.

Ils parlaient fort et riaient beaucoup à la fête.

They were speaking loudly and laughing a lot at the party.

'Parlaient' (parler) and 'riaient' (rire) in the imperfect describe ongoing actions in the past.

C'était un jour froid et pluvieux, idéal pour rester à la maison.

It was a cold and rainy day, ideal for staying at home.

'C'était' (être) in the imperfect sets the scene or describes a past condition.

Je ne savais pas que tu étais là.

I didn't know you were there.

'Savais' (savoir) in the imperfect expresses a past state of knowing.