The Imparfait: Describing the Past
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Lesson overview
Forming and using the imparfait to describe ongoing or habitual past situations.
Go to lesson quiz →Exam guidance · WAEC WASSCE Paper 1 + Paper 2 Lens
Pacing
Objective speed on Paper 1 + structured step-by-step method marks on Paper 2 Theory/Practical.
How WAEC marks this
Examiners award method marks (M1) for stating the formula/definition and accuracy marks (A1) ONLY when SI units are written.
Watch out for
Writing bare numbers without working or omitting SI units loses up to 50% of Paper 2 marks even when the final value is right.
Lesson content
Overview — The Imparfait: Describing the Past
Forming and using the imparfait to describe ongoing or habitual past situations. This lesson is at the advanced level — by the end, you'll be able to recognise this question type, apply a reliable method, and avoid the traps that cost marks.
Key Concept
The imparfait, formed by taking the 'nous' form of the present tense, removing '-ons,' and adding the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient, is used for ongoing past actions, habitual past actions, and descriptions (settings, feelings, weather) in the past — contrasting with the passé composé's completed, specific past actions.
Why It's Tested This Way
WAEC/JAMB test the imparfait at the advanced level because correctly choosing between it and the passé composé — both technically 'past tense' but expressing meaningfully different aspects of past time — is one of the more sophisticated distinctions in French grammar.
Method
When answering, ask whether the described action was ongoing/habitual/descriptive (imparfait) or a single, completed event (passé composé), since this distinction, not just verb form recall, is what WAEC tests at this level.
Worked Example
Worked example: 'Quand j'étais petit, je jouais au football tous les jours' (When I was little, I used to play football every day) uses the imparfait throughout because both being little and playing football regularly describe an ongoing, habitual past state, not a single completed event.
Second Worked Example
Second worked example: 'Je jouais au football quand il a commencé à pleuvoir' (I was playing football when it started to rain) combines both tenses correctly in one sentence — the imparfait ('jouais') for the ongoing background action, and the passé composé ('a commencé') for the single event that interrupted it.
Common Traps
Common trap: using the passé composé for every past-tense sentence regardless of whether the action was ongoing/habitual or a single completed event — WAEC specifically tests this aspectual distinction as a marker of advanced French competence.
Lesson Summary
Remember: (1) identify what is being asked, (2) apply the WAEC strategy, (3) check against the traps. Complete the 10-question quiz below to unlock the next lesson — you need at least 60% to pass.
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