A2
Which past tense
How French chooses between the passé composé and the imperfect, the questions that decide it, and the verbs whose meaning changes with the tense.
Both are past tenses and both are correct French. The choice is not about time — it is about whether you are reporting an event or describing a situation.
Je regardais la télé quand il est arrivé.
I was-watching the TV when he is arrived
I was watching TV when he arrived.
The watching is the background; the arriving is the event that lands in it. English does the same thing with was watching against arrived, which makes this sentence the easiest way in.
The two questions
Passé composé — did it happen once and finish? Is it something that moves the story forward?
Imperfect — was it going on, repeated, or simply how things were?
Tous les étés, nous allions en Bretagne.
all the summers, we went in Brittany
Every summer we went to Brittany.
L’été dernier, nous sommes allés en Bretagne.
the-summer last, we are gone in Brittany
Last summer we went to Brittany.
Identical English. The first is a habit, the second is one trip.
Words that tip the balance
| imperfect | passé composé |
|---|---|
| souvent, toujours | soudain, tout à coup |
| tous les jours | un jour, hier |
| pendant que | quand |
These are hints, not rules. Hier, il pleuvait is perfectly good French if you are describing the day rather than reporting a shower.
Some verbs change meaning
With states of mind the difference becomes lexical, and this is where it stops being a matter of taste.
| je savais | I knew |
| j’ai su | I found out |
| je voulais | I wanted |
| j’ai voulu | I decided to, I tried to |
| je connaissais | I knew (a person) |
| j’ai connu | I met |
Je ne savais pas qu’il était là.
I not knew not that-he was there
I didn’t know he was there.
Je n’ai pas su qu’il était là.
Je ne savais pas qu’il était là.
Je n’ai pas su would mean you never found out. Knowing is a state, so it takes the imperfect.