Grammar

Passé composé or imparfait? Set the scene

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Separate what was happening from the event that happened within it.

B1Article4 min read
Try the contrast Read and practise freely
Two ways to look at the past

The imparfait shows the background or an ongoing situation. The passé composé presents an event as completed.

Set the background

Start with what was already happening. You are setting the scene.

The weather

Il pleuvait.

It was raining.

The ongoing activity

Je lisais près de la fenêtre.

I was reading near the window.

These forms show situations in progress, without focusing on their beginning or end.

Add the event

Now add a completed event within that background.

See the background and the event
Ongoing background · imparfaitIl pleuvait…It was raining.
…le téléphone a sonné.Completed event · passé composé…the phone rang.
BeforeAfter

The phone rings during the rain. The rain sets the scene; the ringing is presented as an event.

Length alone does not decide the tense. A long action can be presented as completed; a short one can be shown in progress.

Choose for the situation

Quick CheckNo account needed
You were reading when the phone rang. Choose the background form.Je ___ quand le téléphone a sonné.

Choose one answer. You can read the explanation at any time.

Read the answer and explanation

Use lisais for the ongoing background in this context. Ai lu would present the reading as a completed event. Lis is present tense.

Could reading use the passé composé instead?

Yes, with a different viewpoint: J’ai lu ce livre pendant les vacances. This presents reading the book as a completed event during the holidays. Choose for the situation, not just the verb.

Keep going

French examples are marked in their original language. Answer explanations are available before or after an attempt.