Both the passé composé and the imparfait talk about the past. Use the passé composé to present an event as complete. Use the imparfait to describe a past habit, a situation, or an action already in progress.
Compare these two sentences:
Quand j'étais petit, je jouais au football tous les jours.
When I was little, I used to play football every day.
Hier, j'ai joué au football avec mes amis.
Yesterday, I played football with my friends.
Je jouais describes a habit. J'ai joué presents one game as a complete event.
Passé Composé vs Imparfait at a Glance
| Use | Tense | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completed event | Passé composé | J'ai fini mon travail. | I finished my work. |
| Sequence of events | Passé composé | Il est arrivé et il a appelé Marie. | He arrived and called Marie. |
| Past habit | Imparfait | Je lisais tous les soirs. | I used to read every evening. |
| Description or background | Imparfait | Il faisait froid. | It was cold. |
| Action in progress | Imparfait | Je regardais la télé. | I was watching TV. |
The choice is about how you present the action. An action can be over now but still take the imparfait if you describe it as a habit or as something that was in progress at the time.
When to Use the Passé Composé
Use the passé composé for a past action presented as a complete event. It often answers the question “What happened?”
J'ai acheté un livre hier.
I bought a book yesterday.
It also tells the main events of a story in order:
Je suis sorti, j'ai pris le bus et je suis arrivé au travail.
I left, took the bus and arrived at work.
Need help forming this tense? See our guide to the French passé composé.
When to Use the Imparfait
Use the imparfait for a past habit:
Quand j'étais étudiant, je lisais beaucoup.
When I was a student, I used to read a lot.
It can describe a scene or situation:
Il faisait froid et les rues étaient calmes.
It was cold and the streets were quiet.
It can also show an action already in progress:
Je regardais la télévision.
I was watching television.
In English, this tense often matches “used to” or “was doing”, depending on the sentence.
The Same Verb in Both Tenses
Compare what each sentence says about working in Paris:
Je travaillais à Paris.
I was working in Paris.
This describes a past situation without setting its beginning or end.
J'ai travaillé à Paris pendant trois ans.
I worked in Paris for three years.
This presents the three years as a complete period.
The same difference appears with a habit and a single visit:
Nous allions souvent au cinéma.
We often used to go to the cinema.
Nous sommes allés au cinéma samedi.
We went to the cinema on Saturday.
Do Signal Words Tell You Which Tense to Use?
Time words can offer clues. Words such as souvent (often), d'habitude (usually) and tous les jours (every day) often appear with the imparfait when they describe a habit. Words such as hier (yesterday), soudain (suddenly) and tout à coup (all of a sudden) often introduce an event in the passé composé.
These are clues, not fixed rules. Compare:
En 2010, j'habitais à Paris.
In 2010, I was living in Paris.
En 2010, j'ai déménagé à Paris.
In 2010, I moved to Paris.
The same year appears in both sentences. The first describes a situation; the second tells us about a move.
Using Passé Composé and Imparfait Together
The two tenses can work together when an event happens during an action already in progress:
Je lisais quand le téléphone a sonné.
I was reading when the phone rang.
Je lisais gives the action in progress. A sonné tells us what happened during it.
Il pleuvait quand je suis sorti.
It was raining when I went outside.
The rain was already falling; going outside is the new event.
Can the Tense Change a Verb's Meaning?
With some verbs, the tense changes what we understand. Take savoir (to know):
Je savais la réponse.
I knew the answer.
This describes a state of knowing.
J'ai su la vérité hier.
I found out the truth yesterday.
Here, the passé composé points to the moment I learned the truth.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using the passé composé for every past verb can make a story sound unnatural. The background often needs the imparfait:
Il faisait froid et je marchais dans la rue quand j'ai entendu un bruit.
It was cold and I was walking down the street when I heard a noise.
Faisait and marchais set the scene. J'ai entendu tells us what happened.
Another mistake is choosing a tense from a time word alone. Ask whether the sentence presents an event, a habit, a description or an action in progress.
Conclusion
Use the passé composé for what happened. Use the imparfait for what was happening, what things were like, or what someone used to do. When both tenses appear together, the imparfait often sets the scene and the passé composé tells the event.
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