3 things on le passé composé vs. l'imparfait:
Le Passé Composé vs L'Imparfait
PRESENTATION:
Il faisait froid quand je suis partie.
Il pleuvait quand nous sommes allés au cinéma.
Is the first verb in each sentence in the imperfect or the passé composé? And the second verb in each sentence? Which one --- the imperfect or the passé composé --- is used to express an existing condition in the past (in this case, the weather condition)? Which one is used to express an action carried out in the past?
GENERALIZATION:
1. The imperfect and the passé composé are two different ways of expressing past time in French. Which one the speaker uses depends on how he views the event or circumstance he is referring to.
2. a. The imperfect is used to describe a condition that already existed at a given time in the past.
Il faisait chaud à quatre heures du matin.
It was hot at four in the morning.
Il y avait une horloge dans la salle de séjour.
There was a clock in the living room.
By using the imperfect in the first sentence, the speaker tells that at a specific time in the past (four in the morning) the condition (being hot) already existed. He does not focus on when this condition began or ended. In the second sentence he does not specify a particular moment. He simply says that at some unspecified moment in the past, there was a clock in the living room. Here again, he does not focus on when this condition began or ended.
b. The imperfect is also used to describe an action which was in progress at a specific time in the past. This use of the French imperfect often corresponds to the English construction was (were) + verb + -ing.
A neuf heures du matin, je déjeunais.
At nine in the morning, I was having breakfast.
A trois heures, je lavais la voiture.
At three-thirty, I was washing the car.
In these sentences, the action is viewed as being in progress. When it started and when it stopped are not important.
c. The imperfect is used to express the idea that a past action was customary or habitual. English often --- but not always --- uses an expression like used to to express this idea.
Je lisais beaucoup. I used to read a lot.
J'allais au cinéma les samedis. I used to go to the movies on Saturday.
J'étudiais beaucoup à ce moment-lá. I studied a lot in those days.
Look at the Englidsh equivalents of the French sentences in paragraphs 2a, 2b, and 2c above. Sometimes the English speaker uses a construction like was (were) + verb + -ing or used to to show that he views an action or condition as ongoing or in progress, but sometimes he doesn’t: It was hot out . . . , I studied a lot . . . The French speaker, on the other hand, has no choice. He must always use the imperfect when he views an action or condition as ongoing. This is an important difference between French and English.
3. a. The passé composé is used when the speaker considers an action as completed and as having occupied a definite segment of time, no matter how long or short that time segment was.
J'ai parlé avec le prof pour trois heures.
I talked with the teacher for three hours.
J'ai repassé les vêtements. I ironed the clothes.
J'ai visité Paris l'année passée. I visited Mexico last year.
The actions expressed in the above sentences are viewed as completed. Whether or not the time is stated and how long each action took is unimportant. The main thing is that each is viewed as having occupied some given segment of time. The important difference between the passé composé and the imperfect is that the passé composé breaks up past time into segments, while the imperfect does not.
b. The passé composé is sometimes used to express a sequence of actions, each brought to fulfillment, each having occupied some definite segment of time.
Ce matin j'ai balayé la cuisine, j'ai arrangé la salle de séjour et j'ai passé à l'aspirateur.
This morning I swept the kitchen, arranged the living room and vacuumed.
c. The passé composé is used when the speaker focuses on either the beginning or the end of an action. This is frequently the case in sentences in which a particular moment in time is mentioned.
À neuf heures du matin, j'ai déjeuné.
At nine in the morning, I had breakfast.
À trois heures et demie, j'ai lavé la voiture.
At three-thirty, I washed the car.
The speaker uses the passé composé in these sentences because he focuses on the fact that the action began at a particular time in the past. (He sat down to breakfast at nine o‘clock; he started washing the car at three-thirty). Now compare these sentence swith the ones in paragraph 2b. The speaker uses the imperfect in those sentences because the action was already in progress at a particular time in the past; that is, it had started before that time.
4. The imperfect and passé composé often occur in the same sentence. The imperfect provides the background --- that is, tells what cirumstances were already in existence at the time the speaker refers to --- while the passé composé tells what events occurred at that time.
Tu lisais quand elle a téléphoné. You were reading when she called.
Il pleuvait mais je suis allée, j'ai acheté le journal et je le lui ai donné.
It was raining but I went out bought the newspaper, and took it to him.
Il faisait très chaud quand nous sommes arrivés.
It was very hot out when we arrived.
The imperfect could be represented by a continuous line extending indefinitely in both directions, while the passé composé could be represented by a segment of that line.
Tu lisais quand elle a téléphoné.
. . . Tu lisais . . . Tu (elle a téléphoné) lisais . . . Tu lisais. . . Tu lisais . . .
Il pleuvait quand je suis allé, j'ai acheté le journal et je le lui ai donné.
... Il pleuvait ... (je suis allée)...(j'ai acheté le journal). . .(je le lui ai donné)
Il pleuvait. . . Il pleuvait . . .
Il faisait très chaud quand nous sommes arrivés.
. . . Il faisait très chaud . . . Il faisait (nous sommés arrivés) or . . . Il faisait très chaud . . . Il faisait très chaud . . .
NOTE: Here’s the “image” I want you to keep in mind. For the imperfect “you are rolling the movie camera as it happens”, but for the passé composé “you have a series of still photos of events that are now over and done with.” ~~~~~~~~ vs. / / / / / /
PAIRED SENTENCES: (Compare the English translations)
A ce moment-là Pierre a parlé. At that moment Pierre spoke.
A ce moment-là Pierre parlait. At that moment Pierre was speaking.
Hier à cinq heures j'ai fini mes leçons.
Yesterday at five I finished my lessons.
Hier à cinq heures je finissais mes leçons.
Yesterday at five I was finishing my lessons.
La bonne balayait tôt ce matin.
The maid was dusting early this morning.
La bonne a balayé tôt ce matin.
The maid dusted early this morning.
A huit heures elle passait à l'aspirateur. At eight o’clock she was vacuuming.
A huit heures elle a passé à l'aspirateur. At eight o’clock she vacuumed.
Quand je suis entrée, le prof hurlait.
When I came in, the teacher was yelling.
Quand je suis entrée. le prof a hurlé.
When I came in, the teacher yelled.
GROUPED SENTENCES: (Once again examine the English translations.)
A ce moment-là, elle me hurlait. At that moment, she was yelling at me.
A ce moment-là m'a hurlé. At that moment, she yelled at me.
Quand elle était mon prof, elle me hurlait.
When she was my teacher, she used to yell at me.
A dix heures et demie, elle balayait. At ten-thirty she was sweeping.
A quatre heures, la bonne a balayé. At four o’clock (today) the maid dusted.
A quatre heures, la bonne balayait. At four o’clock the maid used to dust.
(Since I did this originally in Spanish, I hope I caught all the changes!)