The imparfait is one of the most regular tenses in French — but a handful of verbs require small spelling adjustments to keep their pronunciation consistent across the paradigm. These are not exceptions to the formation rule; they obey it exactly. The orthography just has to be tweaked so that the c keeps sounding like /s/, the g keeps sounding like /ʒ/, or the underlying stem-final i doesn't get swallowed by the ending.
This page covers the three groups that genuinely need attention (-cer, -ger, -ier) and — equally important — the three groups that look like they should change but don't (-yer, -eler/-eter, -é/è verbs). For B1 learners, knowing what not to change is half the battle, because the present-tense spelling shifts get drilled so hard that students assume they apply everywhere.
Why these adjustments exist at all
French spelling is conservative: the same letters are expected to make the same sounds across a paradigm. If a verb's stem ends in c and the next ending starts with a, the c would suddenly stop sounding like /s/ and start sounding like /k/ — a different sound. To prevent that, French inserts a cedilla (ç) or a silent letter to keep the consonant soft. Once you understand this is a phonological repair, not an arbitrary rule, the changes become easy to predict.
-cer verbs: c → ç before a
Verbs ending in -cer (commencer, lancer, placer, annoncer, avancer, effacer, menacer, prononcer, remplacer, exercer) take a cedilla ç whenever the next letter would otherwise harden the c from /s/ to /k/. In the imparfait, four endings start with a (-ais, -ais, -ait, -aient) and two start with i (-ions, -iez). The cedilla appears only before a:
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| je | commençais | /kɔmɑ̃sɛ/ |
| tu | commençais | /kɔmɑ̃sɛ/ |
| il / elle / on | commençait | /kɔmɑ̃sɛ/ |
| nous | commencions | /kɔmɑ̃sjɔ̃/ |
| vous | commenciez | /kɔmɑ̃sje/ |
| ils / elles | commençaient | /kɔmɑ̃sɛ/ |
The cedilla shows up in four out of six forms. The two plural forms keep the bare c: in commencions and commenciez, the next letter is i, which already keeps c soft, so no cedilla is needed.
Le concert commençait toujours avec dix minutes de retard.
The concert always used to start ten minutes late.
On annonçait l'arrivée du train à chaque quai.
They were announcing the train's arrival on every platform.
Ma sœur lançait des cailloux dans l'étang quand le gardien est arrivé.
My sister was throwing pebbles into the pond when the keeper arrived.
-ger verbs: insert -e- before a
Verbs ending in -ger (manger, voyager, partager, ranger, changer, déménager, songer, plonger, neiger, nager, exiger, obliger) insert a silent e between the g and any a-initial ending. The insertion preserves the soft /ʒ/ sound — without it, mangait would be read as /mɑ̃ɡɛ/ with a hard /ɡ/.
| Person | Form | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| je | mangeais | /mɑ̃ʒɛ/ |
| tu | mangeais | /mɑ̃ʒɛ/ |
| il / elle / on | mangeait | /mɑ̃ʒɛ/ |
| nous | mangions | /mɑ̃ʒjɔ̃/ |
| vous | mangiez | /mɑ̃ʒje/ |
| ils / elles | mangeaient | /mɑ̃ʒɛ/ |
Same distribution as -cer verbs: the inserted e shows up in four forms (je, tu, il, ils) and not in nous or vous. The phonological logic is identical — i keeps g soft, so no repair is needed before -ions or -iez.
Nous voyagions souvent en train, surtout en été.
We often used to travel by train, especially in summer.
Les enfants nageaient dans le lac pendant que les parents préparaient le pique-nique.
The kids were swimming in the lake while the parents got the picnic ready.
Quand on déménageait, mon père chantait toujours pour nous remonter le moral.
Whenever we used to move house, my dad would sing to cheer us up.
-ier verbs: the double-i trap in nous and vous
Verbs whose stem already ends in -i are the most counterintuitive group. They include -ier verbs proper (étudier, oublier, crier, plier, prier, copier, remercier, multiplier, vérifier, négocier) and a few -re verbs whose nous-stem also ends in -i (rire → nous rions → stem ri-; sourire → stem souri-). When the imparfait endings -ions and -iez — which begin with -i- — are added to a stem already ending in -i, you get the orthographically surprising double i: -iions and -iiez.
| Person | Form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| je | étudiais | — |
| tu | étudiais | — |
| il / elle / on | étudiait | — |
| nous | étudiions | double i — required in writing |
| vous | étudiiez | double i — required in writing |
| ils / elles | étudiaient | — |
The double i looks wrong but is correct, and it is the only way to distinguish the imparfait from the present in writing: nous étudions is the present, nous étudiions is the imparfait. Drop one i and you've changed the tense. In speech, the difference is at most a slightly longer /j/ glide; many speakers don't audibly distinguish the two, so context and the surrounding tense framework do the work.
The same pattern applies to every -ier verb and to rire/sourire:
| Infinitif | Présent (nous) | Imparfait (nous) | Imparfait (vous) |
|---|---|---|---|
| étudier | nous étudions | nous étudiions | vous étudiiez |
| oublier | nous oublions | nous oubliions | vous oubliiez |
| crier | nous crions | nous criions | vous criiez |
| copier | nous copions | nous copiions | vous copiiez |
| rire | nous rions | nous riions | vous riiez |
| sourire | nous sourions | nous souriions | vous souriiez |
Quand nous étudiions ensemble, on prenait toujours des pauses café à la bibliothèque.
When we used to study together, we always took coffee breaks at the library.
Vous oubliiez systématiquement de fermer la porte à clé en partant.
You always used to forget to lock the door when leaving.
Nous riions tellement fort que les voisins ont fini par taper au mur.
We were laughing so hard that the neighbours ended up banging on the wall.
What does NOT change in the imparfait
Here is where most B1 learners make mistakes. Several groups of verbs trigger spelling changes in the present indicative but leave the imparfait completely alone. The reason is structural: the imparfait has a uniform stem taken from nous of the present, and these other adjustments are triggered specifically by the je/tu/il/ils present endings — none of which appear in the imparfait. Once you understand this, you can stop second-guessing.
-yer verbs: y stays put
Verbs in -yer (payer, essayer, employer, envoyer, nettoyer, ennuyer, balayer, tutoyer) change y to i in the present indicative singular and 3pl (je paie alongside the older je paye). But the imparfait stem comes from nous payons, where y is intact, so the y stays for the entire imparfait paradigm:
| Person | Imparfait | Present (for contrast) |
|---|---|---|
| je | payais | paie / paye |
| tu | payais | paies / payes |
| il | payait | paie / paye |
| nous | payions | payons |
| vous | payiez | payez |
| ils | payaient | paient / payent |
À l'époque, on payait tout en liquide, jamais par carte.
Back then, we paid for everything in cash, never by card.
Mes voisins nettoyaient leur voiture tous les samedis matin.
My neighbours used to wash their car every Saturday morning.
-eler / -eter verbs: no doubling, no è
In the present indicative, verbs like appeler, jeter, rappeler, projeter either double the consonant (j'appelle, je jette) or take a grave accent (j'achète, je gèle) — but only in the singular and 3pl. The imparfait stem is built from nous appelons and nous jetons, where neither doubling nor accent appears, so the imparfait keeps the simple, unmarked stem throughout:
| Person | Imparfait | Present (for contrast) |
|---|---|---|
| je | appelais | appelle |
| tu | appelais | appelles |
| il | appelait | appelle |
| nous | appelions | appelons |
| vous | appeliez | appelez |
| ils | appelaient | appellent |
The same holds for jeter (je jetais, never je jettais), acheter (j'achetais, never j'achètais), projeter, rappeler, épeler, geler, peler.
Ma grand-mère m'appelait tous les dimanches sans exception.
My grandmother used to call me every Sunday without fail.
On achetait notre pain dans une petite boulangerie au coin de la rue.
We used to buy our bread at a little bakery on the corner.
-é/è verbs: é stays é
Verbs like espérer, préférer, célébrer, exagérer, considérer, répéter, s'inquiéter change é to è in present singular and 3pl (j'espère, je préfère). But again, the imparfait stem is taken from nous espérons, where the é is intact. The imparfait keeps é across the whole paradigm:
| Person | Imparfait | Present (for contrast) |
|---|---|---|
| je | espérais | espère |
| tu | espérais | espères |
| il | espérait | espère |
| nous | espérions | espérons |
| vous | espériez | espérez |
| ils | espéraient | espèrent |
J'espérais sincèrement qu'elle viendrait à la fête.
I sincerely hoped that she would come to the party.
Ils répétaient la même histoire à chaque dîner de famille.
They used to retell the same story at every family dinner.
The unifying principle
Every imparfait spelling adjustment — and every absence of one — falls out of a single rule:
The imparfait stem is the nous form of the present minus -ons. Whatever shape that stem has is the shape it keeps for all six imparfait forms. Apply -cer and -ger repairs only when the next letter is a; never apply -yer, -eler/-eter, or -é/è changes, because those are triggered by present-tense endings that don't exist in the imparfait.
Once that's internalized, you never have to memorize a separate "imparfait spelling rules" list. You just look at where the change would or wouldn't appear in the present, then ask whether the imparfait endings -ais, -ait, -aient (which start with a) still trigger the same phonological need — and only the -cer/-ger group ever do.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Forgetting the cedilla in -cer verbs.
❌ Je commencais mes devoirs vers vingt heures.
Incorrect — without the cedilla, the c would be pronounced /k/. The correct form is commençais.
✅ Je commençais mes devoirs vers vingt heures.
I used to start my homework around eight p.m.
Mistake 2: Forgetting the inserted -e- in -ger verbs.
❌ Nous voyageions partout en Europe pendant nos vingt ans.
Incorrect — voyager doesn't need an extra -e- before -ions; the soft g is already preserved by the i. The correct form is nous voyagions.
✅ Nous voyagions partout en Europe pendant nos vingt ans.
We used to travel all over Europe during our twenties.
Mistake 3: Dropping the second -i- in -ier verbs at nous/vous.
❌ Quand nous étudions ensemble, on travaillait jusqu'à minuit.
Incorrect — nous étudions is the present. The imparfait requires the double i: nous étudiions.
✅ Quand nous étudiions ensemble, on travaillait jusqu'à minuit.
When we used to study together, we worked until midnight.
Mistake 4: Doubling the consonant in -eler/-eter verbs (overgeneralizing the present-tense pattern).
❌ Ma mère m'appellait dès qu'il y avait un souci.
Incorrect — appeler does not double the l in the imparfait. The correct form is appelait.
✅ Ma mère m'appelait dès qu'il y avait un souci.
My mother would call me as soon as there was any trouble.
Mistake 5: Switching -y- to -i- in -yer verbs.
❌ Mon père paiait toujours en liquide au marché.
Incorrect — payer keeps the y throughout the imparfait. The correct form is payait.
✅ Mon père payait toujours en liquide au marché.
My father always used to pay in cash at the market.
Mistake 6: Switching -é- to -è- in espérer-type verbs.
❌ J'espèrais te voir à la conférence vendredi.
Incorrect — espérer keeps the é in the imparfait. The correct form is espérais.
✅ J'espérais te voir à la conférence vendredi.
I was hoping to see you at the conference on Friday.
Key takeaways
Three groups need adjustments in the imparfait: -cer (cedilla before a), -ger (inserted e before a), -ier (double i in nous/vous). Three groups look like they should change but don't: -yer, -eler/-eter, and -é/è verbs all keep their stem unchanged because their present-tense alternations are triggered by endings the imparfait simply doesn't have.
Get into the habit of building the imparfait from the nous form of the present, not from the infinitive. If you do that consistently, the spelling adjustments take care of themselves — the only one you have to actively remember is the cedilla, because it's the only adjustment that involves a special character rather than a re-used letter.
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