Setting the Scene vs. Taking Action
When telling a story in French, the imparfait and the passé composé work as a team.
- Use the imparfait to set the scene: describing the weather, the atmosphere, or what was already happening.
- Use the passé composé for the main events: completed actions that interrupt the scene or move the story forward.
Often, you will link these two tenses with quand (when). The ongoing background action takes the imparfait, while the interrupting event takes the passé composé.
| The sun was shining when the wind began to blow. | Le soleil brillait quand le vent a commencé à souffler. |
| The child was crying when the earth shook. | L'enfant pleurait quand la terre a tremblé. |
Using "Pendant que" (While)
To emphasize that an action was ongoing when something else happened, use the phrase pendant que (while).
| while | pendant que |
The verb immediately following pendant que is almost always in the imparfait, because it describes an ongoing state or action. The sudden, interrupting action goes in the passé composé.
| While the sun was shining, a storm broke out. | Pendant que le soleil brillait, un orage a éclaté. |
| A big flash of lightning struck the tree while we were eating. | Un grand éclair a frappé l'arbre pendant que nous mangions. |
States of Mind and Explanations
The imparfait is also used to describe ongoing states of mind (like being afraid) or to explain the background conditions that surround an event. Notice how the passé composé isolates a single completed action (like hearing a cry or seeing a flash of lightning), while the imparfait describes the continuous state around it.
| The sky was dark and I heard a cry. | Le ciel était sombre et j'ai entendu un cri. |
| I was afraid because I saw a flash of lightning. | J'avais peur parce que j'ai vu un éclair. |
