The Sole Irregular Stem: être
In the previous lesson, you learned that you find the stem for the imparfait by dropping the -ons from the present tense nous form.
There is exactly one exception in the entire French language: the verb être (to be). Because its nous form is nous sommes (there is no -ons to drop!), être uses the unique irregular stem ét-.
You simply add the regular imparfait endings to this stem:
| Subject | Stem + Ending | Example (être) |
|---|---|---|
| je / j' | ét- + -ais | j'étais |
| tu | ét- + -ais | tu étais |
| il / elle / on | ét- + -ait | il était |
| nous | ét- + -ions | nous étions |
| vous | ét- + -iez | vous étiez |
| ils / elles | ét- + -aient | ils étaient |
Describing Your Teenage Years
The imparfait is the perfect tense for reminiscing about a past era (une époque), such as your time in high school (le lycée).
Use j'étais (I was) to describe what you were like as a teenager (un adolescent).
| I was a very rebellious teenager. | J'étais un adolescent très rebelle. |
| I was in high school ten years ago. | J'étais au lycée il y a dix ans. |
When talking to a friend about their past, use tu étais (you were). You can pair these forms with adjectives like studieux / studieuse (studious), insouciant (carefree), or idéaliste (idealistic) to describe past personality traits.
| At that time, you were studious. | À cette époque, tu étais studieuse. |
| You were a very carefree girl in high school. | Tu étais une fille très insouciante au lycée. |
| I was independent and idealistic, but I was no longer rebellious. | J'étais indépendant et idéaliste, mais je n'étais plus rebelle. |
Negative and Impersonal Forms
You can make être negative in the imperfect just like any other verb, by placing ne (or n') and pas or plus around it.
Additionally, the impersonal form c'était (it was) is frequently used to describe situations, objects, or past trends (une mode).
| You were no longer a rebellious teenager. | Tu n'étais plus un adolescent rebelle. |
| At that time, it was a ridiculous fashion. | À cette époque, c'était une mode ridicule. |
