Learn French: Elle pleurait sans sa poupée. - She used to cry without her doll.

Elle pleurait sans sa poupée.

She used to cry without her doll.

Breakdown of Elle pleurait sans sa poupée.

his/her/its (son, sa, ses)

pleurer

to cry

Questions & Answers about Elle pleurait sans sa poupée.

How do we get the form pleurait from the verb pleurer?

This lesson is about the imparfait! To make it, we start with the present tense nous form of the verb. For pleurer (to cry), that is nous pleurons. We drop the -ons to get our stem (pleur-) and add the elle imparfait ending, which is -ait.

Why is this translated as "used to cry" instead of "was crying"?

The French imparfait describes past habits or ongoing past states. It can translate to "used to [do something]" or "was [doing something]". Without more context, both "She used to cry" and "She was crying" are perfect translations for Elle pleurait.

Does sa mean "her" here because the subject is Elle?

Actually, no! In French, words like sa (his/her) match the gender of the object being owned, not the person who owns it. We use sa here because poupée (doll) is a feminine word. Even if we were talking about a boy, "his doll" would still be sa poupée.

How do I pronounce the ending of pleurait?

The -ait ending of the imparfait is pronounced like a short "eh" sound (similar to the "e" in the English word "pet"). The final t is completely silent.