Learn French: La cloche sonnait toujours à midi.

La cloche sonnait toujours à midi.

The bell always rang at noon.

Breakdown of La cloche sonnait toujours à midi.

toujours

always

at / to / in (general locations) / about (what one thinks about / reacts to)

Questions & Answers about La cloche sonnait toujours à midi.

Why is sonnait in the imperfect tense rather than the passé composé?

The imperfect is used for continuous, repeated, or habitual actions in the past. Because the bell rang toujours (always) at noon, it was a regular habit, making the imperfect the perfect choice here.

How is sonnait formed from the verb sonner (to ring)?

To form the imperfect, we take the present tense nous form. For sonner, that is nous sonnons. We drop the -ons to get the stem sonn-, and then add the imperfect ending for a singular noun like la cloche (which acts like elle), which is -ait.

Can toujours mean something other than 'always'?

Yes, toujours can mean 'always' or 'still' depending on the context. Here, paired with a repeated past action and a specific time, it clearly means 'always'.

Why do we need à before midi?

In French, when you say an event happens 'at' a specific time on the clock, you must use the preposition à. So 'at noon' is à midi, just like 'at two o'clock' would be à deux heures.