Log inSign up

J'allais passer l'aspirateur, mais le tapis est déjà impeccable.

J'allais passer l'aspirateur, mais le tapis est déjà impeccable.
I was going to vacuum, but the rug is already spotless.
From Lesson 264:Negative adverb (ne... pas encore)·French

Questions & Answers about J'allais passer l'aspirateur, mais le tapis est déjà impeccable.

Why are we seeing déjà (already) in a lesson about ne... pas encore (not yet)?
Déjà is the exact opposite of pas encore. It is very helpful to practice them together. If the rug were still dirty, you would use the lesson's grammar to say the opposite: le tapis n'est pas encore impeccable (the rug is not yet spotless).
Why use the imparfait tense in J'allais passer instead of the passé composé?
We use the imparfait (allais) to describe a past intention or a plan that was in progress. Here, it translates to "I was going to vacuum" (but didn't). If you used the passé composé (Je suis allé passer), it would mean the action was actually completed: "I went to vacuum."
Is passer l'aspirateur the only way to say "to vacuum"?
Yes! While English turns the noun "vacuum" into an action verb, French uses the verb passer (to pass) with the noun l'aspirateur (the vacuum cleaner). You are literally saying "to pass the vacuum cleaner."
Is impeccable a common word in spoken French?
Very common! While "impeccable" can sound a bit formal in English, French speakers use it all the time in everyday conversation to mean "spotless," "perfect," or "great."

Learn J'allais passer l'aspirateur, mais le tapis est déjà impeccable and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →