Learn French: Il allait abandonner, mais il a continué. - He was going to give up, but he continued.

Il allait abandonner, mais il a continué.

He was going to give up, but he continued.

Breakdown of Il allait abandonner, mais il a continué.

to abandon, to give up

Questions & Answers about Il allait abandonner, mais il a continué.

Why do we use the imparfait for allait here?

Using the imparfait of aller followed by an infinitive (like abandonner) translates to 'was going to' do something. It expresses a past intention or a plan that was in progress, which often didn't end up happening.

Why is a continué in the passé composé instead of the imparfait?

The passé composé is used for completed, specific actions in the past. While allait abandonner sets the background scene (his intention), a continué is the distinct, completed action that actually happened.

Does abandonner always mean 'to abandon'?

Not always! While it can mean 'to abandon' someone or something physically, in contexts like this it is commonly used to mean 'to give up' or 'to quit' an activity or goal.

Could I use the passé composé and say Il est allé abandonner?

No, because using the passé composé est allé would mean he literally and successfully went somewhere to do it. To express what he intended or was about to do without necessarily doing it, you must use the imparfait allait.