Learn Hardcore French: Hier, ce jardinier arrosait chaque branche avec soin. - Yesterday, that gardener was watering each branch carefully.

The imparfait describes an ongoing or repeated past action, background scene, or habit. Here, the gardener’s watering is presented as a continuous, careful action rather than a single completed event. If you said “Hier, ce jardinier a arrosé chaque branche avec soin,” it would simply state that he watered them once, without emphasizing the duration or care.

What is the nuance of using hier with the imparfait? Doesn’t hier normally pair with the passé composé?

Although hier often introduces a completed action (passé composé), it can also set the scene for an ongoing activity described in the imparfait. Here, hier simply situates the timeframe (“yesterday”), while arrosait tells us the nature of the action (ongoing and careful).

Why is chaque branche singular, and not toutes les branches?

Chaque means “each” and always takes a singular noun. It highlights individual attention on every single branch. If you want to speak of all branches collectively, you would say “toutes les branches.”

What’s the difference between avec soin and the adverb soigneusement?

Both expressions mean “carefully.”

avec soin is a prepositional phrase (“with care”) and can follow or precede the verb.
soigneusement is a single adverb placed directly before or after the verb.
They’re interchangeable in this sentence:
• arrosait chaque branche soigneusement
• arrosait chaque branche avec soin

Why use ce jardinier instead of le jardinier or un jardinier?

ce jardinier (“this gardener”) points to a specific gardener in the speaker’s mind or context.
le jardinier (“the gardener”) is more neutral, referencing a known or generic gardener.
un jardinier would introduce someone new (“a gardener”).
Here, ce stresses that we’re talking about a particular person already familiar or just pointed out.

Where can I place avec soin or soigneusement in the sentence?

Both can go:
1) Immediately after the verb: arrosait chaque branche avec soin.
2) Directly after the object: arrosait chaque branche soigneusement.
3) For emphasis, you can even front them: Avec soin, ce jardinier arrosait chaque branche.

Does anything change in agreement or pronunciation when we say arrosait?

No agreement change: arrosait is the third‐person singular of arroser in the imparfait. Note the double s to maintain the /s/ sound (without it, arrosait would be pronounced /aʁwozɛ/ instead of /aʁwose/).