French exercises / B1 / Verbs & tensesOne-off event or background scene? Choose the tense each sentence needs.
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Imparfait vs passé composé
Use the passé composé for a completed event that moves the story forward, and the imparfait for the situation around it: descriptions, states, and habits. If the sentence answers “what happened next?”, it takes the passé composé. If it answers “what was it like?” or “what used to happen?”, it takes the imparfait.
Read the full explanationPassé composé vs imparfait: worked examples
Five from the set, with the answer filled in and the rule that decides it.
- 01
Quand j'étais petit, nous allions à la mer tous les étés.
tous les étés inside a childhood frame = a habit, so imparfait.
- 02
Soudain, elle s'est levée et est partie sans un mot.
soudain announces one sudden, finished event → passé composé.
- 03
Il était huit heures et la ville dormait encore.
Setting the scene: time, weather, atmosphere → imparfait.
- 04
Ce matin-là, je dormais quand le réveil a sonné .
quand introduces the event that cuts into the scene → passé composé.
- 05
Nous prenions le petit-déjeuner quand la nouvelle est tombée.