Imparfait vs Passé composé in French - What are the differences ?

One of the most complicated subjects for French learners is to know when to use Imparfait vs Passé composé. They are both past tenses but have very specific uses. The rule is just about the duration of the action, that's the only thing you need to know.
This lesson includes :
- When to use imparfait
- When to use passé composé
- Clue words for imparfait
- Clue words for passé composé
- Sentences / Examples with passé composé and imparfait
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[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

I hope the differences between the 2 tenses are more clear for you now 🙂 Thank you for watching ❤️
Keep learning about the passé composé and all the rules right here th-cam.com/play/PL_bt5rj27IIWHuWovT9NpMB0T2pivbpOM.html

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Thanks I changed it :)

[@senakatennakoon4619]

Hi Dylane, my name is Indu.
Could you please advise me from which vedio of yours should I start learning French from now as a absolute beginner?

[@osaseheogbeiwi1447]

Jeffrey 😼😼🕴️🤵👸🤴🤘🤞👉👆

[@jagdishdeora6288]

Thank you mam I understand the difference in one go

[@evansatoru9684]

Me watching this 2 hours before my french exam 👁️👄👁️

[@Abigail-gp9pf]

Real

[@brigi_xwq1522]

Me too

[@mariana-xi9uj]

yk 💯

[@mayurkumar3045]

Literally,now my mind understood this topic because i was messing up in between passé composé-imparfait , But thanks to you .your teaching will help me 😊

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Glad to hear that :)

[@itsemeguys7682]

You just saved my life! I had no idea about that stuff and I'm writing a class test this week! I love how you explain it 💟 I'll definitely come back if I need help:)

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

I am so glad it helped you! Come back to let me know how was your test )

[@okothobbo]

What a great lesson!!! Nothing short of a life-saver. Merci beaucoup!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

You're very welcome!

[@stephenbibek9528]

I love your teaching your are beautiful French teacher thanks to you I am flowing you always

[@abbyyy1227]

Thank you so much !!! I feel more confident to keep learning french after watching your videos!!! Merci beaucoup:)

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

That's awesome 🤩 Did you see that I have a full conjugation course on this channel? It could help you with other tenses if you need :)

[@peterkrause1842]

Your duration graph made it very clear. Thank-you.

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

You are welcome :)

[@elizajournals]

This is the best video that has helped me understand the difference. Thank you! I get it now, finally.

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Eliza I have another video about this subject coming next Wednesday. More complete than this one :D

[@raibhattacharya]

You're like a godmother!! Love you soo muchh.. Thank you extremely well taught ❤

[@ChristineV5]

Makes so much sense now. Merci pour cette série ❤

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Christine you are on fire today :D

[@frankfletes]

Love her lessons.😇

[@leslieyoder8280]

Wow, you explained this so clearly. I now understand the difference and why and how they are both used in the same sentence. Merci 🎉🎉!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

I am so glad Leslie 🤩

[@user-gi5cr8fl9o]

Great explanation of when to use each tense.

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Glad you liked it!

[@Evan12346]

The most precise and useful explanation of these 2 tenses. Thank you.

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

That's great! Thank you for your comment Evan

[@mostafasamir9650]

One of the best videos, simple and very informative 👍

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci Mostafa :D

[@73omar]

J'apprends le français et ces vidéos m'aident beaucoup, merci beaucoup, et un très beau professeur !!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Tout le plaisir est pour moi ☺️

[@73omar]

Merci beaucup

[@turkansezer5711]

Thank you Dylane. ❤Perfect!

[@motivationalvideo2456]

I had watched so many videos couldnt understand but only your video make me understand very clearly. Thank you mam!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Most welcome 😊

[@bundle87]

Thanks so much. I was really struggling with the difference. Merci!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

De rien :)

[@ThatOneGuyOnVeniceBeach]

Thanks, so much, Madame Dylan! I'm so grateful...

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci à toi :)

[@vedhikav5139]

Merci Dylane!!!!!!
You have helped me so much to excel in french
I have my exams and I was searching for a video to learn a concept
and I came across your video and I like it a lot and I immediately subscribed and liked your videos
Thank you so much again

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci 1000 fois Vedhika ❤️

[@vedhikav5139]

Thank you so much again
No words to appreciate your explanations
And you make french easy

[@jatinscreation1215]

Ultimate guide.
Merci beaucoup

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Pas de quoi :)

[@mohammedaktherhossain9886]

Merci bien Dylane....super explanation,,,,,,,,,,, love you

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Pas de quoi 🙂

[@sumairahussain4752]

Very well explained, thank you dear

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

My pleasure 😊

[@ditocontent9234]

Merci beaucoup madame . Maintenant, je suis comprends bien tous les explanations avec belle femme pour mes examens français demain et je n'ai pas peur pour ecrire mon examen .😊😊😊😊😊

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Super 😀👏

[@belle8511]

Merci beaucoup!
My teacher been trying to teach us this for a week, but I still didn't get it, and I finally get it after watching your videos!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

It's a tricky one so I am glad I was able to help :)

[@davidbrown8513]

Merci. J'essayais comprendre cette lecon, mais je ne peux pas pour deux semaines. Merci beaucoup !! Maintenant, Je comprends.... YAY !!! ( I am still learning )

[@bpsverse3199]

THANK YOU!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

I am so glad it helped you 🤩

[@ishantsingh5076]

J'ai des promlèms en cette topique. Merci pour votre efforts 😀

[@yvelinesemeria98]

That's excellent; vous expliquez cela tres bien. Merci

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci beaucoup ☺️

[@harveyaleman222]

Perfecto,la mejor de todas.

[@msh8100]

Great video! Thank you so much!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci à toi :)

[@carolhedberg2341]

I just took a zoom class on l'imparfait vs passe compose I didn't understand. Now, after watching your video, it is very clear. Merci!!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

I am so glad my video helped you but I am sorry you paid for a lesson for nothing :/

[@quanglethithanh5161]

Good explanation n comparision with English examples . Tks

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Glad it was helpful!

[@biliezhu3174]

This is really useful. Merci beaucoup!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Glad to hear that!

[@grantdervishi8186]

This is incredibly helpful, Thank you from Michigan USA, Dylane

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci 🤩

[@ragibsadiyev6787]

It is very useful. Please don't stop to make videos

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

I won't 😉

[@user-zt1gz7ut3i]

Merci beaucoup, Dylane!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Pas de quoi :)

[@allenlin88]

Super helpful. Merci!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

You're welcome!

[@skumarkinalur]

Excellent. Merci beacoup madam

[@xX_girli0s_xX]

remercier a vous, cette video a aide moi beaucoup. J'ai de dur fois quand comprends les conjugasions. :'D

[@jagdishdeora6288]

Merci , mam for the wonderful explanation

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

It's my pleasure

[@Lexsight]

I love you so much u saved me ❤

[@Kenisha_g]

I watched ur video the night before my test. It helped a lot, thank you :)

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Great to hear :)

[@kangwakowa8370]

John 3:16 reads
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son,that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal life

[@gautamverma4368]

Vous etes la mieux prof de francais, a mon avis....

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci ☺️

[@freekhalistan429]

you are simply great maam thank you

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

So nice of you ☺️

[@seeagainh624]

This was extremely clear I think because you explained what you would know and what you would not know from it's use and therfore how to differentiate. Plus the flag words, thank you. As one only 'hears' the tense on the nous and vous it's hard to hear the conjugation at all! Many thanks

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

So glad it helped :D

[@marlenakasalo4997]

Fantastic videos. Merci 😍

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci Marlena :)

[@ankitasharma574]

Merci, explained perfectly

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Thanks to you ❤️

[@kathleenlash746]

I think I know understand the difference. Merci beaucoup!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Awesome Kathleen 👏

[@mananfn2722]

Thank you so much I got 😇👍
Ur literally better than my Tution teacher

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Oh thank you 🥰

[@ninonino5590]

Magnifique, je crois que c'est la meme choce comme en Italien, n'est pas? Je suis heureux que j'ai vous decouvrez! Merci!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Très bonne question Niño, j'avoue que je ne suis pas très forte en italien 😉

[@behjatgh3046]

Thx,I learnt lots of things from u,Merci

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

So glad :)

[@gakh4341]

Thank you very very much

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

You are welcome ☺️

[@atallahlababdeh5690]

Amazing job thank you so much 💖💖💖💖💖 amazing sister amazing teacher

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

You are so welcome 🙂

[@dinarizk147]

THANK YOU SO MUCH🤗

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

You’re welcome 😊

[@Taffiey...]

Thank you

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Pas de quoi :)

[@bozo5163]

Tout les jours,je regardais toi videos.

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Oh merci ☺️

[@justqurbanali3017]

درس خواندن با شما خیلی خوشایند است.
تشکر🦋

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci ☺️

[@justqurbanali3017]

C'est un plaisir spécial d'étudier avec vous🦋

[@bumpyg1]

Thanks!!!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

You are welcome 🙂

[@yzrezaei1171]

Very helpful 👌🌹

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci ☺️

[@gebremedhinabraha3516]

As the name of your web site, you have perfectly explained the difference between the two tenses. Rspect

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Thank you 😊

[@KavindhyaJayakody]

I love this TH-cam channel ❤💕♥💜💙😍🇨🇵

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

oh thank you

[@kimerswell7643]

Merci!

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

De rien Kim 🙂

[@aladiniszpresidentofwadya3457]

Merci

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

De rien :)

[@Yohann_Rechter_De-Farge]

Merci beaucoup madame 🌹💐🌹

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Pas de quoi :)

[@Yohann_Rechter_De-Farge]

@@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane 🌹💐🌹

[@frankfletes]

I love it.

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci :)

[@NazeerKhan-fg7jt]

Thank you dear french mentor it was helpful for me it indeed paved the way how to differentiate between these two tenses.🙏🇦🇫🇨🇵

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Excellent!

[@anuscreations2385]

Oh my god u explained perfectly thank you...

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

My pleasure :)

[@endo9913]

Hi thank you for the video. Its a lot clearer. With l’Imparfait, how can you tell if the translation is “…was doing something” or “…used to do something”?

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

used to but it can be both sometimes :)

[@pretty-passcreations111]

Merci beaucoup madame. Après, j'ai vu ce vidéo, j'ai compris.

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

De rien :)

[@SabSapStudios]

Ur so pretty 💗
Learning from u is a blessing 🫀

[@ManojKumar-vn3nv]

Thanks 👍

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

You are welcome 🙂

[@ManojKumar-vn3nv]

@@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane apart from being a great French instructor you are a wonderful person. Thanks for replying .

[@laurasofiabayona2288]

THANK YOUUUUU

[@laurasofiabayona2288]

You saved me so much pain, I have been so confused and stuck with this for about a week

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

I am so glad it helped you Laura 🤩

[@jackmiddlton4614]

wuuuw, cool explanation my Dear : *

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Thank you! 😃

[@pb65preet]

💖 pour la professeure

[@moisesrocha9250]

Merci, madame. Avez-vous des podcasts ?

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Malheureusement non, j'y pense doucement mais je dois d'abord finir d'autres projets 🙂

[@moisesrocha9250]

@@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane merci pour votre réponse. Votre canal sur TH-cam est génial. Pardon moi parce que je ne parle pas bien le français.

[@minhzikm1]

bonjour pour cette vidéo. In a nutshell can we say, imparfait is a continuous action until suddenly it is stopped by passe compose.
par example : je marchais quand mon téléphone a sonné.
"I was walking" is a long action and "my telephone rang" was a short action that occurred for a short period of time .

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

That's correct :)

[@minhzikm1]

@@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane can you make a video regarding arriver and se passer as i feel these are interchangeable

[@kaminikavithabalaji]

God bless you

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

you too 🤩

[@mikecos6986]

Merci Dylane,
In your example for "Hier", I'm a little confused why the sentence wouldn't be "Je suis alle au magasin hier" instead of "J'ai ete...." sorry can't figure out the accents on this keyboard! Love the lessons.
Merci Beaucoup

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Mike, we use j’ai été more than je suis allé in French. I should have said je suis allé to not confuse anyone but it’s so natural that I didn’t even think about it :/

[@robertbrainerd5919]

Aussi "on a été au lit".

[@SomeoneIncognito]

Hey, had a doubt
Q) Tous les matins, Max et Samuel _________ (se réveiller) à 6h
You had mentioned 'tous les jours' in clue words. I found 'tous les matins' to be pretty similar so i used imparfait. However my teacher tells me that it ought to be in present tense. Could you explain?

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

You are not wrong ... and your teacher isn't wrong either. The problem is the context. Was it a test about the past? Or everything mixed? If it's the last one, your teacher should give you more indication about the time around examples. Is it done? Imparfait. Is it a habit that is still happening today? Présent.
I hope it helps :)

[@SomeoneIncognito]

@@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane It was the latter, everything was mixed, she said i should have written it in present, but didn't deduct marks even tho I used imparfait. Thanks for the explanation!

[@asifdadashov161]

Salut. Enchante. If I understand right, imparfait is a mix of English present simple but for past, and English past continue. While, passe compose is something like English past simple and present perfect.

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Yes, that's correct Asif, even tho I am always careful when referring to a specific tense in English because we used them differently as well. So don't focus too much on an equivalent tense because it could lead to some errors in the future :)

[@asifdadashov161]

@@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane thanks for advice. I'll keep it in mind)

[@moisesvallejo4095]

Nice

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Thanks :)

[@udiyadityapratapsinghrana7659]

Bonjour Dylane actually i saw a problem around 5:42 in the video where u are explaining clue words of passé compsé , the sentence u wrote is "J'ai été au magasin heir" and that should be
" je suis allé(e) au magasin hier"
Am i wrong ?
Please let me know

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Both are correct. In spoken French we use more J'ai été than je suis allé :)

[@udiyadityapratapsinghrana7659]

@@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane D'accord j'ai compris
Merci beaucoup 😄

[@abhishekjangir8464]

Hello, I want to ask what if there are two verbs in imparfait sentence. Do we conjugate both verbs or just the first one?

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

No you conjugate both

[@abhishekjangir8464]

Thank you very much

[@lelouchvibrittania8478]

Thx pls also make a video on how to learn the french accent

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

I have a whole course on pronunciation ;)

[@lelouchvibrittania8478]

@@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane wow! Just saw rhe playlists on the ur channel and there is like hours of content in there! Thanks!! Gonna spend the next 3 months learning now

[@docvideo93]

4:45 to Bake is just Faire?? Not faire cuire au four?

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Oh I can see how it's confusing. Faire for us replace a lot of every day verbs.
In this case : La personne fait un gâteau / Le gâteau cuit dans le four.
Does it make more sense?

[@37krishshah70]

Très Bonn madame

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Merci :)

[@devan5915]

Merci beaucoup pour la vidéo! J'ai une question. On dit "c'était absolument dégoûtant" ou "ca a été absolument dégoûtant" et pourquoi ?

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

C'était absolument dégoûtant, on utilise rarement "ça a été" ;)

[@devan5915]

@@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane Ah! Merci beaucoup!

[@aminamumuni589]

When I try to shop the book on Amazon I was told his paperless.. I want the hard copy please

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

I don't understand because there are both on Amazon, I sold a few hard copies this morning again. It's on the same page but you click to choose the paper version. Let me know if I can help you with more

[@mohamadsavoji9959]

thank you, merci😍😍😍😂

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

De rien :)

[@medali2033]

merçi

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Pas de quoi 🙂

[@medali2033]

@@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane 👍

[@ikibucukmil]

beautiful teachers make me a fast learner. thats factual.

[@kanishkaanish9881]

isn't

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

True but we use "J'ai été" instead of "je suis allé" as a way to say "I went" ;)

[@darkrose3509]

5:21 J'ai ete au magasin hier. I believe ete means was, so why was ete used instead of je suis alle au magasin hier to say I went to the store yesterday?

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

J'ai été = Je suis allé(e) - same meaning, we use them both as "to go" 😉

[@qamarrossini]

How can "j''ai été au magasin hier" be translated as I went to the store yesterday ? " j'ai été = I was or I have been ? Why not write "Je suis allé au magasin hier " ? Je suis confuse !

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

Things don't always translate word by word from one language to another. We can say "je suis allé au magasin" as well, but "j'ai été" also means I went 🙂

[@davidk.5389]

Dear Dylane: If I say: je suis allé au magasin hier. Or ; j ai ete au magasin hier. What is the difference?

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

The meaning is the same, just different verbs ;)

[@maherleprofdefrancais9577]

Tu es un extraterrestre car tu es magnifique

[@kangwakowa8370]

John 3:16 reads
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son,that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal life

[@joaquinvelasquez7201]

Buenas lolas

[@rimshadaniakhateeb1508]

Me watching this before half an hour of my exam 🕴️

[@TheperfectfrenchwithDylane]

God luck!