Simple rules to choose passé composé vs imparfait

French Tenses Demystified: An Easy Guide: Simple rules to choose passé composé vs imparfait

Here are simple rules to choose passé composé vs imparfait in French:

Passé Composé:

Used for specific, completed actions in the past with a clear beginning and end.
Answers the question “What happened?”
Examples: “J’ai mangé” (I ate), “Il a commencé à pleuvoir” (It started raining).
Used for single events, sudden actions, or interruptions.
Often translated as the simple past or present perfect in English.

Imparfait:

Used for ongoing, habitual, or repeated actions in the past without a definite end.
Describes background, conditions, or states in the past.
Answers the question “What was going on?” or “What was the situation?”
Examples: “Elle lisait un livre” (She was reading a book), “Quand j’étais enfant, je jouais dehors” (When I was a child, I used to play outside).
Used for descriptions of weather, emotions, physical states in the past.
Also used for interrupted actions that were ongoing when another action happened.

In brief:

Example combination: “Il regardait la télé (imparfait) quand le téléphone a sonné (passé composé).” (He was watching TV when the phone rang.)

These guidelines can help decide which past tense to use in French.¹^{, 2}^{, 3}^{, 4}^{, 5}

References