Use of the L’Imparfat

Anita P.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Use of the L’Imparfat

L’imparfait - what a minefield ! It’s not a question, but i’ve found that when it’s used to express habits or repeated actions more sense is made in the English when ‘would’ is used over ‘used to’ - which indeed you’ve noted in your lesson. This has helped me understand its use in French.

So a sentence like “Je lisais tous les jours” could be translated as “I would / used to read every day”

Asked 5 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Anita,

It is included as a note in the lesson...

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Often when you would use some constructions such as you mention in English, it does indeed point to the imparfait in French.

Use of the L’Imparfat

L’imparfait - what a minefield ! It’s not a question, but i’ve found that when it’s used to express habits or repeated actions more sense is made in the English when ‘would’ is used over ‘used to’ - which indeed you’ve noted in your lesson. This has helped me understand its use in French.

So a sentence like “Je lisais tous les jours” could be translated as “I would / used to read every day”

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