Why not imparfait for "I missed them when they were away?

D. A.C1Kwiziq community member

Why not imparfait for "I missed them when they were away?

I put Ils me manquaient quand ils étaient partis but the answer given is Ils m'ont manqué quand ils étaient partis.

I thought it would be imparfait because I was in a state of missing them all the time they were absent.

This question relates to:French lesson "Using manquer (à) to say you miss someone or something emotionally in French"

Asked 5 years ago

Like1Answer1

Chris W.C1Kwiziq Q&A super contributorCorrect answer

Ils me manquaient quand ils étaient partis sounds to French ears like "I was missing them when they were away". If that's what you want to say, the imperfect tense is great. If, however, you are talking about a single instance you would use the passé composé.

Like25 years ago

D. A. asked: