8mm Forum: [French] L'imparfait de l'indicatif, how you explain this tense?

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Topic: [French] L'imparfait de l'indicatif, how you explain this tense?

Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 07, 2013 09:18 AM

This is totally not a film things, and I should post this in French learning forum. But in many occasions I asked simple thing but the answer is more complicated. So since members here are always willing to help, so I call for French members to help me, here it is.

Although we live in English province, I put my kids in to a French school. Now, the class is already getting into more complex lesson. They were taught about L'imparfait de l'indicatif.

My questions:

1. In what situation this tense is used?
2. Is this a common tense in a conversation, or mostly used in writing skill?
3. Any parallelism in English tenses?

thanks for your explanation.

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Winbert

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Jean-Marc Toussaint
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: France
Registered: Oct 2004

posted March 07, 2013 09:54 AM

Winbert, it is commonly used when describing past actions. In writing and language.

French/English equivalent in bold typing:
Je prenais un bain quand le téléphone a sonné.
I was taking a bath when the phone rang.

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The Grindcave Cinema Website

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Winbert Hutahaean
Film God

Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 07, 2013 10:14 AM

Got it...so it is equal to Past Continues.

Thanks JM! Merci beaucoup!

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Winbert

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