L'Imparfait: The Nous-Stem Rule and Its Limits
Form the imparfait from a verb's nous present stem, with être using ét-. Learn the endings and what to do with verbs lacking an ordinary nous form.
The imparfait follows one formation rule for verbs with an ordinary nous present form: take the nous form of the present tense, drop -ons, and add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Even irregular verbs like aller and avoir comply - within that group, the exception is être, which uses the stem ét-.
Quick answer
The imparfait follows one formation rule for verbs with an ordinary nous present form: take the nous form of the present tense, drop -ons, and add -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Even irregular verbs like aller and avoir comply - within that group, the exception is être, which uses the stem ét-.
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For when to use imparfait rather than passé composé, see when to use imparfait vs passé composé. This page is the pure formation reference.
The formation rule
For verbs with an ordinary nous present form (except être): nous-présent stem (drop -ons) + endings -ais/-ais/-ait/-ions/-iez/-aient: parler (nous parlons → parl-) gives je parlais; finir (nous finissons → finiss-) gives je finissais; faire (nous faisons → fais-) gives je faisais.
| Verb | Nous stem | Imparfait (je) |
|---|---|---|
| parler | parl- | je parlais |
| finir | finiss- | je finissais |
| faire | fais- | je faisais |
Even irregular verbs comply
Aller (nous allons → all-, j’allais), avoir (nous avons → av-, j’avais) - the rule holds even for wildly irregular présent-tense verbs. See être conjugation for the full être picture.
Être and verbs without a nous form
Ét- stem (j’étais) - doesn’t derive from a nous form the same way; the exception among verbs with an ordinary nous present form. For defective or impersonal verbs without that form, look up the imparfait directly: falloir → il fallait (it was necessary).
Pronunciation note
-ais/-ait/-aient all sound identical, /eh/ - spoken imparfait is simpler than it looks on paper. See silent endings for more on this.
One rule, mastered for good
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Questions about this note
How do you form the imparfait?
For verbs with an ordinary nous present form, drop -ons and add the imparfait endings; être uses ét-. Look up verbs without that form, such as falloir: il fallait.
Does the rule work for irregular verbs?
Yes - even aller (j'allais) and avoir (j'avais) follow it.
What are the limits of the nous-stem rule?
Among verbs with an ordinary nous present form, être uses ét- instead. The shortcut does not apply to verbs without that form: falloir gives il fallait.
Are the imparfait endings pronounced differently?
No - -ais, -ait and -aient all sound the same, /eh/.
When do I use imparfait instead of learning it in isolation?
See our passé composé vs imparfait guide for the usage rules.