French has two everyday past tenses — the passé composé and the imparfait — and knowing which to use is one of the most useful skills at B1. The good news: there's a clear logic.
Passé composé = completed actions
Use it for specific, finished events — things that happened and are done: Hier, j'ai mangé une pizza. (Yesterday I ate a pizza.) Think "and then, and then, and then" — the moving story.
Imparfait = background, habits and descriptions
Use it for how things were, ongoing situations, repeated habits, and setting the scene: Quand j'étais petit, je jouais au foot. (When I was little, I used to play football.) Think "the backdrop", not the events.
They work together
Most stories mix both: the imparfait paints the scene, the passé composé drops in the actions. Il faisait beau (imparfait — background) quand le téléphone a sonné (passé composé — event).
- One-time event? → passé composé
- Habit, description or "was ...-ing"? → imparfait
Imparfait sets the stage; passé composé is what happens on it.
Master both the easy way
Our French course teaches the two past tenses side by side, explained in your own language and practised out loud. Start free or see pricing.