Question

How do you know when to use Passe Compose and Imparfait ?

Answer 1

Salut !

This is quite tricky actually.
If I have to explain that to an English native speaker I would say there are three cases where you can be sure 'imparfait' is needed:

1 - whenever the English would use imperfect too:
I was sleeping when the phone rang.
Je dormais quand le téléphone a sonné.

2- whenever an action was repeated in the past and the English could use 'used to' or 'would'
Mes parents prenaient le train tous les jours.
My parents used to take the train every day.
My parent would take the train every day.

3- when describing a past quality or ability of someone/something with 'avoir' and 'être'.
Mon frère était bon en maths
Ma soeur avait les cheveux longs
Notre maison était petite.

In all other cases, use 'passé composé'.
Hier, je suis allé au cinéma, j'ai vu 'Avatar', j'ai mangé une pizza et je suis rentré à 22 heures.

In rare cases, you can use both:
Hier, il faisait beau.
Hier, il a fait beau.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Passé composé = I have _____, I was ____, I had _____ . I did,
Subject + auxiliary avoir, etre, fait, etc + verb
Imparfait is to describe an action that happened before another event : Je fais chanté quand mon ami a dit , "Arretez, s'il te plait.'' * I am still learning french so some things might not be 100% accurate But I have tried. :))

Answer 3

J'ai été chanté

Answer 4

**Correction ^

Answer 5

@yulyullie
Well tried, but "J'ai été chanté" does not exist as in your example.
J'ai été chanté is passive passé composé.

In your sentence it should be an imparfait, as in point 1) of my explanation:
Je chantais quand mon ami a dit : "Arrête s'il te plait !"

Answer 6

I really needed that help, merci xD I hope next year in french I learn more verb tenses :))