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French Passé Composé vs. Imparfait

Eleventh graders learn the crucial choice between the two French past tenses — the passé composé for completed actions and the imparfait for ongoing actions, descriptions, and habits — the key to telling a story in the past.

Grade 11Passé Composé vs. Imparfait55 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Choose passé composé or imparfait.
  • ✓Know each use.
  • ✓See them together.
  • ✓Narrate the past.
Essential Question

French has TWO past tenses — and choosing between them is an art. When do you use the passé composé, and when the imparfait?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Passé Composé vs. Imparfait Check

Project each item and have students answer about choosing the passé composé or imparfait.

⚖️ Understand passé composé vs. imparfaitTry it
Answer each question about the two past tenses.
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Two Pasts, One Choice

6 min

French has TWO past tenses — choosing between them is an art. When?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “I ate” vs. “I was eating.”
  • Ask what differs.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Notice.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — PC vs. Imparfait

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Passé Composé vs. Imparfait Check.
  • Note completed vs. ongoing.
  • Note interruptions.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Reflect.
3

Practice — Practice

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pick the right tense in a sentence.
  • Explain why.
  • Combine both.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Pick it.
  • Explain.
  • Combine.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Tell a short past event.
  • Set the scene (imparfait).
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tell it.
  • Set it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say when to use passé composé.
  • Say when to use imparfait.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: distinguish past tenses.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: narrate the past.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare aspect across languages.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to storytelling.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Tense-choice cards.
  • Sentence frame: “J’utilise le/l’ ___ parce que ___.”
  • Use side-by-side examples.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with “finished vs. ongoing.”
  • Use one clear pair.
  • Pick one tense.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Narrate a full memory.
  • Explain “interrupted action.”
  • Write a short past story.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • ⚖️Tense comparison chart
  • 💻Passé Composé vs. Imparfait Check
  • 🗣️Audio
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

le passé composéthe compound pastl’imparfaitthe imperfectterminécompleteden coursongoingla descriptiondescriptionl’habitudehabitinterrompreto interruptspécifiquespecific
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
When do you use the passé composé?
For a completed action at a specific point (I ate, I went).
QUESTION 2
When do you use the imparfait?
For ongoing actions, descriptions, or habits in the past.
QUESTION 3
In “Je mangeais quand tu as appelé,” which is interrupted?
The imparfait action (je mangeais) is interrupted by the passé composé (tu as appelé).

Reflect: choose the tense.

Have students write two past sentences — one with the passé composé, one with the imparfait. A printable tenses sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 French Passé Composé vs. ImparfaitFlip
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Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 French Passé Composé vs. ImparfaitQuiz
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ French Passé Composé vs. ImparfaitPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: en cours, interrompre, la description, le passé composé, l’habitude, l’imparfait, spécifique, terminé
  1. the imperfect
  2. ongoing
  3. description
  4. the compound past
  5. specific
  6. to interrupt
  7. completed
  8. habit

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. When do you use the passé composé?
  2. When do you use the imparfait?
  3. In “Je mangeais quand tu as appelé,” which is interrupted?
Answer key — Part A: 1) l’imparfait · 2) en cours · 3) la description · 4) le passé composé · 5) spécifique · 6) interrompre · 7) terminé · 8) l’habitude
Part B: 1) For a completed action at a specific point (I ate, I went). 2) For ongoing actions, descriptions, or habits in the past. 3) The imparfait action (je mangeais) is interrupted by the passé composé (tu as appelé).