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French passé composé vs imparfait test for French 2 (free PDF download)

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Telling a Story: Event or Background? – French 2 test with Zoé, the Français PDF coach

Quick answer: Use the passé composé for events that happened and ended: they move a story forward. This French 2 test on passé composé vs imparfait has 8 questions worth 20 points, to do in 45 minutes: signal words, choose the correct tense and two verbs in one sentence. The scoring guide is on a separate page; free printable PDF.

This French 2 test on passé composé vs imparfait is scored out of 20, like a real class test. The answer key with scoring is on a separate page, and the lesson helps you revise first.

This test checks whether you can choose between the passé composé and the imparfait and combine them in a short story. Write in French unless told otherwise, and watch both the tense and the agreement. No notes are allowed. The test counts 20 points and lasts 45 minutes.

Level: French 2 (high school, ACTFL Novice High) · Standards: ACTFL Novice High, WL 1.1 Interpersonal, WL 1.2 Interpretive, WL 1.3 Presentational

Passé composé vs imparfait: the test questions

Time: 45 minutes · 8 questions · Total: 20 points · No dictionary

Question 1 Signal words (2 points)

Write PC (passé composé) or IMP (imparfait) for the tense each expression usually calls for.

  1. d’habitude (1 point)
  2. tout à coup (1 point)

Question 2 Choose the correct tense (3 points)

Choose the correct form in parentheses.

  1. Hier, nous (visitions / avons visité) le château. (1 point)
  2. Quand j’étais petite, je (jouais / ai joué) toujours dehors. (1 point)
  3. Il (faisait / a fait) froid ce jour-là, alors Zoé portait un manteau. (1 point)

Question 3 Two verbs in one sentence (4 points)

Put the verbs in parentheses in the correct past tense.

  1. Nous (dîner) quand le voisin (sonner). (2 points)
  2. Elle (lire) un livre quand elle (entendre) un bruit. (2 points)

Question 4 Correct the tense (2 points)

Each sentence has one wrong tense. Rewrite it correctly.

  1. Hier soir, nous mangions au restaurant. (1 point)
  2. Soudain, il pleuvait très fort. (1 point)

Question 5 Translate into French (3 points)

Translate into French.

  1. It was raining when I left. (1 point)
  2. Every summer, we visited my aunt. (1 point)
  3. Suddenly, he opened the door. (1 point)

Question 6 Tell what you see (2 points)

Two panels: A at 8 pm a dog sleeps on a sofa; B crash, a ball breaks the windowA. 20 hle chien, le canapéB. Crac !le ballon, la fenêtre
Two moments in a living room.

Look at the pictures. Write one sentence for panel A (what the dog was doing) and one sentence for panel B (what happened).

Question 7 Reading (2 points)

Quand Étienne avait quinze ans, il travaillait le samedi dans une boulangerie à Lausanne. Un matin, la machine à pain s’est arrêtée. Étienne a appelé son patron, qui est arrivé en dix minutes.

Answer in French with a full sentence.

  1. Où Étienne travaillait-il le samedi ? (1 point)
  2. Qu’est-ce qu’Étienne a fait quand la machine s’est arrêtée ? (1 point)

Question 8 Short writing (2 points)

Write two sentences in French about a memorable day: one that sets the scene in the imparfait and one that tells an event in the passé composé. (1 point each)

See the French Passé Composé Vs Imparfait test answer key with scoring

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