This AP French lesson explains passé composé imparfait plus-que-parfait step by step, with examples in French and English. Then practise with the worksheet on passé composé imparfait plus-que-parfait and check yourself with the quiz.
Quick answer: To narrate a family story in French, use the imparfait for background, habits and descriptions, the passé composé for completed events that move the story forward, and the plus-que-parfait for an action that happened before another past action. Accurate auxiliaries and agreement make AP writing sound natural.
Level: AP French Language and Culture · Standards: AP French Language and Culture (College Board CED), Theme: Families and Communities
Passé composé imparfait plus-que-parfait: the lesson
Which past tense tells a family story?
Three tenses, three jobs
The imparfait sets the scene and describes habits. The passé composé reports events that happened and are finished. The plus-que-parfait goes back before the main events. Together they let a narrator tell what the family was like, what happened, and what had already happened.
How are the three tenses formed?
| Tense | Formation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| passé composé | avoir / être (present) + past participle | Nous avons déménagé à Nantes. — We moved to Nantes. |
| imparfait | nous stem + -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient | Il pleuvait et nous habitions près de la gare. — It was raining and we lived near the station. |
| plus-que-parfait | avoir / être (imparfait) + past participle | Quand Idrissa a reçu la lettre, sa mère avait déjà quitté Bamako. — When Idrissa got the letter, his mother had already left Bamako. |
Agreement rules
With être and with pronominal verbs, the participle agrees with the subject: Elles sont parties tôt. With avoir, it agrees with a direct object placed before the verb: Les photos que mamie a prises.
When do I choose the imparfait or the passé composé?
Strong AP answers mix tenses inside one paragraph, the way a real storyteller does. A single sentence can even hold all three: the scene, the event and the earlier cause. Listen for signal words such as toujours, souvent and chaque (habit), against soudain, hier and un jour (event).
Chaque été, nous allions chez ma tante à Annecy. Un jour, elle nous a offert un chiot. — Every summer we went to my aunt’s in Annecy. One day she gave us a puppy. The habit uses the imparfait; the single surprise uses the passé composé.
Watch out: one English past, two French pasts
English says we visited for both a habit and a single visit. French must choose: nous visitions (every Sunday) versus nous avons visité (once). Ask whether the action repeats or happened one time.
Culture note
In novels and history books, French authors often use the passé simple (il naquit, elle partit). Spoken French and informal writing use the passé composé instead. For AP, recognize the passé simple when reading; use the passé composé when writing.
Zoé’s tip
Picture a film: the imparfait is the camera slowly showing the room, the passé composé is the cut to each action, and the plus-que-parfait is the flashback. Decide the shot, then pick the tense!
Key points to remember
- The passé composé = avoir or être in the present + past participle.
- The imparfait = nous stem without -ons + -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
- The plus-que-parfait = avoir or être in the imparfait + past participle.
- Être verbs, pronominal verbs and preceding direct objects trigger agreement.
- The passé simple appears in literary texts and must be recognized in AP reading.
Telling Family Stories in the Past Tenses: frequently asked questions
When do I use the imparfait instead of the passé composé?
Use the imparfait for background, descriptions, feelings and repeated habits in the past. Use the passé composé for a specific event that happened and finished.
How is the plus-que-parfait formed?
Put avoir or être in the imparfait, then add the past participle: j’avais fini, elle était partie. It shows an action before another past action.
Which verbs use être in the passé composé?
Verbs of movement and state change such as aller, venir, arriver, partir, naître, mourir, plus all pronominal verbs. They agree with the subject.
When does a past participle agree with avoir?
It agrees in gender and number with a direct object placed before the verb, such as que, la, les: les photos que j’ai prises.
Why should AP students recognize the passé simple?
Literary passages in the interpretive section use it. Students need to read il naquit as a past event, although they do not need to write it.