Passé composé vs imparfait practice
Choose the right French past tense in context. Twelve exercises with explanations, examples and missed-answer review for completed events, habits and background.
Compare the patterns
Choose the form that fits
Check the explanation
How to choose: Passé composé vs imparfait
Choose the viewpoint that fits the context: a completed event, or background and an ongoing or habitual situation. Time words alone do not decide the tense.
Passé composé: events viewed as complete
Hier, j’ai terminé le livre. The sentence presents finishing as a completed event. The tense often advances a narrative.
Il pleuvait quand nous sommes arrivés.
It was raining when we arrived.
Try it in context
Je ___ quand le téléphone a sonné. (Reading was already in progress.)
Examples in context
Il pleuvait quand nous sommes arrivés.
It was raining when we arrived.
Pendant deux heures, j’ai attendu devant la gare.
I waited outside the station for two hours, presented as a completed duration.
A common trap
Both tenses can be grammatical with words such as hier or toujours. A different tense can change the intended viewpoint. These exercises specify the meaning to avoid pretending there is always only one possible tense.
How should I practice?
Read the whole context before choosing. Check the explanation, then retry the questions you missed. Your result measures this short practice set, not your overall French level.
Notice the same patterns in French stories or practice forms in the verb trainer.
Further explanation: French grammar reference.