CBSE•French

what happened in the past.

what was happening in the past.

single actions or events, that have happened and are completed.

frequent or habitual actions or events in the past.

J'ai pris mon petit déjeuner à 7 heures.
[I took my breakfast at 7 o'clock.]

Je prenais mon petit déjeuner à 7 heures.
[I used to take my breakfast at 7 o'clock.]

not used in describing people, places, things, emotions, or weather pertaining to the past.

used in narrations of past event to describe atmosphere, character or nature, emotions & feelings, etc.

Il faisait beau.  [The weather was fine.]
J'étais fatigué.  [I was tired]

used to describe sudden or abrupt events in the past.

used to represent past events or actions that lasted over a period of time.

Tout à coup, Pierre est tombé.  [Suddenly, Pierre fell down.]

Nous habitions à Delhi depuis 10 ans.  [We had been living in Delhi for 10 years.]

used to describe events in the past which occured over a definite period of time.

used to describe events in the past which occured over a indefinite period of time.

J'ai appris français pendant un an.  [I learnt French for a year.]

J'apprenais français quand j'étais enfant.  [I learnt French when I was a child.]