Imparfait: être uses ét-; avoir follows the regular pattern
The Imparfait — The Rebellious Exception (Être)
Even highly irregular verbs like faire, dire, or venir follow the “nous minus -ons” rule.
But there is one rebel:
ÊTRE (to be)
It does not use the “nous” form to find its stem.
The Special Stem
Instead of taking nous sommes → somm- (which doesn’t exist in imparfait), we use a unique stem:
ét-
Conjugation of Être in the imparfait:
| Subject | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| je | étais |
| tu | étais |
| il/elle | était |
| nous | étions |
| vous | étiez |
| ils/elles | étaient |
👉 all endings are the usual imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient). Only the stem is special.
Bonus: Avoir in the Imparfait
While we’re at it, let’s look at avoir, another essential verb:
| Subject | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| je | avais |
| tu | avais |
| il/elle | avait |
| nous | avions |
| vous | aviez |
| ils/elles | avaient |
👉 Avoir is a regular verb in the imparfait.
Why it matters: Être and Avoir in the imparfait often act like modals in compound tenses and other structures that we will se later:
J’avais fini quand il est arrivé → I had finished when he arrived J’étais prêt à partir → I was ready to leave
So mastering these two verbs opens the door to many other past constructions.
Important Note 2
The Imparfait is incredibly regular. In fact, there is only one true exception to the radical rule (the "Nous" trick):
The Verb Être (to be) While other verbs use their Nous form, être uses the unique stem ét-.
- Stem: ét-
- Example: J'étais, tu étais, il était...
💡 The Good News: Even for être, the endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) remain exactly the same as every other verb!
Key Takeaways
- Être is the only verb in imparfait that does not use the “nous” stem rule. Stem = ét-
- Avoir follows the regular pattern: nous avons → j’avais
- Both verbs are frequent auxiliaries and modals in past tenses
- All endings (-ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient) remain the same
In the app, you will find interactive exercises and quizzes tailored for this intermediate level.
Practice French conjugation for free in the Croissant Verbs app
Quizzes and spaced repetition for every tense, for free on your phone—plus short grammar guides on our Learn hub.
