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FrenchConjugationImparfait

Être (to be) · Imparfait

By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated

Être in the French imparfait is: j'étais, tu étais, il/elle/on était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils/elles étaient. The imparfait of être describes ongoing past states, descriptions, or backgrounds: 'j'étais fatigué' (I was tired), 'il était tard' (it was late). It's the standard form for past descriptions and is one of the few verbs whose imparfait stem is fully irregular ('ét-' rather than from the nous form).

être conjugation in the Imparfait
To BeÊtre
I used to be
j'étais
you used to be
tu étais
he/she used to be
il/elle/on était
we used to be
nous étions
you used to be
vous étiez
they used to be
ils/elles étaient
Examples

Être (to be) in context

Sentences that use être in the imparfait. Tap each to hear it.

J'étais fatigué hier soir.

I was tired last night.

Tu étais très drôle quand tu étais petit.

You were very funny when you were little.

Il était tard quand tu es arrivé.

It was late when you arrived.

Nous étions en vacances la semaine dernière.

We were on vacation last week.

Vous étiez très gentils avec moi.

You were very kind to me.

Ils étaient mes voisins quand j'étais enfant.

They were my neighbors when I was a child.

Tip

Working with the imparfait

The imparfait paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Il faisait nuit" (it was nighttime), "j'avais cinq ans" (I was five years old), "je marchais quand tu m'as appelé" (I was walking when you called me). The imparfait is almost completely regular — the stem comes from the nous form of the present (nous parlons → je parlais), with only être being truly irregular (j'étais). The contrast with passé composé is the single most important past-tense distinction in French: imparfait = background or habitual; passé composé = completed event.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate être in the imparfait?
The imparfait of être is: j'étais, tu étais, il/elle/on était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils/elles étaient. The stem 'ét-' is irregular — every other French verb forms its imparfait stem by dropping -ons from the nous form of the present, but être's nous form 'sommes' would yield a nonsensical 'somm-'. Être is the only verb with a fully irregular imparfait stem.
When do I use 'j'étais' instead of 'j'ai été'?
Use 'j'étais' for ongoing past states without a clear endpoint or for descriptions: 'j'étais fatigué quand tu m'as appelé' (I was tired when you called me — ongoing state). Use 'j'ai été' for a completed past state with a clear boundary: 'j'ai été fatigué pendant trois jours' (I was tired for three days — bounded period). Background vs foreground.
Why is être's imparfait stem 'ét-' and not 'so-' or 'somm-'?
Most French imparfait stems come from the nous form of the present (nous parlons → je parlais). Être's nous form 'sommes' doesn't yield a usable stem, so French preserved an older Latin-derived stem 'ét-' that descended from 'eram' (Latin imperfect of esse). This is the only fully irregular imparfait stem in French — every other verb is predictable from its nous form.
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More tenses of Être (To Be)

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Être (to be) · Passé Composé
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Être (to be) · Subjonctif

More verbs in imparfait

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Être (to be)
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