Why passe compose and not imparfait for we enjoyed" and "we drank..."

Jane S.B1Kwiziq community member

Why passe compose and not imparfait for we enjoyed" and "we drank..."

Why passe compose with "We enjoyed ..." and "we drank..." rather than imparfait?

Asked 10 hours ago
CélineKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour Jane,

Here, "enjoyed" and "drank" are translated in Le Passé Composé because the person talking is referring to these actions as completed. They're events on a timeline, not a description (in which case, you'll use L'Imparfait). If you used to "dégustait" and "buvait", you would make it sound as if these actions were habits or a repeated actions. Here, because you are describing one particular meal on one specific occasion, Le Passé Composé is the correct tense for "enjoyed" and "drank".

Take a look at the following link:

Using the compound tense (Le Passé Composé) on its own or with the imperfect tense (L'Imparfait)

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Jane S. asked:

Why passe compose and not imparfait for we enjoyed" and "we drank..."

Why passe compose with "We enjoyed ..." and "we drank..." rather than imparfait?

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