Setting the scene
We use the IMPERFECT tense when describing what was going on in a scene or to describe what their was. When describing a scene you would typically use the following:
Il y avait - there was / there were
On voyait - we saw
J'entendais - I heard
+ any other verbs you may wish to use.
Remember that as soon as you begin to narrate specific events you will need to use the PERFECT tense. So setting the scene = IMPERFECT specific actions = PERFECT.
Look at the picture below of a lake in the Creuse region of France and use the imperfect tense to do the translation tasks:
Before you start, here are some verbs you will need to put into the imperfect:
And here is some other vocabulary:
avoir alone and for when putting il y a into the imperfect
jouer
boire
faire
briller (to shine)
étre
s'amuser
pique-niquer (to picnic)
voir
entendre
se sentir bien (to feel good)
la planche à voile - windsurfing
quelqu'un - somebody
l'eau - water
le ciel - the sky
les oiseaux - the birds
faire du vent - to be windy
la bière - beer
des nuages - clouds
Left one too hard? Then try the fill in the blanks version on the right: