| A | B |
|---|
| main event action | passé composé |
| used to | imparfait |
| was/were doing | imparfait |
| did once / limited number of times | passé composé |
| ongoing actions in the pasat | imparfait |
| interrupting actions in the past | passé composé |
| descriptions | imparfait |
| background information / setting the scene | imparfait |
| Un jour | One day (pc) |
| Tous les jours / Chaque jour | Every day (imp) |
| Le mardi | On Tuesdays (imp) |
| Un mardi | One Tuesday (pc) |
| D'habitude / Habituellement | Usually (imp) |
| Autrefois | In the past (imp) |
| Parfois | Sometimes (imp) |
| Tout à coup / Soudainement | Suddenly (pc) |
| Le 4 mai | (On) May 4th (pc) |
| Plusieurs fois | Several times (pc) |
| appeler | to call |
| chanter | to sing |
| chercher | to look for |
| trouver | to find |
| retrouver (quelqu'un) | to find (somone) |
| perdre | to lose |
| prendre une photo | to take a photo |
| C'était quand? | When was it? |
| C'était quoi? | What was it? |
| Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé? | What happened? |
| Qu'est-ce qui est arrivé à...? | What happened to....? |
| Ah bon? | Really? |
| C'est pas vrai! | No way! |
| C'est nul ..non? | That's lame! |
| Trop cool! | So cool! |
| Qu'est-ce que tu as fait? | What did you do? |
| il est né / elle est née | S/he was born.... |
| il est mort / Elle est morte... | S/he died.... |
| grandir | to grow up |
| faire ses études | to study (at a university) |
| obtenir un diplôme | to earn a degree |
| épouser | to marry |
| avoir des enfants | to have children |
| gagner un prix | to win a prize |
