Question

Where I sent it to describe what these people were doing when something else happened. Use the imparfait or the passé composé as appropriate.

Answer 1

The use of the imparfait and the passe compose in French depends on whether the past action was ongoing or habitual (imparfait) or completed (passé compose).

Step-by-step explanation:

The question you asked relates to the correct usage of tenses in French, specifically the use of the imparfait or the passe composé to describe what people were doing when something else happened. In the French language, imparfait is used to set the scene or describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, while the passé compose is used to describe specific actions that were completed in the past.

For example, 'Ils mangeaient (they were eating) when the phone rang (le téléphone a sonne).' 'Mangeaient' is in the imparfait because the action was ongoing when the phone rang, which is a specific action completed in the past, so 'a sonné' is in the passé composé.