Passé composé vs. imparfaitIf a sentence is initiated by a fixed duration, is it always necessary to use passé composé?
For example, if I want to say….
During the six days of the trial, the judge was sitting at the front of the room, the lights were low, and the courtroom was full.
I have a fixed duration…. which aligns with the use of passé composé. But I am giving a description of the situation, with all things occurring simultaneously, and the information does not progress the story…. which aligns with the use of imparfait.
For me, it makes more sense to use imparfait, but I have been told that the presence of the fixed duration at the start of the phrase mandates the use of PC.
The sentence as I would write it is as follows:
Durant les six jours d'audience, le juge était assis à l’avant de la salle, les lumières étaient sombres et la salle de Cour était pleine
If a sentence is initiated by a fixed duration, is it always necessary to use passé composé?
For example, if I want to say….
During the six days of the trial, the judge was sitting at the front of the room, the lights were low, and the courtroom was full.
I have a fixed duration…. which aligns with the use of passé composé. But I am giving a description of the situation, with all things occurring simultaneously, and the information does not progress the story…. which aligns with the use of imparfait.
For me, it makes more sense to use imparfait, but I have been told that the presence of the fixed duration at the start of the phrase mandates the use of PC.
The sentence as I would write it is as follows:
Durant les six jours d'audience, le juge était assis à l’avant de la salle, les lumières étaient sombres et la salle de Cour était pleine
In the exercise "The Town of Gruyères", the translation of "Before we even entered the picturesque village," is given as "Avant même que nous entrions dans le bourg/village pittoresque,". I think it should be 'nous sommes entrés dans ...'. What am I getting wrong there? Also, I'm aking my self, does an optional 'ne explétif' go before 'entrions'?
The following quoted material appears at: https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/passe-compose-vs-imparfait/
All in the past vs Relevance to presentImparfait describes something that is entirely in the past.
Il voulait toujours être médecin. He always wanted (used to want) to be a doctor.J’y mangeais souvent. I often ate there / I used to eat there often (but never again).Passé composé explains something that started in the past and continues today.
Il a toujours voulu être médecin. He has always wanted to be a doctor.J’y ai souvent mangé. I have often eaten there (and might again).Are you sure you don't have this in reverse? It seems like the passé composé would be used for the finished actions in the quote above.
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