French grammar
Je jouais, j'habitais, on allait
Talk about childhood habits.
From the scene Quand j'étais petite (When I was little)
In short
Past habits (used to): imparfait. Take the nous form, drop -ons, add -ais / -ait: je jouais, on allait.
- I used to play je jouais
- I used to live j'habitais
- we used to go on allait
- there was / were il y avait
Your turn
Which one goes with I used to live?
Options: je jouais · on allait · j'habitais
Show answer
I used to live → j'habitais
How it works
For things you used to do again and again (childhood habits) French uses the imparfait.
Good to know
Take the nous form, drop -ons, add -ais / -ait: nous jouons → je jouais, nous allons → on allait. In speech, on = we.
I used to play je jouais
Nuria
Je jouais dans la rue avec mes cousins.
I used to play in the street with my cousins.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
(blank) dans la rue avec mes cousins.
Options: Je jouais · J'habitais · On allait
Show answer
Nuria
Je jouais dans la rue avec mes cousins.
I used to play in the street with my cousins.
I used to live j'habitais
Nuria
Petite, j'habitais dans un village en Galice.
As a child, I lived in a village in Galicia.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Petite, (blank) dans un village en Galice.
Options: on allait · j'habitais · je jouais
Show answer
Nuria
Petite, j'habitais dans un village en Galice.
As a child, I lived in a village in Galicia.
we used to go on allait
Nuria
Le dimanche, on allait à la plage.
On Sundays, we used to go to the beach.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Le dimanche, (blank) à la plage.
Options: j'habitais · on allait · je jouais
Show answer
Nuria
Le dimanche, on allait à la plage.
On Sundays, we used to go to the beach.
there was / were il y avait
Nuria
Non, il était tout petit. Mais il y avait beaucoup d'animaux.
No, it was very small. But there were lots of animals.
Your turn
What fills the gap?
Non, il était tout petit. Mais (blank) beaucoup d'animaux.
Options: il y avait · je jouais · j'habitais
Show answer
Nuria
Non, il était tout petit. Mais il y avait beaucoup d'animaux.
No, it was very small. But there were lots of animals.
Common mistake
Not habite or habitait here. I used to live.
Petite, j'habitais dans un village en Galice.
As a child, I lived in a village in Galicia.
Practise it in the story
Meet this rule inside a short animated scene. Answer as it plays, then say the lines yourself.
Practise free in the appSee all forms
| I used to play | je jouais |
|---|---|
| I used to live | j'habitais |
| we used to go | on allait |
| there was / were | il y avait |
More lines from the story
- ElenaMoi aussi, je jouais dans la rue. Et j'espionnais déjà les voisins !I used to play in the street too. And I already spied on the neighbours!
- NuriaEt on mangeait toujours chez ma grand-mère.And we always used to eat at my grandmother's house.