il était
In French, "he was" is translated as il était.
il était is used to describe ongoing states, habits or background settings in the past. If you want to say "he was in the process of" doing something, use the construction il était en train de.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the pronoun il (he) and the imperfect tense of the verb être (to be).
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between the imperfect and the passé composé. In contrast, use il a été to express "he was" or "he has been" when referring to completed actions or specific events.
Did you know?
- In French, describing what someone was doing often requires the phrase en train de, which literally translates to 'in the train of'.
- In traditional French fairy tales, the phrase il était une fois is the standard opening, equivalent to the English 'once upon a time'.
- The pronoun il in il était has its roots in the Late Latin word illī.
Examples in context
- Il était en France.He was in France.This sentence shows the use of il était for location.Tatoeba #373636 by zmoo, translation #429956 by sacredceltic
- Il était en colère.He was pissed.This sentence shows the use of il était for an emotional state.Tatoeba #2070680 by Amastan, translation #8593691 by Amastan
- Il était aux anges.He was over the moon.This sentence shows the use of il était for a state of being over the moon.Tatoeba #12161170 by lbdx, translation #9972094 by sundown
- Il était ponctuel et attentif lors de la réunion.He was punctual and attentive during the meeting.
- Il se trouvait dans la salle de conférence hier soir.He was in the conference room last night.
- Il était en train de préparer le dîner quand je suis rentré.He was in the process of preparing dinner when I came home.
- Il était en train de jouer à des jeux vidéo pendant toute la soirée.He was playing video games all evening.
- Il était mon meilleur ami.He was my best friend.
- Il était vraiment anxieux avant le spectacle.He was really anxious before the show.
- Il était très poli avec tout le monde.He was very polite with everyone.
- Il était courageux et déterminé.He was brave and determined.
- 1055 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are talking about an old neighbor.
- HugoIl était très gentil, notre voisin.He was very kind, our neighbor.
- LéaOui, il était toujours souriant.Yes, he was always smiling.
- HugoTu te souviens de lui ?Do you remember him?
- LéaBien sûr, il était exceptionnel.Of course, he was exceptional.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries il, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
