A long weekend by the sea gives Marina plenty to write about — and telling it in French means choosing, verb by verb, between the two past tenses.

	Forms	What it does	Example
Passé composé	j'ai nagé, nous sommes arrivés	a finished event — it happened	Nous sommes arrivés vendredi. — We arrived on Friday.
Imparfait	il faisait, c'était, nous allions	the scene and descriptions — and habits	Le soleil brillait. — The sun was shining.

• Passé composé: avoir or être in the present + the past participle — -er → -é, -ir → -i, -re → -u, plus irregulars like fait, pris, vu, eu, été.
• Être goes with verbs of coming and going — aller, venir, arriver, partir, rester… — and with every reflexive verb.
• Imparfait: the nous stem + -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient; être → ét-.

New words: briller — to shine; se baigner — to go for a swim; frais / fraîche — cool, fresh.