FR: nous aimâmes / aimions

[LBFlbf]

My Larousse says indicative past tense for “to love” is nous aimames yet all online dictionaries say it’s aimions. I dont understand.

 

[Yendred]

Nous aimâmes is the past simple (passé simple). This tense is used only in literary contexts today, and replaced by the passé composé in daily language (nous avons aimé). It's more or less equivalent to the English preterit (we loved).

Nous aimions is the past imperfect (imparfait). It's more or less equivalent to the English past progressive (we were loving).

 

[Maître Capello]

Hello LBFlbf and welcome to the WR forums!

See our conjugator for more details.

Regarding the difference between the passé simple and the imparfait, see FR: imparfait / passé simple.

Nous aimions is the past imperfect (imparfait). It's more or less equivalent to the English past progressive (we were loving).

Actually, state verbs like aimer are usually best translated in the simple past too.