Use Passé composé…

• …for events that advance the story (WHAT HAPPENED NEXT)

• …for events that happened at a specific time or for a specific length of time

Use imparfait…

• …to tell the background of the story (description of states or conditions, weather, mental states, etc)

• …to tell what WAS HAPPENING when sthg else happened

• …to tell what USED TO HAPPEN regularly