Passé Composé vs. Imparfait

Knowing which past tense to use in French can be a little hard to decipher, however, I think I nailed it down so I'll explain it as simple as possible. On y va!

Basic difference:

Imparfait: Ongoing habits and what "used" to be.

ex. I used to walk every day = Je marchais tous les jours.

Passé composé: What took place at the very moment of a story; a succession of specific events. In other words, you know when exactly this action happened.

ex. This morning, I woke up tired = Ce matin, je me suis reveillée fatiguée.

Telling a story:

Remember that when you are telling a story, you have to help the listener picture everything as if it were a movie:

Imparfait = all the background information. You have no idea when the action began or when it will be finished.

Passé composé = all the main actions, the main part of the story.

Picture it:

Movie like:

-The imparfait will be the extra actors in the back that set a stage for the main character. These extra actors on the background make you feel like you were there.

-While the passé composé will be the lead actor. The lead actor will be doing all the important actions of the movie, just like passé composé.

A song:

-The imparfait will be the instruments of a song, as well as the backup vocals to a song. These instruments and backup vocals will make you feel the music much more and help you connect with either the lead singer or the lead instrument.

-The passé composé on the other hand will be like the lead singer in a band, or the lead instrument in a piece. It just carries the most important melody.

Now a story:

When I was younger (setting the stage), I used to cry all the time. Until one day (interrupting the stage), I someone made fun of me for crying like a baby. From that day on, I decided to stop (an action after another, consecutive).

Quand j'étais petite, je pleurais tout le temps. Jusqu'à un jour, quelqu'un s'avait moqué de moi pour avoir pleurer comme un bébé. Dès ce jour là, j'ai décidé d'arrêter.

Expressions with each:

Imparfait:

-Any time you use the days of the week (each Monday...): Les lundi...

-Times of day: Les soirs, etc...

-Words like normally, sometimes...etc

Passé composé:

-Any word that interrupts an action: then (puis), tout à coup (all of a sudden)...