Language/French/Grammar/Passé-Composé
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The Passé Composé is the most common past tense used in the French language. It is used to talk about completed actions in the past. In this lesson, you will learn how to form the Passé Composé using regular and irregular verbs and when to use it.
Formation
The Passé Composé is formed by using the present tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.
Using “Avoir” as Auxiliary Verb
To form the Passé Composé with “avoir”, follow these steps:
- Start with the present tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir”
- Add the past participle of the main verb
- Keep the agreement of the past participle with the direct object, if there is one
Examples:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| J'ai mangé | /ʒe mɑ̃ʒe/ | I ate |
| Tu as regardé | /ty a ʁəɡaʁde/ | You watched |
| Il a fini | /il a fini/ | He finished |
| Nous avons choisi | /nuz avɔ̃ ʃwazi/ | We chose |
| Vous avez parlé | /vu zavɛ paʁle/ | You spoke |
| Ils ont travaillé | /il zɔ̃ tʁavaje/ | They worked |
Using “Être” as Auxiliary Verb
The Passé Composé can also be formed with the auxiliary verb “être” for certain verbs, such as reflexive verbs, verbs of motion, and some intransitive verbs.
To form the Passé Composé with “être”, follow these steps:
- Start with the present tense of the auxiliary verb “être”
- Add the past participle of the main verb
- Keep the agreement of the past participle with the subject
Examples:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je suis parti(e) | /ʒə sɥi paʁti/ | I left |
| Tu es allé(e) | /ty ɛ ale/ | You went |
| Il est né | /il ɛ ne/ | He was born |
| Nous sommes arrivé(e)s | /nu somz aʁive/ | We arrived |
| Vous êtes tombé(e)(s) | /vu zɛ tɔ̃be/ | You fell |
| Ils sont resté(e)s | /il sɔ̃ ʁɛste/ | They stayed |
Note that the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.
Irregular Verbs in the Passé Composé
Some verbs have irregular past participles and must be memorized. Here are some of the most common irregular verbs in the Passé Composé:
| Infinitive | Past Participle | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| être | été | /ɛtʁ/ | to be |
| avoir | eu | /avwaʁ/ | to have |
| faire | fait | /fɛʁ/ | to do/make |
| prendre | pris | /pʁɑ̃dʁ/ | to take |
| voir | vu | /vwaʁ/ | to see |
| venir | venu | /vəny/ | to come |
Notice that some verbs have the same past participle in the Passé Composé as their infinitive form, like "avoir" and "être".
Usage
The Passé Composé is used to talk about completed actions or events in the past. Here are some common uses:
- To talk about a specific action that happened at a specific point in the past: "Hier, j'ai mangé une pizza." (Yesterday, I ate a pizza.)
- To talk about a series of completed actions in the past: "Il est rentré chez lui, a mangé, et s'est couché." (He went home, ate, and went to bed.)
- To talk about the beginning or end of a past action: "Je suis entré dans la chambre et j'ai vu qu'il dormait." (I walked into the room and saw that he was sleeping.)
- To talk about a past event with a connection to the present: "J'ai perdu mes clefs, alors maintenant je ne peux pas rentrer chez moi." (I lost my keys, so now I can't go home.)
Exercises
- Conjugate the following verbs in the Passé Composé: "manger", "prendre", "aller", "venir"
- Choose the correct auxiliary verb and past participle to form the Passé Composé: "Elle (être/avoir) partie hier soir." / "Nous (avoir/être) allé(s) au parc."
- Translate the following sentences into French: "I watched a movie last night." / "Did you eat breakfast this morning?"
Sources
Videos
Group 1 Regular French Verbs ending in "ER" (Passé Composé ...
Learn French: know the passé composé with Avoir under 5 minutes ...
Passé Composé in French - YouTube
Passé composé: French Compound Past Tense - YouTube