Passé Composé For Intermediate learners
What Is the passé composé in French?
The passé composé is the most commonly used past tense in French. It is used to describe completed actions, events, or experiences that have occurred in the past. It is the most common past tense in spoken French and is also widely used in informal writing.
Passé composé tells what happened, once, and is now finished.
When to Use passé composé
The passé composé is used for:
Completed Actions in the Past
The passé composé is used to describe actions that were completed at a specific moment in the past.
J'ai fini mes devoirs hier.
I finished my homework yesterday.
Elle a voyagé en Italie l'été dernier.
She traveled to Italy last summer.
Series of Past Actions
The passé composé can describe a sequence of actions that happened one after another.
Hier, j'ai pris mon petit-déjeuner, je suis parti au travail et j'ai rencontré mes collègues.
Yesterday, I had breakfast, went to work, and met my colleagues.
Specific Moments or Events
It is also used for events that happened at a precise time or occasion.
Il a plu samedi.
It rained on Saturday.
Nous avons vu un film à 20h.
We saw a movie at 8 p.m.
Changes in State or New Situations
The passé composé can describe changes or new situations that started or happened in the past.
Elle a grandi vite.
She grew up fast.
J'ai commencé un nouveau travail la semaine dernière.
I started a new job last week.
How to Form passé composé
The passé composé is a compound tense, made of two parts:
Auxiliary verb (avoir or être) in the present tense
Past participle of the main verb
Structure:
subject + auxiliary + past participle
Look at the examples below:
J'ai mangé.
I ate / I have eaten.
Elle est arrivée hier.
She arrived yesterday.
Nous avons compris le problème.
Nous avons compris le problème.
Auxiliary Verb: avoir or être?
Most French verbs use avoir:
J'ai parlé.
J'ai parlé.
Nous avons fini.
We finished.
Elle a pris le train.
She took the train.
A small group of verbs use être, mainly:
verbs of movement and change of state
reflexive verbs
A common way to remember movement verbs is the DR MRS VANDERTRAMP list:
devenir, revenir, monter, rester, sortir, venir, aller, naître, descendre, entrer, rentrer, tomber, retourner, arriver, mourir, partir.
Elle est allée au marché.
She went to the market.
Ils sont partis à 8 heures.
They left at 8 o'clock.
All reflexive verbs use être:
Elle s'est levée tôt.
She got up early.
Nous nous sommes préparés.
We got ready.
Agreement Rules
When using être as the auxiliary the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.
feminine singular: Elle est allée
masculine plural: Ils sont allés
feminine plural: Elles sont allées
masculine singular: Il est allé
With avoir, no agreement happens unless a direct object comes before the verb.
J'ai mangé les pommes. (no agreement)
I ate the apples.
Les pommes que j'ai mangées étaient bonnes. (agreement)
The apples I ate were good.
Tip!
When using reflexive verbs, agreement depends on whether the reflexive pronoun is direct or indirect.
Elle s'est lavée. (herself = direct object → agreement)
She washed herself.
Elle s'est lavé les mains. (les mains = direct object → no agreement)
She washed her hands.
Formation of Past Participles
Here's the formation of regular past participles:
Verb type | Infinitive | Past participle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
1st group | -er | -re | parler → parlé |
2nd group | -ir | -i | finir → fini |
3rd group | -re | -u | vendre → vendu |
J'ai parlé au directeur.
I spoke to the manager.
Elle a fini son travail.
She finished her work.
Nous avons vendu une voiture.
We sold a car.
Some verbs have irregular past participles that must be memorized:
faire → fait
prendre → pris
voir → vu
avoir → eu
être → été
J'ai fait mes devoirs.
I did my homework.
Il a pris le bus.
He took the bus.
Nous avons vu un film.
We saw a movie.
Elle a eu une idée.
She had an idea.
Ils ont été contents.
They were happy.
Negation in passé composé
Negation wraps around the auxiliary verb:
J'ai mangé. → Je n'ai pas mangé.
I ate. → I didn't eat.
Elle est allée au marché. → Elle n'est pas allée au marché.
She went to the market. → She didn't go to the market.
Questions in passé composé
Same as in the present tense, but the auxiliary verb is used:
Intonation (informal)
Tu as fini tes devoirs ?
Did you finish your homework?
Est-ce que
Est-ce que tu as fini tes devoirs ?
Did you finish your homework?
Inversion (formal)
As-tu fini tes devoirs ?
Did you finish your homework?
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