A2 French GrammarPresent Perfect Tense (Passé Composé)
Master the French passé composé, the most common past tense for describing completed actions. Learn to form it with avoir and être, understand past participle agreement, and know which verbs take être. This tense is essential for talking about past events, experiences, and completed actions in everyday French.
1Formation with Avoir
Most French verbs form the passé composé with avoir as the auxiliary verb plus the past participle. Regular -er verbs change to -é (parlé), -ir verbs to -i (fini), and -re verbs to -u (vendu). The auxiliary conjugates with the subject while the participle stays the same: j'ai parlé, tu as parlé, il a parlé.
Passé Composé with Avoir
| Subject | Avoir | Participle | Full Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | ai | parlé | j'ai parlé |
| tu | as | mangé | tu as mangé |
| il/elle | a | fini | il a fini |
| nous | avons | vendu | nous avons vendu |
| vous | avez | choisi | vous avez choisi |
| ils/elles | ont | attendu | ils ont attendu |
Examples
J'ai mangé une pomme.
I ate an apple.
avoir + -é participle for -er verbs
Elle a fini ses devoirs.
She finished her homework.
avoir + -i participle for -ir verbs
Nous avons attendu le bus.
We waited for the bus.
avoir + -u participle for -re verbs
Ils ont regardé un film hier.
They watched a movie yesterday.
Regular -er verb in passé composé
2Formation with Être (Movement & Reflexive Verbs)
Some verbs use être instead of avoir. These are mainly verbs of movement and change of state: aller (to go), venir (to come), arriver (to arrive), partir (to leave), naître (to be born), mourir (to die). With être, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject: elle est partie, ils sont venus.
Common Être Verbs (DR MRS VANDERTRAMP)
| Infinitive | Meaning | Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| aller | to go | allé | je suis allé(e) |
| venir | to come | venu | il est venu |
| arriver | to arrive | arrivé | elle est arrivée |
| partir | to leave | parti | nous sommes partis |
| rester | to stay | resté | tu es resté(e) |
| tomber | to fall | tombé | ils sont tombés |
Examples
Elle est allée au cinéma.
She went to the cinema.
être + allée (feminine agreement)
Ils sont arrivés en retard.
They arrived late.
être + arrivés (masculine plural)
Marie est née en 1990.
Marie was born in 1990.
être verb: naître (to be born)
Nous sommes restés à la maison.
We stayed at home.
être + restés (plural agreement)
3Irregular Past Participles
Many common verbs have irregular past participles that must be memorized. Avoir becomes eu, être becomes été, faire becomes fait, and prendre becomes pris. These irregulars are used constantly in everyday French, so learning them is essential for fluent communication.
Common Irregular Participles
| Infinitive | Meaning | Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| avoir | to have | eu | j'ai eu |
| être | to be | été | j'ai été |
| faire | to do/make | fait | il a fait |
| prendre | to take | pris | elle a pris |
| voir | to see | vu | nous avons vu |
| mettre | to put | mis | ils ont mis |
Examples
J'ai eu un problème hier.
I had a problem yesterday.
avoir → eu (irregular)
Il a fait beau ce matin.
The weather was nice this morning.
faire → fait (irregular)
Elle a pris le train à huit heures.
She took the train at eight o'clock.
prendre → pris (irregular)
Nous avons vu un accident.
We saw an accident.
voir → vu (irregular)
4Negation and Questions in Passé Composé
To make the passé composé negative, place ne...pas around the auxiliary verb: je n'ai pas mangé. The past participle comes after pas. For questions, invert the subject and auxiliary: As-tu fini? (Have you finished?). With est-ce que, the word order stays normal: Est-ce que tu as fini?
Negation and Question Forms
| Type | Structure | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negative | ne + aux + pas + participle | Je n'ai pas compris. | I didn't understand. |
| Negative | ne + aux + jamais + part. | Il n'a jamais voyagé. | He has never traveled. |
| Question (inversion) | Aux-subject + participle | As-tu mangé? | Have you eaten? |
| Question (est-ce que) | Est-ce que + statement | Est-ce qu'il a appelé? | Did he call? |
Examples
Je n'ai pas dormi cette nuit.
I didn't sleep tonight.
ne...pas around auxiliary (ai)
Elle n'est jamais allée en France.
She has never been to France.
ne...jamais = never
Avez-vous terminé le projet?
Have you finished the project?
Inversion question form
Est-ce que tu as vu mon livre?
Did you see my book?
Est-ce que question form