The Passé Composé
The passé composé is one of the most important past tenses in French. It is used to talk about completed actions in the past, emphasizing their result or consequences in the present.
Formation and Usage
The passé composé is formed with the auxiliary verb "avoir" (to have) or "être" (to be) in the present tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example:
- "J'ai mangé" (I have eaten / I ate)
- "Je suis allé" (I have gone / I went)
The passé composé is used in three main cases:
- For specific, completed actions in the past: "Hier, j'ai rangé mon bureau." (Yesterday, I tidied my desk.)
- For past actions with a connection to the present: "J'ai décidé de ranger mon bureau chaque semaine." (I have decided to tidy my desk every week.)
- For a series of successive actions: "Il est entré, a pris son manteau et est parti." (He came in, took his coat, and left.)
Important Points
- Most verbs use "avoir" as the auxiliary verb.
- Verbs of movement (aller, venir, partir, etc.) and pronominal verbs use "être".
- With "être", the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
- With "avoir", the past participle agrees with the direct object only if it comes before the verb.
Here are some examples to better understand:
| Subject | Auxiliary | Past Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je (I) | ai (have) | mangé (eaten) | J'ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.) |
| Tu (You) | es (are) | parti(e) (left) | Tu es parti(e) tôt ce matin. (You left early this morning.) |
| Il/Elle (He/She) | a (has) | fini (finished) | Il a fini son travail. (He finished his work.) |
| Nous (We) | sommes (are) | allé(e)s (gone) | Nous sommes allé(e)s au cinéma. (We went to the cinema.) |
| Vous (You, plural) | avez (have) | lu (read) | Vous avez lu ce livre. (You have read this book.) |
| Ils/Elles (They) | ont (have) | vu (seen) | Ils ont vu un film intéressant. (They saw an interesting film.) |
Cheatsheet for verbs using être in passé composé
Here's a handy cheatsheet for the most frequent verbs that use "être" (to be) as an auxiliary in the passé composé. Some verbs only use "être" in specific cases, which is also explained in the table.
| Verb | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| aller (to go) | Je suis allé(e) (I went) | |
| venir (to come) | Elle est venue (She came) | |
| arriver (to arrive) | Nous sommes arrivé(e)s (We arrived) | |
| partir (to leave) | Ils sont partis (They left) | |
| entrer (to enter) | Tu es entré(e) (You entered) | Uses "avoir" when there's a direct object: J'ai entré les données (I entered the data) |
| sortir (to exit) | Vous êtes sorti(e)s (You went out) | Uses "avoir" when there's a direct object: J'ai sorti les poubelles (I took out the trash) |
| monter (to go up) | Il est monté (He went up) | Uses "avoir" when there's a direct object: J'ai monté les valises (I carried the suitcases up) |
| descendre (to go down) | Elles sont descendues (They went down) | Uses "avoir" when there's a direct object: J'ai descendu l'escalier (I went down the stairs) |
| naître (to be born) | Je suis né(e) (I was born) | |
| mourir (to die) | Il est mort (He died) | |
| rester (to stay) | Nous sommes resté(e)s (We stayed) | |
| tomber (to fall) | Tu es tombé(e) (You fell) | |
| retourner (to return) | Vous êtes retourné(e)s (You returned) | Uses "avoir" in the sense of "to turn something over" |
| devenir (to become) | Elle est devenue (She became) | |
| revenir (to come back) | Ils sont revenus (They came back) | |
| passer (to pass) | Je suis passé(e) (I passed by) | Uses "avoir" when there's a direct object: J'ai passé un examen (I took an exam) |
N.B.: All pronominal verbs also use "être" in the passé composé (e.g., se laver -> Je me suis lavé(e) (I washed myself)).
Quiz
Now, try to complete these sentences using the passé composé:
1. Hier soir, nous (regarder) un film.
2. Ce matin, je (aller) au supermarché.
3. Ils (finir) leurs devoirs il y a une heure.
4. Tu (apprendre) beaucoup de choses cette année.
5. Elle (partir) en vacances la semaine dernière.
6. Nous (écrire) une lettre à nos grands-parents.
7. Vous (venir) nous rendre visite hier.
8. J' (perdre) mes clés ce matin.
9. Les enfants (s'amuser) au parc.
10. Ma sœur (réussir) son examen de français.