Le passé composé
The passé composé is the most common past tense in spoken French. It describes completed actions with a definite beginning or end. It is formed with an auxiliary verb (avoir or être) plus a past participle.
Formation with avoir
Formula
present tense of avoir + past participle
Most French verbs use avoir as the auxiliary. Regular past participles: -er → -é, -ir → -i, -re → -u.
| French | English | |
|---|---|---|
| j'ai parlé | I spoke / I have spoken | |
| tu as fini | you finished | |
| il a vendu | he sold | |
| nous avons mangé | we ate | |
| vous avez regardé | you watched | |
| elles ont attendu | they waited |
Formation with être
Formula
present tense of être + past participle
A specific group of verbs (mostly of movement and change of state) use être. The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.
| French | English | |
|---|---|---|
| je suis allé(e) | I went | |
| tu es parti(e) | you left | |
| il est arrivé | he arrived | |
| elle est restée | she stayed | |
| nous sommes venus / venues | we came | |
| ils sont tombés | they fell |
DR MRS VANDERTRAMP verbs
This mnemonic lists the main motion and state-change verbs that take être. All reflexive verbs also take être.
| Infinitive | English | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| Devenir | to become | devenu(e) |
| Revenir | to come back | revenu(e) |
| Monter | to go up | monté(e) |
| Rentrer | to return home | rentré(e) |
| Sortir | to go out | sorti(e) |
| Venir | to come | venu(e) |
| Aller | to go | allé(e) |
| Naître | to be born | né(e) |
| Descendre | to go down | descendu(e) |
| Entrer | to enter | entré(e) |
| Retourner | to return | retourné(e) |
| Tomber | to fall | tombé(e) |
| Rester | to stay | resté(e) |
| Arriver | to arrive | arrivé(e) |
| Mourir | to die | mort(e) |
| Partir | to leave | parti(e) |
Common irregular past participles
| Infinitive | English | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| avoir | to have | eu |
| être | to be | été |
| faire | to do / make | fait |
| prendre | to take | pris |
| mettre | to put | mis |
| voir | to see | vu |
| vouloir | to want | voulu |
| pouvoir | to be able | pu |
| devoir | to have to | dû |
| savoir | to know | su |
| venir | to come | venu |
| tenir | to hold | tenu |
| ouvrir | to open | ouvert |
| écrire | to write | écrit |
| lire | to read | lu |
| dire | to say | dit |
| conduire | to drive | conduit |
| naître | to be born | né |
| mourir | to die | mort |
| courir | to run | couru |
When to use le passé composé
Completed actions
J'ai mangé une pomme. — I ate an apple (and finished eating it).
A sequence of events
Il est entré, il a souri et il a dit bonjour. — He came in, smiled, and said hello.
Specific time references
Hier matin, nous avons joué au tennis. — Yesterday morning we played tennis.