Passé Composé Rules

What is the Passé Composé?

The Passé Composé is a French past tense used to express completed actions.

Formation of Passé Composé

It is formed with the auxiliary verb (either ‘avoir’ or ‘être’) and the past participle of the verb.

When to use 'avoir' as the auxiliary verb?

Most verbs use 'avoir' as the auxiliary verb in the Passé Composé.

When to use 'être' as the auxiliary verb?

'Être' is used as the auxiliary for reflexive verbs and a group of verbs commonly remembered by the acronym Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp.

past participle agreement with 'être'

When using 'être', the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.

Does the past participle agree with 'avoir'?

The past participle agrees with the direct object if it precedes the verb when using 'avoir'.

Regular verbs in Passé Composé

Regular verbs form their past participle by adding '-é' for -er verbs, '-i' for -ir verbs, and '-u' for -re verbs to the stem of the verb.

Example of a regular -er verb in Passé Composé

For example, the verb 'parler' (to speak) becomes 'parlé' in the past participle: 'J'ai parlé' (I spoke).

Example of a regular -ir verb in Passé Composé

For example, the verb 'finir' (to finish) becomes 'fini' in the past participle: 'J'ai fini' (I finished).

Example of a regular -re verb in Passé Composé

For example, the verb 'vendre' (to sell) becomes 'vendu' in the past participle: 'J'ai vendu' (I sold).

Irregular verbs in Passé Composé

Irregular verbs do not follow the standard rules for forming their past participle and must be memorized individually.

Example of an irregular verb in Passé Composé

For example, the verb 'avoir' (to have) becomes 'eu' in the past participle: 'J'ai eu' (I had).