Passé Composé Revision Guide

General Overview and Assessment Details

  • Student Name: wyatt.

  • Assessment Title: Revision Sheet - The Passé Composé Verbs (Feuille de révision - Les verbes au passé composé).

  • Purpose: Information provided to prepare for a quiz scheduled for Friday, April 10 (vendredi le 10 avril).

  • Study Recommendation: Students are instructed not only to study the provided rules but also to practice writing their own sentences.

Fundamental Structure of the Passé Composé

  • The grammatical tense of the passé composé is composed of two essential parts:     1. The Auxiliary (l'auxiliaire): This is the verb "avoir" or "être" conjugated in the present tense.     2. The Past Participle (le participe passé): This is the primary verb being used, modified with a specific conjugated ending.

Conjugation of ER Verbs with Avoir

  • Example Verb: manger (to eat)

  • Auxiliary: This verb uses the auxiliary "avoir."

  • Conjugations:     * J'ai mangé     * Tu as mangé     * Il/Elle/On a mangé     * Nous avons mangé     * Vous avez mangé     * Ils/Elles ont mangé

Conjugation of ER Verbs with Être and Rules of Agreement

  • Example Verb: arriver (to arrive)

  • Auxiliary: This verb uses the auxiliary "être."

  • Conjugations:     * Je suis arrivé(e)     * Tu es arrivé(e)     * Il/Elle/On est arrivé(e)     * Nous sommes arrivé(e)s     * Vous êtes arrivé(e)s     * Ils/Elles sont arrivé(e)s

  • Rules for Agreement (Accord):     * When using the auxiliary "être," the past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number.     * Feminine Subjects: Add an extra "e" to the past participle for feminine subjects (e.g., elle est arrivée).     * Plural Subjects: Add an "s" to the past participle for plural subjects (e.g., ils sont arrivés).

Formation of Past Participles for IR and RE Verbs

  • Verbs Ending in IR:     * Rule: For the majority of verbs ending in "IR," the past participle is formed by removing the "r" from the infinitive.     * Example (finir): finir becomes fini.     * Conjugation Pattern: j'ai fini, tu as fini, il/elle/on a fini, etc.

  • Verbs Ending in RE:     * Rule: For the majority of verbs ending in "RE," the past participle is formed by removing the "re" and replacing it with the letter "u."     * Example (rendre): rendre becomes rendu.     * Conjugation Pattern: j'ai rendu, tu as rendu, il/elle/on a rendu, etc.

Essential Verbs Using the Auxiliary Être

  • The following four verbs are specifically identified for memorization as they utilize "être" as their auxiliary in the passé composé:     1. Descendre (to descend / to go down)     2. Monter (to mount / to go up)     3. Sortir (to go out)     4. Aller (to go)