Le Passé Composé

Translations 🗣

  1. Verbed

    I played

  2. Did verb

    I did play

  3. Has/have verbed

    I have played

Uses: Generally, action verbs that happened once or a countable number of times. (With thought/feeling only if it’s a change) 🎥

  1. Past completed actions, including a series.

    Il y a trois jours, j’ai vu le film “Paris je t’aime.” (Three days ago, I saw the movie “Paris, I Love You.”)

    Lucie s’est maquillée, est partie pour le centre commercial, et a vu un film. (Lucie put on makeup, left for the mall, and saw a movie.)

  2. Actions with a specific or implied beginning, end, or duration.

    Nous avons habité au Québec pendant deux ans. (We lived in Québec for 2 years.)

  3. Actions repeated a countable number of times.

    Les Fouquet sont allés à la plage deux fois. (The Fouquets went to the beach two times.)

  4. Actions that happen quickly/suddenly, including changes in emotion or mental state.

    Tout d’un coup, j’ai eu peur. (All of a sudden, I was (got/became) scared.)

  5. Actions that interrupt others.

    Je dormais quand tu as appelé. (I was sleeping when you called.)

Keywords: Imply or show actions are complete 🛑

  • Une fois, once/one time

  • D’abord/premièrement/en premier, first

  • Enfin/finalement, finally

  • Il y a (un mois), (a month) ago

  • Ce matin / ce soir, this morning / this evening

  • La semaine dernière, last week

  • Vite/rapidement, quickly

  • Soudain/tout à coup, suddenly

  • Pendant, for + time

Verbs with different meanings

Être: A minuit, j’ai été fatiguée. (At midnight, I got/became tired.)

d J’

Avoir:

Savoir:

Connaître:

Pourvoir:

Vouloir: