Passé Composé in FrenchA2

The past perfect expresses an action completed in the past. It presents the fact as accomplished, with a beginning and an end. It is used for a single event, for a change that has already taken place, or for several past actions seen as completed. In Yesterday, I bought some bread, the purchase is finished. In It rained all night, the fact is considered complete over the period indicated. With a sequence of actions, each event moves the story forward: I arrived, I put down my keys, and I called my sister.

Essential values of the present perfect

Idea
The present perfect is used to express a completed action in the past.
The present perfect is also used to recount a one-time event.
It finally makes it possible to link together completed past actions.

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The past perfect is chosen to recount a specific past fact. It is appropriate when we want to say what happened, announce the result of an action, or place an event within a limited period. It often appears with expressions such as yesterday, this morning, last week, earlier, suddenly or in 2020. It is also used for an action that has a visible effect now: I have lost my keys explains the present situation based on a past fact. In a story, it serves to move the plot forward through successive steps: She opened the door, she went in, then she looked at the room.

Common contexts for the present perfect

Usage	Explanation
Recounting a past fact	It is used to recount a precise and clearly defined past fact.
Announcing an event	It is used to announce what happened in a simple and direct way.
Action limited in time	This form is chosen for an action that has a clearly visible beginning and end.

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The past perfect presents a completed event. The imperfect sets the scene, describes a person or thing, or shows a habit in the past. In I was reading when my friend called, was reading provides the background and called marks the interrupting action. The past perfect answers the question of what happened. The imperfect answers the question of the state, duration or repetition. We say Every summer, we used to go to the seaside for a habit, but Last summer, we went to the seaside for a completed trip. In a description, the imperfect predominates: It was cold and the street was empty. For a specific event in the middle of this setting, we switch to the past perfect: Suddenly, a car braked.

Differences from the imperfect

Idea
The present perfect is used for the completed event.
The imperfect is used for the setting or description.
The present perfect is often used for a one-time action, and the imperfect for a habit.

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The past perfect of the majority of verbs is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary avoir + the past participle. The auxiliary is conjugated: j’ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont. The past participle of the main verb is then added: j’ai parlé, tu as fini, nous avons vendu. The structure remains stable for all persons. The main verb is not conjugated in the present; only the form of the past participle changes according to the verb. In They understood the rule, ont is the auxiliary and compris is the past participle.

Present tense of to have in the present perfect

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	avoir	ai
tu	avoir	as
il	avoir	a
nous	avoir	avons
vous	avoir	avez
ils	avoir	ont

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Some verbs form the past perfect with the present tense of être + the past participle. This is the case for many verbs of movement or change of state such as aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, tomber, rester, devenir. Reflexive verbs also use être. The auxiliary is conjugated: je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont. This gives I went, she left, we arrived. With these verbs, the past participle can agree with the subject.

Present tense of to be in the present perfect

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	être	suis
tu	être	es
il	être	est
nous	être	sommes
vous	être	êtes
ils	être	sont

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Regular past participles are formed from the stem of the verb. First-group verbs take -é: parler becomes parlé, aimer becomes aimé, regarder becomes regardé. Many second-group verbs take -i: finir becomes fini, choisir becomes choisi, grandir becomes grandi. Many third-group verbs also take -u: vendre becomes vendu, attendre becomes attendu, perdre becomes perdu. The form of the past participle does not change according to the person: j’ai parlé, tu as parlé, nous avons parlé.

Formation of regular participles

Idea
First-group verbs often form the past participle with -ed.
Many second-group verbs form the past participle with -ed.
Several third-group verbs form the past participle irregularly.

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With être, the past participle agrees with the subject. Add -e for the feminine, -s for the plural, and -es for the feminine plural: he went, she went, they went, they went. With avoir, the past participle generally remains invariable: I ate, we chose. It changes only if the direct object is placed before the verb. In I saw the children, the participle remains vu. In The children whom I saw, vus agrees with the children because the complement comes before the verb. The same idea applies to The letter that I wrote and The letters that I wrote.

Rules for past participle agreement

Idea
With to be, the past participle agrees with the subject.
With to have, the past participle generally remains unchanged.
With to have, the past participle agrees if the direct object comes before the verb.

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Several very common verbs have irregular past participles. We say eu with avoir, été with être, fait with faire, pris with prendre, mis with mettre, vu with voir, voulu with vouloir, pu with pouvoir, dit with dire, lu with lire, écrit with écrire, ouvert with ouvrir, fait with faire. These forms do not always follow the regular endings. In They took the train, the participle is pris. In She saw the sea, it is vu. In We made the meal, it is fait. Each complete form must be recognized.

Common irregular past participles

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
Participe passé	avoir	eu
Participe passé	être	été
Participe passé	faire	fait
Participe passé	prendre	pris
Participe passé	mettre	mis
Participe passé	voir	vu
Participe passé	vouloir	voulu

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Reflexive verbs are formed with être in the past perfect. The subject and the reflexive pronoun go together: je me suis lavé, tu t’es levé, elle s’est habillée, nous nous sommes retrouvés, vous vous êtes reposés, ils se sont perdus. The past participle agrees with the subject. In the feminine singular, add -e: elle s’est lavée. In the plural, add -s: nous nous sommes lavés. In the feminine plural, add -es: elles se sont lavées. In these forms, the reflexive pronoun always remains before the auxiliary.

Present perfect of reflexive verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	se lever	me suis levé
tu	se laver	t’es lavé
elle	se promener	s’est promenée
nous	se préparer	nous sommes préparés
vous	se dépêcher	vous êtes dépêchés
ils	se rencontrer	se sont rencontrés

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In the negative form, ne is placed before the auxiliary and pas after it: I did not understand, she did not come. In the past perfect, the auxiliary remains between the two elements of the negation. Short adverbs are often placed between the auxiliary and the past participle: I have already eaten, we have worked well, they have finally finished. Other adverbs can also be placed before or after the entire verb phrase depending on the meaning, but the most frequent position for déjà, bien, mal, encore, toujours is between the auxiliary and the past participle.

Position of words around the auxiliary

Usage	Explanation
Simple negation	Not is placed around the auxiliary in the present perfect.
Adverb of time	An adverb such as already is often placed between the auxiliary and the past participle.
Adverb of frequency	An adverb such as always can also be placed near the auxiliary to qualify the action.

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