Past Participle Agreement in FrenchB1

The past participle is the verb form that enters into compound tenses like Passé Composé and Futur Antérieur. It is also used in many constructions with an auxiliary. It is recognized because it does not bear the ordinary markings of personal conjugation. In a sentence like j’ai parlé, parlé is neither a verb conjugated in the present nor an infinitive. It is the form that follows the auxiliary avoir or être. This form may sometimes receive an agreement marker, but only in certain specific contexts. The starting point is the Past Participle

With the auxiliary être, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number. A man est arrivé, a woman est arrivée, two men sont arrivés, two women sont arrivées. The past participle therefore takes the same form as the adjective when it follows être. This rule also applies with verbs of movement and of state change, as well as with compound tenses built with être. In elle est partie or ils sont devenus, the final form depends on the subject, not on the verb’s sense alone.

Past participle agreement with be

Idea
With the auxiliary be, the past participle remains invariable when no direct object precedes it.
With be, the past participle is agreed if the direct object precedes the verb.
Without a preceding object, the past participle remains masculine singular by default.
When the preceding object is plural, the past participle takes the plural ending.

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With the auxiliary avoir, the past participle generally remains invariable. We say j’ai vu, nous avons pris, elles ont parlé. The subject does not govern the agreement. The agreement only appears if a COD is placed before the verb. When the complement follows the verb, nothing changes. Compare j’ai rencontré Marie and Marie, je l’ai rencontrée. The presence of avoir thus normally signals a fixed form, except in the case of the COD placed before the verb, treated in the next rule.

Agreement with preceding direct object

Idea
The past participle agrees with the COD placed before the verb.
If the preceding COD is feminine singular, the past participle takes a mute e.
If the preceding COD is masculine plural, the past participle takes an s.
If the preceding COD is feminine plural, the past participle takes an e and an s.

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When the COD is placed before the verb, the past participle agrees with that COD in gender and number. Les lettres que j’ai écrites takes es because lettres is feminine plural. La robe que j’ai achetée takes e feminine singular. Les livres que j’ai lus takes s masculine plural. Le film que j’ai vu remains without ending in masculine singular. The group before the verb decides the final form. With the pronouns le, la, les, que, the same agreement rule applies when these pronouns represent the COD.

Agreement of pronominal verbs

Idea
With a pronominal verb, the past participle often agrees with the reflexive pronoun object.
When the meaning remains reflexive, the past participle follows the usual agreement with the subject.
If the complement after the verb is the real COD, the past participle can remain invariable.
In a reciprocal pronominal construction, the past participle agrees with the plural subject.

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With pronominal verbs of Verbes pronominaux, the agreement depends on the function of the reflexive pronoun. If the pronoun corresponds to the COD, the past participle agrees with the subject when the complement is placed before, as in elles se sont lavées. If the pronoun is not COD, the past participle remains invariable, as in ils se sont parlé. We therefore look at the grammatical relation in the entire sentence, not only the presence of se. The construction with être + pronominal form does not by itself impose agreement.

Common usage of pronominal verbs

Idea
Avec un verbe pronominal, le participe passé s’accorde souvent avec le pronom complément réfléchi.
Quand le sens reste réfléchi, le participe passé suit l’accord habituel avec le sujet.
Si le complément après le verbe est le vrai COD, le participe passé peut rester invariable.
Dans une construction pronominale réciproque, le participe passé s’accorde avec le sujet pluriel.

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Some verbs are used almost always with a pronoun, like se souvenir, s’enfuir, se méfier, s’apercevoir. In everyday usage, their past participle often follows the expected agreement with the subject when the construction allows it: elles se sont enfuies, ils se sont aperçus. Others remain invariable in fixed phrases or when the pronoun is not COD. The useful cue is the form of the complement that follows or accompanies the verb. These verbs frequently appear in the compound tenses of spoken and written French.

Irregular past participle forms

Usage	Explanation
Accord fréquent au féminin	Dans l’usage courant, le participe passé de certains verbes pronominaux s’accorde souvent au féminin avec le sujet.
Accord fréquent au pluriel	Dans l’usage courant, ces verbes prennent souvent la marque du pluriel quand le sujet est pluriel.
Mémoire des formes	Pour ces verbes, il faut souvent mémoriser la forme la plus fréquente plutôt que chercher une règle simple.

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Many past participles do not simply add the regular ending expected. It is necessary to memorize the most frequent forms. For example we encounter pris, mis, fait, dit, lu, écrit, ouvert, offert, venu, venu, mort, né, pu, voulu, su, voulu, boire → bu, voir → vu, prendre → pris, mettre → mis, faire → fait. These forms are used directly in Passé Composé, Futur Antérieur and Conditionnel Passé.

Agreement before an infinitive

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
Participe passé	voir	vu
Participe passé	prendre	pris
Participe passé	écrire	écrit
Participe passé	naître	né
Participe passé	mettre	mis

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When an infinitive follows the verb, the agreement of the past participle may disappear or become impossible depending on the function of the preceding group. We say les chansons que j’ai entendu chanter because les chansons perform the action of singing. We say les chanteuses que j’ai entendues chanter because it is they who sing. With an infinitive, the past participle does not automatically agree with the preceding group. One must determine who performs the action expressed by the infinitive before choosing the form.

Difference between spoken and written

Idea
Quand un infinitif suit le verbe, le participe passé peut rester invariable si le complément n’en est pas l’objet.
Le participe passé reste invariable si le groupe avant le verbe fait l’action de l’infinitif.
Le participe passé s’accorde si le groupe avant le verbe subit l’action de l’infinitif.
Pour décider l’accord, il faut identifier le rôle du groupe placé avant.

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In spoken language, many agreements of the past participle are not heard, especially in masculine singular. The difference is mainly seen in writing with e, s, es. Il est arrivé and elle est arrivée can be pronounced almost the same, but the spelling marks the gender. Even when the sound remains identical, the written form must follow the agreement rule. In compound tenses, listening alone is not enough. One must identify the auxiliary, the complement, and the function of the group before deciding on the ending.

Difference between spoken and written

Region	Variant	Definition	Example
In speech	accord non entendu	In speech, the agreement mark may disappear when it is not pronounced.	Partie et partis peuvent sonner presque pareil dans une phrase rapide.Partie and partis can sound almost the same in a quick sentence.
In writing	accord visible	In writing, the agreement mark must be noted even if it is heard little or not at all.	On écrit arrivées avec soin dans le carnet du chef d’orchestre.We write arrivées with care in the conductor's notebook.

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