Passé Composé
The passé composé is the main tense for expressing completed actions in the past. It is used in storytelling, recounting events, and reporting specific moments.
Formation
The passé composé is formed with an auxiliary verb (either avoir or être) in the present tense followed by the past participle of the main verb. This structure marks a completed action.
Auxiliary Verb: Avoir
Most verbs use avoir as the auxiliary in the passé composé. The past participle then normally stays unchanged for agreeing with the direct object when required.
Auxiliary Verb: Être
A smaller set of verbs uses être as the auxiliary, mainly movement and reflexive verbs. When être is the auxiliary, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
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Past Participle
Regular -er Verbs
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Regular -ir Verbs
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Regular -re Verbs
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Past Participle
The past participle expresses the completed action and must match the auxiliary construction. Regular verbs follow predictable endings, while many common verbs have irregular forms.
Regular -er Verbs
For regular -er verbs, the past participle is formed by replacing -er with é, which makes it straightforward to apply to examples.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| ☕ J’ai dégusté un croissant. | I tasted a croissant. |
| 🍵 Tu as bu du thé. | You drank some tea. |
| 🥖 Il a acheté une baguette. | He bought a baguette. |
Regular -ir Verbs
Regular -ir verbs form the past participle by replacing -ir with i, producing a consistent pattern for learners to follow.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🍓 J’ai choisi des fraises. | I chose some strawberries. |
| 🥒 Tu as fini tes légumes. | You finished your vegetables. |
| 🧀 Elle a grandi en mangeant du fromage. | She grew up eating cheese. |
Regular -re Verbs
Regular -re verbs form the past participle by replacing -re with u, completing the set of common regular patterns for the passé composé.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🍊 J’ai vendu des oranges au marché. | I sold oranges at the market. |
| 🍞 Tu as attendu ton tour à la boulangerie. | You waited your turn at the bakery. |
| 🥐 Il a rendu le croissant à la cliente. | He returned the croissant to the customer. |
Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs always use être as the auxiliary in the passé composé. The past participle normally agrees with the reflexive pronoun when it functions as a direct object.
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Key Irregulars
Several frequent verbs have irregular past participles or special behavior in the passé composé. These must be memorized to use the tense accurately in real contexts.
Être
Être itself is irregular and uses été as the past participle. It appears both as an auxiliary and as a main verb in important expressions.
Avoir
Avoir is irregular with the past participle eu. It commonly appears in reporting and in compound actions where possession mattered in the past.
Faire
Faire has the past participle fait and is often used in narrated activities, making it essential for recounting events and describing acts.
Prendre
Prendre forms pris as the past participle and appears frequently in travel, meals, and sudden actions within stories.
Mettre
Mettre becomes mis in the passé composé and is used in contexts of placing, starting, or arranging, common in detailed recounting.
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Signal Words
Signal words help identify when to use the passé composé by anchoring actions to specific times or sequences. They appear frequently in narratives and reports.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| ☀️ Ce matin, j’ai fait des crêpes. | This morning, I made crepes. |
| 🌙 Hier soir, nous avons dîné dehors. | Last night, we dined out. |
| 🕒 Il y a une heure, elle a acheté du pain. | An hour ago, she bought bread. |
| 🥖 Puis, ils ont marché au marché. | Then, they walked to the market. |
| 🍽️ Enfin, j’ai goûté le nouveau fromage. | Finally, I tasted the new cheese. |
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Summary
The passé composé expresses completed actions using an auxiliary (avoir or être) plus a past participle. Learn the common signal words, memorize key irregulars, and practice forming the tense with both regular and reflexive verbs.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025