Passé composé describes completed actions, sudden events, and changes that shape narratives. It grounds stories in precise moments when things happened.
Formation
Passé composé forms with an auxiliary verb—usually avoir or être—plus a past participle that sometimes agrees in gender and number.
Auxiliaire Avoir
Most verbs use avoir as their helper; you conjugate avoir in the present, then add the past participle.
| French Auxiliary | English Auxiliary | French Base Verb | French Past Participle | English Past Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| j'ai | I have | parlé | parlé | spoken | |
| tu as | you have | fini | fini | finished | |
| il/elle/on a | he/she/one has | vendu | vendu | sold | |
| nous avons | we have | mangé | mangé | eaten | |
| vous avez | you have | choisi | choisi | chosen | |
| ils/elles ont | they have | regardé | regardé | watched |
I spoke with her yesterday.
Auxiliaire Être
Certain verbs of motion and all reflexives use être; the past participle agrees with the subject when required.
| French Auxiliary | English Auxiliary | French Base Verb | French Past Participle | English Past Participle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| je suis | I am / I have | allé | allé(e) | gone | |
| tu es | you are / you have | arrivé | arrivé(e) | arrived | |
| il/elle/on est | he/she/one is / has | parti | parti(e) | left | |
| nous sommes | we are / we have | venu | venu(e)s | come | |
| vous êtes | you are / you have | revenu | revenu(e)(s) | returned | |
| ils/elles sont | they are / they have | devenu | devenu(e)s | become |
Key Verbs
Passé composé highlights specific completed actions—those small moments that move a story from one scene to the next.
Verbs with Avoir
Most narrators rely on verbs like manger, finir, prendre and regarder that take avoir and name concrete actions.
Verbs with Être
Verbs of movement and change—like aller, venir, arriver and partir—use être so the action feels tied to the subject’s journey.
Reflexive Verbs
Reflexives always take être in passé composé and make the past participle agree when the direct object is the subject.
Signal Words
Adverbs and expressions like hier, ce matin, il y a, and pendant cue you to use passé composé for pinpointed past events.
| French example | English example | |
|---|---|---|
| 🕐 Hier, j’ai mangé au marché. | Yesterday, I ate at the market. | |
| 🌙 Ce matin, j’ai bu un café au lever du soleil. | This morning, I drank coffee at sunrise. | |
| ⏰ Une fois, nous avons fait un pique-nique au parc. | Once, we had a picnic in the park. | |
| 🧺 Tout à l’heure, j’ai préparé mon panier. | Earlier, I prepared my basket. | |
| 🎉 L’année dernière, ils sont allés au festival de food trucks. | Last year, they went to the food truck festival. |
Summary
Passé composé tells about completed actions by using an auxiliary avoir* or *être plus a past participle; choose the helper based on the verb and remember agreement rules.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025