Perfect Tenses
The perfect tenses describe actions that have been completed and are relevant to a particular time or moment. This guide focuses on the two main perfect tenses in French: the passé composé and the plus-que-parfait.
Passé Composé
The passé composé expresses a completed action with an immediate connection to the present or a specific event in the past. It is formed with an auxiliary verb (être or avoir) in the present tense followed by the past participle.
Formation with Avoir
Most verbs use avoir as the auxiliary in the passé composé. The past participle normally does not agree with the subject when avoir is used, unless there is a preceding direct object.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| ☕ J'ai bu mon café avant de partir. | I drank my coffee before leaving. |
| 🥐 Tu as mangé un croissant ce matin. | You ate a croissant this morning. |
| 📰 Il a lu le journal dans le métro. | He read the newspaper on the subway. |
| 🍊 Nous avons partagé des oranges au parc. | We shared oranges in the park. |
| 🥖 Vous avez acheté une baguette en route. | You bought a baguette on the way. |
| 🍰 Ils ont goûté une part de gâteau. | They tasted a piece of cake. |
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Formation with Être
A set of common motion and reflexive verbs use être as the auxiliary in the passé composé. When être is used, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🚶♀️ Je suis allé au café du coin. | I went to the nearby café. |
| 🚴♂️ Tu es parti avec ton vélo chargé de paniers. | You left with your bike loaded with baskets. |
| 🏃♀️ Elle est arrivée en courant. | She arrived running. |
| 🚌 Nous sommes montés dans le bus bondé. | We got on the crowded bus. |
| 🚶 Vous êtes retournés chercher votre portefeuille. | You went back to get your wallet. |
| 🐕 Ils sont sortis se promener avec le chien. | They went out for a walk with the dog. |
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Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs always use être as the auxiliary in the passé composé. The past participle normally agrees with the reflexive pronoun if it functions as a direct object.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🧼 Je me suis lavé les mains avant de manger. | I washed my hands before eating. |
| 🪥 Tu t'es brossé les dents après le petit déjeuner. | You brushed your teeth after breakfast. |
| 👘 Elle s'est habillée vite ce matin. | She got dressed quickly this morning. |
| 🧴 Nous nous sommes parfumés avant de sortir. | We put on perfume before going out. |
| 🧑🍳 Vous vous êtes préparés pour la fête. | You got ready for the party. |
| 🛏️ Ils se sont couchés tard après le dîner. | They went to bed late after dinner. |
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Plus-Que-Parfait
The plus-que-parfait describes an action that was completed before another past action or moment. It is formed with the auxiliary verb in the imparfait followed by the past participle, mirroring the structure of the passé composé but shifted further back in time.
Formation
To form the plus-que-parfait, use avoir or être in the imparfait as the auxiliary, then add the past participle. Agreement rules for the past participle remain the same as in the passé composé.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| ☕ J'avais déjà bu mon café quand tu es arrivé. | I had already drunk my coffee when you arrived. |
| 🥐 Elle avait mangé un croissant avant de partir. | She had eaten a croissant before leaving. |
| 🚌 Nous avions pris le bus avant la pluie. | We had taken the bus before the rain. |
| 🥖 Ils avaient acheté du pain avant d'aller au parc. | They had bought bread before going to the park. |
| 📰 Tu avais lu les news avant de te coucher. | You had read the news before going to bed. |
| 🍊 Vous aviez partagé les oranges entre amis. | You had shared the oranges among friends. |
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Usage
Use the plus-que-parfait to set up a clear sequence of past events, to show an earlier completed action, or to provide background information relative to another past moment.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌧️ Quand je suis sorti, il avait déjà commencé à pleuvoir. | When I went out, it had already started to rain. |
| 🕒 Elle est partie parce qu'elle avait fini son travail. | She left because she had finished her work. |
| 🍽️ Nous avons mangé après qu'ils avaient préparé la table. | We ate after they had set the table. |
| 🗝️ Il ne pouvait pas entrer car il avait perdu ses clés. | He couldn't enter because he had lost his keys. |
| 📞 J'ai appelé le café, mais ils avaient déjà fermé. | I called the café, but they had already closed. |
| 🛒 Elle est allée au marché, après qu'elle avait fait la liste. | She went to the market after she had made the list. |
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Signal Words
Signal words help identify which perfect tense to use by indicating time relationships or emphasis. Expressions like hier, ce matin, and tout à l'heure often point to the passé composé, while déjà, avant, and quand can signal the plus-que-parfait.
| French Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ☑️ Ce matin, j'ai fait une balade au parc. | This morning, I went for a walk in the park. | Specific time, passé composé |
| 🕒 Il était déjà parti quand je suis arrivé. | He had already left when I arrived. | Earlier action, plus-que-parfait |
| 🔙 Avant de manger, j'ai lavé mes mains. | Before eating, I washed my hands. | Sequence with infinitive |
| 🧑🤝🧑 Quand tu es arrivé, nous préparions le café. | When you arrived, we were preparing the coffee. | Interrupting action |
| 🗓️ Hier soir, j'ai dîné avec des amis. | Last night, I had dinner with friends. | Time marker |
| ⚠️ Elle avait quitté la maison avant la panne d'électricité. | She had left the house before the power outage. | Cause and effect |
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Summary
The passé composé relates completed actions to the present or to specific past moments, using avoir or être as the auxiliary. The plus-que-parfait situates actions further back in time, describing what had happened before another past event. Mastering these tenses and their signal words allows you to narrate past events clearly and precisely.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025