The passé composé is a compound past tense used to describe actions that have been completed, events that have occurred, or changes that have taken place in the past. It is often used to answer the question "What happened?" and is one of the most commonly used past tenses in spoken French.
Formation
The passé composé is formed using two parts:
- An auxiliary verb: either avoir or être in the present tense.
- A past participle of the main verb.
Most verbs use avoir as the auxiliary, but some verbs—mainly those indicating movement or reflexive actions—use être.
Basic Formula
| French Structure | English Structure |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary verb (avoir/être) + past participle | Auxiliary verb (have/has) + past participle |
Examples
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| J’ai mangé. | I ate. / I have eaten. |
| Elle est partie. | She left. / She has left. |
Past Participle Endings
| Verb Group | Example | Past Participle | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -er | parler | parlé | spoken |
| -ir | finir | fini | finished |
| -re | vendre | vendu | sold |
Verbs Using Être
These verbs are often remembered using the acronym DR MRS VANDERTRAMP:
- Devenir (to become)
- Revenir (to come back)
- Monter (to go up)
- Rentrer (to return home)
- Sortir (to go out)
- Venir (to come)
- Aller (to go)
- Naître (to be born)
- Descendre (to go down)
- Entrer (to enter)
- Retourner (to return)
- Tomber (to fall)
- Rester (to stay)
- Arriver (to arrive)
- Mourir (to die)
- Partir (to leave)
Also, all reflexive verbs use être in the passé composé.
Agreement Rules
When using être, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject:
- Add -e if feminine (e.g., elle est allée)
- Add -s if plural (e.g., ils sont partis)
- Add -es if feminine plural (e.g., elles sont tombées)
What acronym helps remember the verbs that use être in passé composé?
DR MRS VANDERTRAMP
DR MRS VANDERTRAMP is a mnemonic for verbs that use être in passé composé.
Examples
Parler (to speak) — uses avoir
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| J’ai parlé | Nous avons parlé | I spoke / We spoke |
| Tu as parlé | Vous avez parlé | You spoke / You spoke |
| Il/Elle a parlé | Ils/Elles ont parlé | He/She spoke / They spoke |
Aller (to go) — uses être
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je suis allé(e) | Nous sommes allé(e)s | I went / We went |
| Tu es allé(e) | Vous êtes allé(e)(s) | You went / You went |
| Il est allé / Elle est allée | Ils sont allés / Elles sont allées | He went / She went / They went |
'I went (female).' — Je ___ allée.
suis
The verb 'aller' uses être, so the auxiliary is 'suis.' The past participle agrees with the feminine subject by adding -e.
Time Expressions Commonly Used with Passé Composé
- hier (yesterday)
- ce matin (this morning)
- tout à l’heure (a little while ago)
- il y a… (…ago)
- l’année dernière (last year)
Examples
| French Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Hier, j’ai fini mes devoirs. | Yesterday, I finished my homework. |
| Il y a deux jours, elle est partie. | Two days ago, she left. |
Summary
- Passé composé expresses completed actions or events in the past.
- Formed with auxiliary verb avoir or être + past participle.
- Most verbs use avoir; some use être (movement, reflexive).
- Past participle usually ends in -é (-er), -i (-ir), -u (-re).
- Use agreement with past participle for verbs taking être.
- Common time markers help situate the action in the past.
The passé composé is essential for talking about past events and is used extensively in everyday French conversation.
Flashcards (1 of 14)
- English Structure: Auxiliary verb (have/has) + past participle
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
