Le Passé Composé
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Le Passé Composé This is a COMPOUND tense Just like in English, this tense is composed of TWO elements: AUXILIARY VERB + PAST PARTICIPLE (Verbe auxiliaire) + (Participe passé) Ex: We have You have eaten written How to form a Past Participle in French… • We already know that there are THREE families of regular verbs in French: -ER, -IR, -RE • To form the Past participle, remove the –ER, -IR, RE endings and add -É, -I, -U Example: -ER -IR -RE manger finir entendre MANGÉ FINI ENTENDU In French we need to determine which AUXILIARY VERB we need: In French we have TWO auxiliary verbs: AVOIR & ÊTRE To determine which verb to use in French, we have to understand the concept of TRANSITIVE & INTRANSITIVE verbs: 1. TRANSITIVE = a verb that CAN take a DIRECT OBJECT (Ex: To eat – we can eat something) 2. INTRANSITIVE = a verb that CANNOT take a DIRECT OBJECT (Ex: To arrive – we cannot arrive something) Les Verbes Intransitifs en français: DR. & MRS. P. VAN DER TRAMP DESCENDRE ** RESTER (= to descend, go down, take down) (= to stay) & MONTER** RETOURNER SORTIR** (= to climb, get into, take up) (= to return, go back) (= to leave, go out, take out) PASSER** (= to spend time, take an exam, swing by) VENIR* ALLER NAÎTRE* (= to come) IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE: VENU (= to go) (= to be born) IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE: NÉ DEVENIR * ENTRER RENTRER (= to become) IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE: DEVENU (= to enter) (= to go back home) TOMBER REVENIR ARRIVER MOURIR* PARTIR (= to fall) (= to come back) IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE: REVENU (= to arrive) (= to die) IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE: MORT (= to leave, depart) **these verbs can take either AVOIR or ÊTRE as they can be used either TRANSITIVELY or INTRANSITIVELY Agreement of the Past Participle of verbs that take ÊTRE: The past participle of verbs that take ÊTRE must always agree in number and gender with the subject: Example: VENIR (= to come) Je suis venu(e) (the JE could be feminine) Tu es venu(e) (the TU could be feminine) Il est venu Elle est venue (MUST add the –E) Nous sommes venu(e)s (MUST add the –S but could all be feminine, so –E is optional) Vous êtes Ils sont Elles sont venu(e)(s) (4 potential options here!) venus (MUST add the –S) venues (MUST add the –ES) Reflexive Verbs in Passé Composé (les Verbes Réfléchis au Passé Composé) • • Reflexive Verbs ALWAYS take ÊTRE in the Passé Composé Because of this the PAST PARTICIPLE (le Participe Passé) MUST agree in NUMBER & GENDER with the SUBJECT: Ex: Sophie et Julie se sont lavées (we add –ES because the subject, Sophie and Julie, is FEMININE and PLURAL) • However, IF there is a DIRECT OBJECT with a Reflexive Verb (usually a BODY PART) then there is NO AGREEMENT of the Past Participle (because the Direct Object comes AFTER the verb) Ex: Les filles se sont lavéES Les filles se sont lavé les cheveux (there is NO agreement here because LES CHEVEUX, a body part, comes AFTER the verb) Let’s do some practice! PRATIQUONS! Write the following sentences in FRENCH: 1. The boys woke up 2. The girls washed their hair 3. The children brushed their teeth 4. I got dressed 5. Y’all washed your hands The next slide has the answers + explanations… Answers! Les réponses! 1. The boys woke up = Les garçons se sont réveillés (we use SONT from the ILS form of ÊTRE, and we add –S because it is masculine plural) 2. The girls washed their hair = Les filles se sont lavé les cheveux (we use SONT from the ELLES form of ÊTRE, and we add NOTHING because the direct object is a body part and comes AFTER the verb) 3. The children brushed their teeth = Les enfants se sont brossé les dents (we use SONT from the ILS form of ÊTRE, and we add NOTHING because the direct object is a body part and comes AFTER the verb) 4. I got dressed = Je me suis habillé(e) (we use SUIS from the JE form of ÊTRE, and we add EITHER NOTHING because the JE is masculine, OR we add –E because the JE is feminine) 5. Y’all washed your hands = Vous vous êtes lavé les mains (we use ÊTES from the VOUS form of ÊTRE, and we add NOTHING because the direct object is a body part and comes AFTER the verb)
