Le Passé Composé

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 eaten
You have 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
MANGÉFINIENTENDU

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 ** (= to descend, go down, take down)
RESTER (= to stay)
&
MONTER** (= to climb, get into, take up)
RETOURNER (= to return, go back)
SORTIR** (= to leave, go out, take out)
PASSER** (= to spend time, take an exam, swing by)
VENIR* (= to come) IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE: VENU
ALLER (= to go)
NAÎTRE* (= to be born) IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE: NÉ
DEVENIR * (= to become) IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE: DEVENU
ENTRER (= to enter)
RENTRER (= to go back home)
TOMBER (= to fall)
REVENIR (= to come back) IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE: REVENU
ARRIVER (= to arrive)
MOURIR* (= to die) IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE: MORT
PARTIR (= 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 venu(e)(s) (4 potential options here!)
Ils sont venus(MUST add the –S)
Elles sont venues (MUST add the –ES)