The subject is il (he), and the auxiliary verb is avoir, which becomes a when conjugated with il.įinally, the past participle is cuisiné, from the infinitive cuisiner (to cook). Subject + auxiliary verb + past participle Here’s a close-up of the passé composé in-action: The auxiliary verb is always either avoir or être conjugated the same way it would normally be with the subject. The auxiliary verb is the first part of the passé composé, meaning it comes after the subject and before the past participle. We’ll dive into each part and help you put it together. Verbe auxiliare (auxiliary verb) + participe passé (past participle) = passé composé (perfect tense)ĭon’t worry. If you’re really into grammar, it corresponds to the “perfect tense,” but the phrase passé composé literally means “compound past.” This makes sense because, as you may have noticed in the examples, this verb form has two parts: You might be wondering what passé composé itself means. The key is that the passé composé is used to talk about completed actions that took place at one time. Two vastly different time-tables, same grammatical construction. (He went shopping yesterday.)ĭistant past: Les Égyptiens ont construit les Pyramides. The passé composé isn’t just for talking about the recent past! You’ll use this same verb form to talk about recent events as well as ancient history: It’s the form you’d use to recount your day, describe your recent vacation or talk about the news. This dialogue gives you a first taste of the tense and shows its practicality. (I watched a movie with a friend.)Ī: Êtes-vous sorties au cinéma ? (Did you go out to the theater?)ī: Non, nous l’ avons vu sur Netflix. (I got up, I drank coffee, then I went to class.)Ī: Et dans l’après-midi ? (And in the afternoon?)ī: J’ ai regardé un film avec une amie. Take the following dialogue as an example:Ī: Q u’est-ce que tu as fait aujourd’hui ? (What did you do today?)ī: Je me suis levée, j’ ai bu un café, puis je suis allée en cours. Learning this tense is key to sharpening your conversational skills. The passé composé is the primary way to discuss the past in spoken French. So what exactly does the passé composé do? The passé composé is a verb tense used to talk about the past, but it’s not the only past tense in French.įor instance, there’s the imparfait (imperfect), which describes repeated or habitual actions, as well as the passé simple (simple past), which is employed in literature. (Download) When to Use the French Passé Composé This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬlick here to get a copy. Forming the Participe Passé (Past Participle).We’ll walk you through all aspects of the passé composé: how to practice it, when to use it, how to form it, how to put it into negative statements and how to employ it in questions. The passé composé is the French perfect tense and the most common past tense form in spoken French. When you start learning a language, you often begin with the present tense.īut if you are ready to take the next step and start speaking, reading, listening to and writing about the past in French, you need to learn the passé composé. The French Passé Composé Guide: How to Form It and When to Use It
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