Participe Passé (Past Participle)

The participe passé is a non-finite verb form that is used to indicate completed actions. It is primarily used in compound tenses, such as the passé composé, and can also function as an adjective.

Mood:

The participe passé is a non-finite form and does not have a mood like the indicative or subjunctive. It provides information about the action and can imply time and completion.

• Non-finite form = completed action or state

Usage:

• In compound tenses: J'ai mangé une pomme. (I have eaten an apple.)
• As an adjective: Une pomme cuite. (A cooked apple.)
• To form the passive voice: La lettre a été écrite par Marie. (The letter was written by Marie.)
• In relative clauses: Les enfants que j'ai vus. (The children that I saw.)

Formation:

The participe passé is formed by:

• For -ER verbs, replacing the -er ending with -é (e.g., parler → parlé).
• For -IR verbs, replacing the -ir ending with -i (e.g., finir → fini).
• For -RE verbs, replacing the -re ending with -u (e.g., vendre → vendu).

Conjugation:

Verb Type	Example Verb	Participe Passé
-ER Verbs	parler	parlé
-IR Verbs	finir	fini
-RE Verbs	vendre	vendu

Irregular Past Participles:

Some verbs have irregular past participles. Examples include:

• Être (to be): été
• Avoir (to have): eu
• Faire (to do/make): fait
• Prendre (to take): pris
• Voir (to see): vu
• Dire (to say): dit

Agreement:

When the past participle is used with être as the auxiliary verb or when it precedes the direct object, it must agree in gender and number with the subject or the noun:

• With Être: Elle est allée. (She went.) → Allée (feminine singular).
• Before a Direct Object: Les pommes que j'ai mangées. (The apples that I ate.) → Mangées (feminine plural).

Common Time Expressions:

• Hier (yesterday)
• La semaine dernière (last week)
• Depuis (since)

Examples:

• J'ai fini mes devoirs. (I have finished my homework.)
• Les fleurs sont fanées. (The flowers have wilted.)