Passé Composé (Present Perfect / Compound Past)
The passé composé is a compound past tense used to describe actions that have been completed in the past. It is commonly used in spoken French to express actions that occurred at a specific time or are relevant to the present.
Mood:
The indicative mood is used to express facts and completed actions. The passé composé allows speakers to narrate past events with clarity and precision.
- Indicative mood = certainty, facts, reality
Usage:
- To describe completed actions: J'ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.)
- To indicate a series of completed actions: Hier, j'ai fait mes devoirs et je suis allé au cinéma. (Yesterday, I did my homework and went to the cinema.)
- To express actions with relevance to the present: Il a déjà terminé son travail. (He has already finished his work.)
Formation:
The passé composé is formed using the auxiliary verb avoir (to have) or être (to be) in the present tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Using Avoir:
- Most verbs use avoir as the auxiliary.
Using Être:
- Some verbs, especially verbs of motion and reflexive verbs, use être as the auxiliary.
- The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject when using être.
Conjugation:
| Person | Avoir (to have) | Être (to be) |
|---|---|---|
| Je | j'ai mangé | je suis allé(e) |
| Tu | tu as mangé | tu es allé(e) |
| Il/Elle/On | il a mangé | il/elle/on est allé(e) |
| Nous | nous avons mangé | nous sommes allé(e)s |
| Vous | vous avez mangé | vous êtes allé(e)(s) |
| Ils/Elles | ils ont mangé | ils/elles sont allé(e)s |
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
Common Time Expressions:
- Hier (yesterday)
- La semaine dernière (last week)
- Tout à l'heure (a little while ago)
- Déjà (already)
Examples:
- J'ai vu un film. (I saw a movie.)
- Nous avons fait nos devoirs. (We did our homework.)
- Elle est allée à la plage. (She went to the beach.)
