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Unit 8: Talking About the Past (Parler du Passé)

You’ve learned to talk about what’s happening now and what’s going to happen soon. But what about everything that’s already happened? This unit introduces the most common way to talk about the past in French: the Passé Composé!

Lesson 22: The Passé Composé with avoir

Thoughts: The Passé Composé (pah-SAY kohm-POH-zay) is how French speakers talk about completed actions in the past (like “I ate,” “She went,” “They finished”). It’s a two-part verb tense, which is different from how we form the past in English or Czech.

Casual Introduction: In English, we just add “-ed” to many verbs (walked, talked). In Czech, you change the verb ending (dělal, šel). In French, for the Passé Composé, you need two words for most verbs: a helper verb (called an auxiliary verb) and the past participle of your main verb. For most verbs, the helper verb is AVOIR (to have).

Grammar Spotlight: Forming the Passé Composé with AVOIR

The formula for the Passé Composé with avoir is:

Conjugated AVOIR (in present tense) + Past Participle of the main verb

Let’s break it down:

  1. The Auxiliary Verb AVOIR: You already know how to conjugate avoir in the present tense from Unit 3. This is the first part of your Passé Composé verb!

    • J’ai (I have)
    • Tu as (You have)
    • Il/Elle/On a (He/She/One has)
    • Nous avons (We have)
    • Vous avez (You have)
    • Ils/Elles ont (They have)

  2. The Past Participle (Participe Passé): This is the “action” part of your verb. For regular verbs, they are formed very predictably:

    • For -ER verbs (like parler - to speak): Drop the -er and add -é.

      • parler -> parlé (par-LAY)
      • manger -> mangé (mahn-ZHAY)
      • travailler -> travaillé (trah-vai-YAY)

    • For -IR verbs (like finir - to finish): Drop the -ir and add -i.

      • finir -> fini (fee-NEE)
      • choisir -> choisi (shwah-ZEE)
      • réussir -> réussi (ray-oo-SEE)

    • For -RE verbs (like vendre - to sell): Drop the -re and add -u.

      • vendre -> vendu (vahn-DOO)
      • attendre -> attendu (ah-tahn-DOO)
      • répondre -> répondu (ray-pohn-DOO)

Combining AVOIR and the Past Participle

Let’s see it in action:

Subject AVOIR Past Participle of parler Passé Composé English Translation
Je ai parlé J’ai parlé. I spoke / I have spoken.
Tu as parlé Tu as parlé. You spoke / You have spoken.
Il/Elle/On a parlé Il a parlé. He spoke / He has spoken.
Nous avons parlé Nous avons parlé. We spoke / We have spoken.
Vous avez parlé Vous avez parlé. You spoke / You have spoken.
Ils/Elles ont parlé Ils ont parlé. They spoke / They have spoken.

Important Note: When using avoir as the auxiliary verb, the past participle DOES NOT AGREE in gender or number with the subject. It stays in its basic form (e.g., parlé is always parlé).

Negation in the Passé Composé

To make a Passé Composé sentence negative, the ne...pas wraps around the auxiliary verb (avoir).

Common Time Expressions for the Past

Example Sentences:

Vocabulary Box:

French Verb (Infinitive) Past Participle English Translation
parler parlé to speak / spoke
manger mangé to eat / ate
travailler travaillé to work / worked
regarder regardé to watch / watched
étudier étudié to study / studied
finir fini to finish / finished
choisir choisi to choose / chose
réussir réussi to succeed / succeeded
vendre vendu to sell / sold
attendre attendu to wait / waited
répondre répondu to answer / answered

Exercises/Quiz:

  1. Form the past participle for these regular verbs:
    • a) écouter (to listen) -> __
    • b) grandir (to grow) -> __
    • c) perdre (to lose) -> __
  2. Conjugate the verb in Passé Composé with avoir:
    • a) Je (travailler) hier.
    • b) Nous (manger) au restaurant.
    • c) Elle (finir) ses devoirs (homework).
    • d) Ils (vendre) leur voiture.
  3. Make these sentences negative:
    • a) Tu as regardé le film.
    • b) Vous avez répondu à la question.

Solutions:

  1. a) écouté, b) grandi, c) perdu
  2. a) J’ai travaillé hier. b) Nous avons mangé au restaurant. c) Elle a fini ses devoirs. d) Ils ont vendu leur voiture.
  3. a) Tu n’as pas regardé le film. b) Vous n’avez pas répondu à la question.

Lesson 23: The Passé Composé with être

Thoughts: While most verbs use avoir in the Passé Composé, a special group of verbs (mostly about movement and changes of state) uses être (to be) as their auxiliary verb. And there’s an important extra rule with être!

Casual Introduction: Imagine the Passé Composé as a fancy party. Most verbs arrive with their friend avoir. But a special, exclusive club of verbs arrives with their friend être. And when you’re with être, you have to match outfits – the past participle has to agree with the subject, just like adjectives agree with nouns!

Grammar Spotlight: Forming the Passé Composé with ÊTRE

The formula for the Passé Composé with être is:

Conjugated ÊTRE (in present tense) + Past Participle of the main verb

  1. The Auxiliary Verb ÊTRE: You already know how to conjugate être in the present tense from Unit 2.

    • Je suis (I am)
    • Tu es (You are)
    • Il/Elle/On est (He/She/One is)
    • Nous sommes (We are)
    • Vous êtes (You are)
    • Ils/Elles sont (They are)

  2. The Special Group of Verbs (The “ÊTRE House” Verbs): These verbs (and their compounds like revenir from venir) almost exclusively describe movement or a change of state. A common mnemonic to remember them is DR & MRS VANDERTRAMP (or just the first letter of each verb):

    • Devenir (to become) -> devenu
    • Revenir (to come back) -> revenu
    • Monter (to go up, to climb) -> monté
    • Rester (to stay) -> resté
    • Sortir (to go out) -> sorti
    • Venir (to come) -> venu
    • Aller (to go) -> allé
    • Naître (to be born) -> né
    • Descendre (to go down, to descend) -> descendu
    • Entrer (to enter) -> entré
    • Rentrer (to return home) -> rentré
    • Tomber (to fall) -> tombé
    • Retourner (to return) -> retourné
    • Arriver (to arrive) -> arrivé
    • Mourir (to die) -> mort (irregular past participle!)
    • Partir (to leave) -> parti

    Note: *Passer (to pass) uses être when it means “to pass by” (e.g., Il est passé devant la maison). Otherwise, it uses avoir (e.g., Il a passé un examen - he took an exam).*

  3. Past Participle Agreement with ÊTRE: This is the most important rule for être verbs! The past participle MUST AGREE in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.

    • Masculine Singular: Past participle stays as is (e.g., allé)
      • Il est allé. (He went.)
    • Feminine Singular: Add an -e to the past participle (e.g., allée)
      • Elle est allée. (She went.)
    • Masculine Plural: Add an -s to the past participle (e.g., allés)
      • Ils sont allés. (They went - masculine group.)
    • Feminine Plural: Add an -es to the past participle (e.g., allées)
      • Elles sont allées. (They went - feminine group.)

Let’s see it in action with ALLER (to go):

Subject ÊTRE Past Participle of aller Passé Composé English Translation
Je (m.) suis allé Je suis allé. I went. (if speaker is male)
Je (f.) suis allée Je suis allée. I went. (if speaker is female)
Tu (m.) es allé Tu es allé. You went. (if listener is male)
Tu (f.) es allée Tu es allée. You went. (if listener is female)
Il est allé Il est allé. He went.
Elle est allée Elle est allée. She went.
On est allé On est allé. One went / We went (informal, if ‘on’ refers to male/mixed group)
On est allée On est allée. One went / We went (informal, if ‘on’ refers to female group)
Nous (m.pl) sommes allés Nous sommes allés. We went. (if group is male/mixed)
Nous (f.pl) sommes allées Nous sommes allées. We went. (if group is female)
Vous (m.pl) êtes allés Vous êtes allés. You went. (if group is male/mixed)
Vous (f.pl) êtes allées Vous êtes allées. You went. (if group is female)
Ils sont allés Ils sont allés. They went. (male/mixed group)
Elles sont allées Elles sont allées. They went. (female group)

Pronunciation Note: While the added -e or -s affects spelling for agreement, they are often silent in pronunciation. You’ll primarily hear the difference when the feminine form adds a pronounced consonant (e.g., Il est parti vs. Elle est partie).

Negation in the Passé Composé with ÊTRE

Just like with avoir, the ne...pas wraps around the auxiliary verb (être).

Example Sentences:

Vocabulary Box: The Main ÊTRE Verbs (Past Participles)

French Verb (Infinitive) Past Participle English Translation
aller allé to go
venir venu to come
arriver arrivé to arrive
partir parti to leave
entrer entré to enter
sortir sorti to go out
monter monté to go up / climb
descendre descendu to go down / descend
retourner retourné to return
tomber tombé to fall
rester resté to stay
naître né to be born
mourir mort to die
(passer) passé (to pass by)

Exercises/Quiz:

  1. Form the Passé Composé with être for the following verbs and subjects, paying attention to agreement:
    • a) Il (arriver) hier.
    • b) Elle (partir) ce matin.
    • c) Nous (aller) au parc. (You are a mixed group)
    • d) Elles (rester) à la maison.
    • e) Je (entrer) dans le magasin. (You are a female speaker)
  2. Make these sentences negative:
    • a) Tu es sorti avec tes amis. (You went out with your friends.)
    • b) Ils sont tombés. (They fell.)
  3. Translate into French:
    • a) She went to school.
    • b) We (feminine group) arrived yesterday.
    • c) He didn’t come.

Solutions:

  1. a) Il est arrivé hier. b) Elle est partie ce matin. c) Nous sommes allés au parc. d) Elles sont restées à la maison. e) Je suis entrée dans le magasin.
  2. a) Tu n’es pas sorti avec tes amis. b) Ils ne sont pas tombés.
  3. a) Elle est allée à l’école. b) Nous sommes arrivées hier. c) Il n’est pas venu.

Key Takeaways for Unit 8: Talking About the Past

Mastering the Passé Composé is a huge step in French! It allows you to tell stories, share experiences, and truly communicate about your life. Keep practicing which auxiliary to use and how to form those past participles, especially the agreement with être!