3 questions to master the Passe Compose
This form of the past is often difficult for students because of the use of two different auxiliary verbs for seemingly no reasons. Here are three steps that will help you identify the correct form of your verb.
1. Which auxiliary do I need : être ou avoir ?
The auxiliary should always be conjugated
Use avoir for action verbs
Use être for mouvement verbs and reflexive verbs
Tip: remember this list of irregular verbs using être, Dr, & Mrs Van Der Tramp:
Devenir Venir Tomber
Revenir Aller Retourner
& Naître Arriver
Monter Descendre Mourir
Rester Entrer Partir
Sortir Rentrer
2. What is the appropriate past participle
- –er verbs : ex. travailler -> travaillé
- –ir verbs : ex. dormir -> dormi
- –re verbs : ex. attendre -> attendu
And as always quite a few common verbs have irregular forms. Here are some you should know:
- avoir -> eu
- boire -> bu
- courir -> couru
- naître -> né
- devoir -> du
- être -> été
- faire -> fait
- mourir -> mort
- mettre -> mis
- ouvrir ->
- ouvert
- pouvoir -> pu
- prendre -> pris
- vouloir -> voulu
- venir -> venu
3. Do I need to agree the past participle with the subject
- if you are using the auxiliary être, you always to agree
- if you are using the auxiliary avoir, there are two situations
You will not agree the past participle with the subject.
However, if the direct object is BEFORE the participle, the participle will agree with the object. This happens if a pronoun is used as a direct object or if the verb is part of a clause subordinated to the object.
Ex.: J'ai entendu mon amie Claire. - Je l'ai entendue - l'amie que j'ai entendue
4 août 2017
