The Simple Past Tense: Le Passé Composé
French uses auxiliary verbs (either
I spoke./ I have spoken. / I did speak. |
The
Passé Composé with Avoir
The formation of the past participle for most regular verbs tends to follow a predictable pattern, depending on the ending of the verb.
-er Verbs
To form the past participle, simply drop the -
Table 12-1
Person |
Singular |
Plural |
1st Person |
||
2nd Person |
||
3rd Person |
Take a look at the following examples:
The Dumont family bought a house. |
|
I did not call. |
|
They did not change the channel. |
You'll recall that some -
-re Verbs
To form the past participle, simply drop the -
Table 12-2
Person |
Singular |
Plural |
1st Person |
||
2nd Person |
||
3rd Person |
Here are some examples:
We didn't answer the telephone. |
|
Have you lost the book?? |
-ir Verbs
To form the past participle with most -
Table 12-3
Person |
Singular |
Plural |
1st Person |
||
2nd Person |
||
3rd Person |
Take a look at this example:
He did not choose anything. |
Irregular Past Participles
Just as there are a number of verbs with irregular conjugations in the present indicative tense, there are a number of exceptions with the past participle, too. The verbs that use these irregular past participles don't have any easy rules, so they will have to be memorized.
Because many of the past participles of some verbs use the same ending, it may be helpful to memorize these verbs in groups.
Table 12-4
Verb |
Past Participle |
The following examples show irregular verbs in sentences:
I had some luck. |
|
He had an accident. |
|
She was fired. |
|
They were surprised by my response. |
|
They did their homework. |
Table 12-5
Verb |
Past Participle |
English |
discovered, did discover, have discovered |
||
offered, did offer, have offered |
||
opened, did open, have opened |
||
suffered, did suffer, have suffered |
Consider the following examples:
We have suffered. |
|
I offered some money. |
Table 12-6
Verb |
Past Participle |
English |
smiled, did smile, have smiled |
||
followed, did follow, have followed |
Note the following examples:
He followed the guide. |
|
I smiled. |
Table 12-7
Verb |
Past Participle |
English |
learned, did learn, have learned |
||
understood, did understand, have understood |
||
placed, did place, have placed |
||
took, did take, have taken |
The following examples demonstrate this ending:
He learned French. |
|
We took the keys. |
Table 12-8
Verb |
Past Participle |
English |
drove, did drive, have driven |
||
said, did say, have said |
||
wrote, did write, have written |
Take a look at the following examples:
I said, “Yes.” |
|
He drove a truck. |
Table 12-9
Verb |
Past Participle |
English |
drank, did drink, have drunk |
||
knew, did know |
||
had to, needed to |
||
was necessary |
||
read, did read, have read |
||
pleased, did please, have pleased |
||
rained, did rain, has rained |
||
was able to, could |
||
received, did receive, have received |
||
knew, did know, have known |
||
saw, did see, have seen |
||
wanted, did want, have wanted |
Here are some examples:
I drank some milk. |
|
Did you read the book? |
|
Were you able to go to the movies? |
|
I know his father. |
|
He knows this museum. |
The verb
I know how to play the guitar. |
The Negative and the Passé Composé
In general, place the negatives
For personne, place the word after the participle:
I saw no one. |
I saw neither the film nor the play. |
Object Pronouns and Past Participles
Note that when a direct object pronoun appears before the conjugated verb, the past participle conjugated with
Have you seen the car? |
|
Yes, we have seen it. |
|
Have you watched the films? |
|
Yes, we have watched them. |
In these sections, you learned about forming the passé composé with avoir. Listen to the CD for the pronunciation of the expressions you learned.
TRACK 56
Verbs That Use Être as the Auxiliary
Instead of using
Here is a list of common verbs that use
Table 12-10
Verb |
Past Participle |
English |
went, did go, have gone |
||
arrived, did arrive, have arrived |
||
descended, did descend, went downstairs |
||
entered, did enter, have entered, came in |
||
left, did leave, has left |
||
stayed, did stay, have stayed |
||
returned, did return, has returned |
||
went out, did go out, has gone out |
||
fell, did fall, has fallen |
||
came, did come, has come |
Agreement of the Past Participle with Être
The past participle, when used with the verb
If you get into the habit now, these endings will come naturally with some practice. Save yourself some time later and learn the proper endings from the beginning. Some people benefit from visualizing the past participle written out on an imaginary blackboard with the proper ending attached. Try it with spoken French and see if it helps you!
Fortunately, agreement of past participles conjugated with
Here are some examples of sentences using
TRACK 57
We did not go to the beach. |
|
They came back yesterday. |
|
We left at six o'clock. |
|
I stopped by at Henri's. |
|
Did you fall? |
|
They went to the pool. |
The following verbs are derived from shorter French verbs; many of them are modified with a prefix and use the same past participle as the shorter verb. Study the following table and note how prefixes can change the meaning of verbs. That way, if you come across new verbs that have prefixes, you will be more likely to be able to decipher the meaning without having to reach for your dictionary. In the beginning, though, remember that it's a good exercise to guess first, and then check to see whether you're right.
Table 12-11
Verb |
Past Participle |
English |
became, did become, have become |
||
attained, did attain, has succeeded |
||
came down again, has come down again |
||
went up again, did go up again |
||
was born again, has been revived |
||
returned, came in again, did return |
||
went out again, has gone away again |
||
came out again, has come out again |
||
fell again, has fallen again |
||
came back, did come back, has returned |
You may have noticed that some of the verbs that use
arriver andpartir : The first means “to arrive”; the second means “to leave.”entrer andsortir : The first means “to enter”; the second means “to go out.”monter anddescendre : The first means “to go up” the second means “to go down.”naître andmourir : The first means “to be born” the second means “to die.”
Using Infinitives with Après
The preposition
After having listening to her message, I called my mother. |
|
After having come back home, I went to bed. |
When the auxiliary verb is
After having come back home, they went to bed. |
Uses of the Passé Composé
Like the present indicative tense in French, the passé composé can carry a number of meanings: J'ai parlé means “I spoke,” “I did speak,” and “I have spoken.”
Remember that English and French don't always treat verbs the same when referring to events in the past tense. When translating sentences using the passé composé, be careful not to translate the verbs literally. Recognize that a past construction is being used, and then choose the appropriate auxiliary verb to use with the past participle.
The
You will often see the
Simple Completed Actions
The
I was born in the hospital. |
|
He won the game. |
Actions with a Specified Time Period
When referring to a specific time in the past, the
The film started at six o'clock. |
|
I read the book for an hour. |
A Series of Actions
You use the passé composé when referring to a series of events, each of which occurred in the past:
He wrote a letter, put the letter in an envelope, and then mailed it. |
In these sections, you learned about uses of the
TRACK 58
