The Passé Composé and the Imparfait
Today, we’re diving into two essential past tenses in French: the passé composé and the imparfait. I’ll explain how they’re formed, when to use them, and give you concrete examples to master them. You may refer to this pdf for more information.
1. The Passé Composé
A. How to Form the Passé Composé
The passé composé is formed with:
🔹 Auxiliary (être or avoir in the present tense) + Past participle of the verb.
How to Form the Past Participle?
It’s simple—just look at the verb’s infinitive ending:
| Infinitive | Past Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -er verbs | -é | Parler → parlé (spoken) |
| -ir verbs | -i | Finir → fini (finished) |
| -oir / -re verbs | Varies | Voir → vu (seen) / Prendre → pris (taken) |
B. Verbs That Use ÊTRE (16 Key Verbs)
There’s a handy trick to remember these verbs:
📌 The “Opposites” Method:
- Aller (go) ↔︎ Rester (stay)
- Arriver (arrive) ↔︎ Partir (leave)
- Entrer (enter) ↔︎ Sortir (exit)
- Monter (go up) ↔︎ Descendre (go down)
- Mourir (die) ↔︎ Naître (be born)
- Passer (pass by) ↔︎ Rester (stay)
- Venir (come) ↔︎ Devenir (become)
Plus: Tomber (fall), Retourner (return), Rentrer (go back in), Apparaître (appear)
Agreement Rules with ÊTRE
The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
✅ Examples:
- Kunal est venu. (masculine singular)
- Anne est venue. (feminine singular)
- Mes parents sont venus. (masculine plural)
- Mes sœurs sont venues. (feminine plural)
⚠ Exception: Pronominal verbs (se laver, s’habiller) follow different rules.
C. Verbs That Use AVOIR
Most verbs use avoir.
Agreement Rule with AVOIR
The past participle does not agree with the subject… unless the direct object (COD) comes before the verb!
✅ Examples:
1. Elle a écrit des lettres. → No agreement (COD after)
2. Ces lettres, elle les a écrites. → Agreement (COD before)
D. Verbs That Use Both ÊTRE and AVOIR (Different Meanings)
Some verbs change meaning depending on the auxiliary:
| Verb | With ÊTRE | With AVOIR |
|---|---|---|
| Descendre | Elle est descendue par l’escalier. (She went down the stairs.) | Elle a descendu les bouteilles. (She brought down the bottles.) |
| Monter | Ils sont montés au sommet. (They went up to the summit.) | Ils ont monté les bagages. (They carried up the luggage.) |
| Sortir | Je suis sorti avec une amie. (I went out with a friend.) | J’ai sorti le chien. (I took the dog out.) |
2. The Imparfait
A. When to Use the Imparfait?
The imparfait is used for:
✔ Habitual actions in the past (Je jouais au foot tous les jours. – I used to play soccer every day.)
✔ Descriptions (Il faisait beau. – The weather was nice.)
✔ Ongoing actions (Elle lisait quand je suis arrivé. – She was reading when I arrived.)
B. How to Form the Imparfait
- Take the nous form of the present tense.
- Remove -ons.
- Add the endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient.
✅ Example with “Parler” (to speak):
- Nous parlons → Stem: parl-
- Je parlais (I was speaking)
- Tu parlais
- Il/Elle parlait
- Nous parlions
- Vous parliez
- Ils/Elles parlaient
Summary
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
| Passé Composé | Imparfait |
|---|---|
| One-time action (J’ai mangé. – I ate.) | Repeated/habitual action (Je mangeais souvent ici. – I used to eat here often.) |
| Sudden event (Il a téléphoné. – He called.) | Background context (Il faisait nuit. – It was nighttime.) |
📌 Quick Tip:
- Passé composé = “It happened!”
- Imparfait = “It was like this before…”
Practice Exercise
- Yesterday, I ___ (watch) TV when you ___ (call).
→ Je regardais la télé quand tu as appelé.
- She ___ (be) always smiling when she ___ (work).
→ Elle était toujours souriante quand elle travaillait.