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Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn the passé composé using the auxiliaries avoir and être, essential for expressing completed past actions. Master examples like j'ai gagné and je suis allé, and understand participle agreement rules.
  1. With the auxiliary avoir the past participle does not agree with the subject.
  2. With the auxiliary être, the past participle agrees with the subject.
Avoir + Participe passé (Have + Past Participle)Être + participe passé (Être + past participle)
J'ai + gagné (I have + won)Je suis + allé (I am + gone)
Tu as + joué (You have + played)Tu es + venu (You are + come)
Il a + couru (He has + run)Elle est + partie (She is + left)
Nous avons + mangé (We have + eaten)Nous sommes + sortis (We are + went out)
Vous avez + dit (You have + said)Vous êtes + entrés (You are + entered)
Elles ont + pensé (They have + thought)Elles sont + arrivées (They are + arrived)

Exercise 1: Le passé composé avec "avoir" et "être"

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

as gagné, as joué, a joué, a couru, avons gagné, avez couru, sont venus, suis allé

1. Jouer :
Ma famille ... au rugby dimanche.
(My family played rugby on Sunday.)
2. Courir :
Vous ... sur le terrain.
(You ran on the field.)
3. Jouer :
Tu ... au tennis pendant dix ans.
(You played tennis for ten years.)
4. Gagner :
Nous ... la compétition la plus importante.
(We have won the most important competition.)
5. Courir :
Elle ... aussi vite que sa copine.
(She ran as fast as her friend.)
6. Aller:
Je ... courir avec mes amis.
(I went running with my friends.)
7. Gagner :
Tu ... tous tes matchs cette année.
(You have won all your matches this year.)
8. Venir:
Tous tes amis ... jouer au foot avec toi.
(All your friends came to play football with you.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Tu ___ joué au football hier au stade.

(You ___ played football yesterday at the stadium.)

2. Nous ___ allés à la piscine pour faire de la natation.

(We ___ went to the swimming pool to swim.)

3. Elle ___ gagné un match de tennis la semaine dernière.

(She ___ won a tennis match last week.)

4. Vous ___ couru rapidement jusqu'au terrain de rugby.

(You ___ ran quickly to the rugby field.)

5. Ils ___ venus au stade pour regarder un match de basketball.

(They ___ come to the stadium to watch a basketball match.)

6. Tu ___ joué au cyclisme ce week-end et tu as gagné.

(You ___ cycled this weekend and you won.)

Understanding the Past Tense with "avoir" and "être"

This lesson covers one of the fundamental grammar points in French: the passé composé using the auxiliary verbs avoir and être. The passé composé is the most common past tense used to describe actions that have been completed in the past. By learning this structure, you will be able to talk about events and experiences that happened before now, a key skill for everyday communication.

How the passé composé is formed

The passé composé is constructed with two main parts: the present tense of an auxiliary verb (either avoir or être) followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Using "avoir" + past participle

Most French verbs use avoir as the auxiliary. In this case, the past participle remains the same regardless of the subject.

Examples:

  • J'ai gagné (I won)
  • Tu as joué (You played)
  • Il a couru (He ran)
  • Nous avons mangé (We ate)
  • Vous avez dit (You said)
  • Elles ont pensé (They thought)

Using "être" + past participle

Some verbs, mainly verbs of movement and reflexive verbs, use être as the auxiliary. With être, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.

Examples:

  • Je suis allé (I went - masculine)
  • Tu es venu (You came - masculine)
  • Elle est partie (She left - feminine)
  • Nous sommes sortis (We went out - masculine plural)
  • Vous êtes entrés (You entered - masculine plural or mixed group)
  • Elles sont arrivées (They arrived - feminine plural)

Key grammar points to remember

  • The passé composé expresses completed actions in the past.
  • Use avoir for most verbs; the past participle does not change with the subject.
  • Use être for certain verbs (mostly movement or change of state) and reflexive verbs; past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.

Helpful notes on language differences and usage

In English, the past tense is usually formed with just one word (e.g., "played", "went"), whereas French requires an auxiliary verb plus a past participle. The agreement of the past participle with the subject when using "être" is a particular feature not found in English, so it is important to pay attention to the endings (-é, -ée, -és, -ées) to match the subject's gender and number.

Useful phrases:

  • J'ai gagné — "I won"
  • Tu es venu — "You came"
  • Nous avons mangé — "We ate"
  • Elle est partie — "She left"

Understanding when to use "avoir" or "être" is essential to mastering French past tense and will allow you to communicate accurately and naturally about past events.

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Azéline Perrin

Bachelor Degree in Applied Foreign Languages

Université de Lorraine

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 12:35