How do you form the perfect tense, le passé composé?

the perfect tense, le passé composé, expresses completed actions in the past. It is composed of -the auxiliary verb (avoir ou être) conjugated in the present tense - followed by the past participle of the verb conjugated in the perfect tense e.g. Le garçon a perdu son portable. The auxiliary verb is être for verbs of movement and for reflexive verbs; otherwise it is avoir. e.g. Le train est parti à l'heure : PARTIR is a verb of movement, the auxiliary is être Tu t'es réveillé en retard ce matin! : SE REVEILLER is a reflexive verb, the auxiliary is être Le chien a mangé le repas de son maître : MANGER is not a verb of movement or a reflexive verb - it takes avoir

ER
Answered by Elena R. French tutor

2838 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Écrivez environ 50 mots en français sur votre maison


How do I put a verb into the future tense?


When would you use the preterite versus the imperfect?


When should I use qui/que/ce qui/ce que?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning