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

2779 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do I construct a negative sentence in the present tense?


Il y a un centre commercial dans ma ville. Le samedi j’aime faire les magasins avec ma copine. Récemment j’ai acheté un nouveau portable. C’était trop cher. Je ne sais pas si on va sortir la semaine prochaine. Translate this extract.


Write a sentence using the imperfect tense, and one using the 'passé composé'.


When do I use 'a' with an accent and 'a' without an accent?


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