World Languages: French: Passé Composé and Past-Tense Verbs
Forming and using the passé composé with avoir and être
World Languages: French: Passé Composé and Past-Tense Verbs
Forming and using the passé composé with avoir and être
World Languages - Grade 9-12
- 1
Conjugate the verb parler in the passé composé for the subject je. Then write an English translation.
Regular -er verbs form the past participle by changing -er to -é.
The correct answer is j'ai parlé. It means I spoke or I talked. - 2
Complete the sentence with the correct passé composé form of finir: Nous _____ nos devoirs hier soir.
The correct sentence is Nous avons fini nos devoirs hier soir. The verb finir uses avoir, and the past participle is fini. - 3
Choose the correct helping verb, avoir or être, for each infinitive: aller, manger, tomber, regarder.
Many movement and change-of-state verbs use être, while most other verbs use avoir.
Aller uses être, manger uses avoir, tomber uses être, and regarder uses avoir. - 4
Rewrite the sentence in the passé composé: Elle va au cinéma.
With être verbs, the past participle usually agrees with the subject.
The correct answer is Elle est allée au cinéma. The verb aller uses être, and the past participle agrees with the feminine singular subject elle. - 5
Translate into French using the passé composé: They watched a movie.
The correct translation is Ils ont regardé un film or Elles ont regardé un film. The verb regarder uses avoir, so the past participle does not agree with the subject here. - 6
Complete the sentence with the correct form of avoir and the past participle of prendre: Tu _____ le bus ce matin.
Prendre does not use a regular -re past participle in the passé composé.
The correct sentence is Tu as pris le bus ce matin. The verb prendre has the irregular past participle pris. - 7
Identify and correct the mistake in this sentence: Marie a arrivée à huit heures.
The corrected sentence is Marie est arrivée à huit heures. Arriver uses être, and arrivée agrees with the feminine singular subject Marie. - 8
Fill in the chart for these verbs by writing the passé composé form for the subject ils: partir, vendre, faire.
Faire has the irregular past participle fait.
The correct forms are ils sont partis, ils ont vendu, and ils ont fait. Partir uses être and agrees with the masculine plural subject, while vendre and faire use avoir. - 9
Translate into English: Nous sommes restés à la maison samedi.
The sentence means We stayed at home on Saturday. The verb rester uses être in the passé composé. - 10
Write a full French sentence in the passé composé that means: I ate breakfast at 7:30.
Use avoir with manger.
One correct answer is J'ai mangé le petit déjeuner à sept heures et demie. The verb manger uses avoir, and mangé is the past participle. - 11
For each sentence, decide whether the past participle needs agreement with the subject. Write yes or no and explain briefly: Elle est née en France. Ils ont joué au foot.
Subject agreement is usually needed with être verbs, not with most avoir verbs.
Elle est née en France needs agreement because naître uses être, so née agrees with elle. Ils ont joué au foot does not need subject agreement because jouer uses avoir in this sentence. - 12
Put these events in order by translating each into French using the passé composé: First, I arrived. Then, I saw my friends. Finally, we left.
A correct answer is D'abord, je suis arrivé or je suis arrivée. Ensuite, j'ai vu mes amis. Enfin, nous sommes partis or nous sommes parties. Arriver and partir use être, while voir uses avoir.