passe compose Flashcards
what is passe compose?
Talks about actions that were completed in the past and emphasises their results or consequences in the present
it is formed using ‘avoir’ or ‘etre’ followed by past participle
Hier, Michel a rangé son bureau.
When is it usually used?
To talk about one time,complted actions that took place in the past,places emphasis on result or consequences of the actions
what is the avoir conjugation
J’ai
Tu as
il/elle/on a
nous avons
vous avez
ils/elles ont
what is the past participle?
aimé
fini
vendu
être conjugation
je suis
tu es
il est
nous sommes
vous êtes
ils/elles sont
past participle for etre
parti
partie
partis
parties
what is the rule for negation and negatives?
In negative sentences, the past participle comes after the second part of the negation (pas).
Je n’ai pas rigolé
reflexive pronoun positions
For reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun comes after the first part of the negation (ne) and before the auxiliary verb (avoir/être).
Example:
Je ne me suis pas trompé dans mon calcul.
How to form it?
For regular er/ir/re-verbs, the past participle is formed as follows:
If the infinitive ends in -er, the participle ends in é
Example:
aimer – aimé
If the infinitive ends in -ir, the participle ends in i
Example:
finir – fini
If the infinitive ends in -re, the participle ends in u
Example:
vendre - vendu
Avoir or être?
Most verbs construct the passé composé with avoir, however être is used as the auxiliary verb in the following cases:
with reflexive verbs
Example:
Je me suis trompé dans mon calcul.
with the following verbs of movement: naître/mourir, aller/venir, monter/descendre, arriver/partir, entrer/sortir, apparaître, rester, retourner, tomber and their related forms such as: revenir, rentrer, remonter, redescendre, repartir.
Example:
Je suis arrivé à la gare.
Note: we use avoir when descendre, (r)entrer, (re)monter, retourner and sortir are followed by a direct object. In this case, the meaning of the verb often changes.
Example:
À quelle heure es-tu sorti ce matin?
sortir = leave
but: As-tu sorti les carottes du frigo hier soir?
sortir = take out
Agreement of the participe passé?
For some verbs, the participe passé has to agree in gender and number with either the subject or the object of the sentence. This agreement is necessary in the following situations:
When a verb takes être as an auxiliary, the participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Example:
Il est allé dans son bureau.
Elle est allée dans son bureau.
Ils sont allés dans leurs bureaux.
Elles sont allées dans leurs bureaux.
For verbs that take avoir in the passé composé, the participle only agrees in gender and number with a direct object that comes before the verb. This direct object can take three possible forms: a personal pronoun (me, te, le, la, nous, vous, les), the relative pronoun que, or a noun placed before the verb (usually in questions and exclamations).
Example:
Il a rangé son bureau. → Il l’a rangé.
Il a rangé sa chambre. → Il l’a rangée.
Il a rangé ses dossiers. → Il les a rangés.
Il a rangé ses cartes de visite. → Il les a rangées.
In the case of reflexive verbs (which always take être as their auxiliary in the passé composé), the participle generally agrees with the subject.
Example:
Nous nous sommes levés très tôt.
The exception is when the direct object comes after the reflexive verb. In this case, the past participle does not agree.
Example:
Elle s’est lavé les mains.
→ but: Elle s’est lavée.
Remember: the participe passé never agrees with an indirect object.
Example:
Marie et Laurent se sont téléphoné.
→ se = indirect object
The participe passé does not agree with the subject of the following verbs: se téléphoner, se parler, se mentir, se plaire (complaire/déplaire), se sourire, se rire, se nuire, se succéder, se suffire, se ressembler, s’en vouloir. This is because the reflexive pronoun is an indirect object. It is used in the sense of “each other” for these verbs.
se rendre compte
how do u say how long ago something happened?
use ça fait or il y a
e.g il est parti il y a une semaine
=he went on holiday a week ago
ça fait une semaine qu’il est parti en vacances
-its been a week since he’s gone on holiday
