Passé Composé - Rules

Question 1

Passé composé with avoir

Answer 1

Used to express an action completed in the past.

• ER verbs: -er is replaced with -é
• IR verbs: -ir is replaced with -i
• RE verbs: -re is replaced with -u.

Question 2

Negation

Answer 2

Formed by placing ne before the conjugated form of avoir followed by pas:
Je n’ai rien écrit.

Question 3

Irregular negation

Answer 3

However, person and nulle part follow the past participle:

Je n’ai rencontré personne nulle part.

Question 4

Questions by inversion

Answer 4

The subject pronoun and auxiliary verb are inverted:

Les Durand ont-ils décidé de vendre leur appartement?

Question 5

Negative Inversion

Answer 5

In negative questions, the ne and pas are placed around the inverted auxiliary verb and pronoun, before the past participle:
N’avez-vous pas vu l’annonce dans le journal?

Question 6

Passé composé with être

Answer 6

The verbs that are used with être express motion or describe a change in state. Also, the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.

Question 7

Agreement of the past participle

Answer 7

The past participle of a verb conjugated wit avoir agrees in gender and number with the direct object when the direct object precedes the verb:
Quelle pièce avez-vous vue?