The passé composé is one of the most important verb tenses in French, but it can be confusing for learners! In this guide, we’ll tell you all about passé composé conjugation, as well as when to use it, and important exceptions.

In this post:

What is the passé composé?

The passé composé is one way to talk about things in the past in French, and it’s an important one to know! For example, the phrase J’ai mangé, from manger (to eat) can be used as the equivalent of any of these three English phrases:

  • I ate
  • I did eat
  • I have eaten

How do you conjugate passé composé?

The passé composé requires two parts: an auxiliary verb, and the past participle of the verb you want to use. For example, the past participle of eat is eaten.

The auxiliary verb, or “helping verb,” is always either avoir (to have) or être (to be). Most verbs take avoir, while être is limited to certain verbs and certain verb forms.

Forming the past participle

French verbs are divided into three categories, depending on the last two letters of their infinitive form: -er verbs, -ir verbs, and -re verbs. Regular past participles of each of these verb categories are formed as follows:

-er verbs -ir verbs -re verbs
Infinitive manger
to eat		 finir
to finish		 attendre
to wait (for)
Past participle mangé fini attendu
Example sentence J’ai mangé des pâtes.
I ate pasta.		 J’ai fini mes devoirs.
I finished my homework.		 J’ai attendu le bus.
I waited for the bus.

There are also many important irregular past participles to learn. Check out our table of common irregular past participles at the end of this post!

Passé composé with avoir

Most verbs use the auxiliary verb avoir in passé composé. Here’s how it looks with the verb fermer (to close):

Pronoun Form of avoir Past participle of fermer Example sentence
je ai fermé J’ai fermé la fenêtre.
I closed the window.
tu as Tu as fermé la fenêtre.
You closed the window.
il
elle
on		 a Il a fermé la fenêtre.
He closed the window.

Elle a fermé la fenêtre.
She closed the window.

On a fermé la fenêtre.
We closed the window.
nous avons Nous avons fermé la fenêtre.
We closed the window.
vous avez Vous avez fermé la fenêtre.
You (all) closed the window.
ils
elles		 ont Ils ont fermé la fenêtre.
They closed the window.

Elles ont fermé la fenêtre.
They closed the window.

Passé composé with être

A small number of verbs use être instead of avoir as an auxiliary verb, and you can remember them using the DR. & MRS. VANDERTRAMPP acronym:


A table titled “Passé composé with être” contains a list of 17 verbs. Underneath the is the note “Remember the acronym: Dr. & Mrs. Vandertrampp!” with the verbs that each letter of the acronym stand for: devenir, revenir, monter, rester, sortir, venir, aller, naître, descendre, entrer, rentrer, tomber, retourner, arriver, mourir, partir, and passer.

Here are the past participles for all of the “Dr. & Mrs. Vandertrampp” verbs that take être in the passé composé:

Infinitive Past participle Example sentence
devenir devenu Je suis devenu comptable.
I became an accountant.
revenir revenu Je suis revenu de mes vacances lundi.
I came back from vacation on Monday.
monter monté Je suis monté au quatrième étage.
I went up to the fourth floor.
rester resté Je suis resté chez moi samedi.
I stayed at home on Saturday.
sortir sorti Je suis sorti me balader.
I went out to go for a walk.
venir venu Je suis venu parce que je voulais te voir.
I came because I wanted to see you.
aller allé Je suis allé au Mexique l’année dernière.
I went to Mexico last year.
naître né Je suis né à Paris.
I was born in Paris.
descendre descendu Je suis descendu au sous-sol.
I went down to the basement.
entrer entré Je suis entré dans cette maison.
I went into that house.
rentrer rentré Je suis rentré à la maison vers minuit.
I got back to the house around midnight.
tomber tombé Je suis tombé, mais je ne suis pas blessé.
I fell, but I’m not injured.
retourner retourné Je suis retourné au Maroc cet été.
I went back to Morocco this summer.
arriver arrivé Je suis arrivé à l’heure pour mon vol.
I arrived on time for my flight.
mourir mort Je suis mort de rire.
I died of laughter.
partir parti Je suis parti du parc vers dix heures.
I left the park around ten o’clock.
passer passé Je suis passé par ton bureau ce matin.
I passed by your office this morning.

Agreement with the past participle

There’s one more important thing to know about the past participles above that go with être in the passé composé: If the subject is feminine or plural, their endings change to reflect this!

Original sentence Subject New sentence Subject
Je suis devenu comptable.
I became an accountant.
Alt: Duolingo character Lucy with her mouth open wide
masculine, singular		 Je suis devenue comptable.
I became an accountant.
Alt: Duolingo character Lucy with her mouth open wide
feminine, singular
Je suis sorti me balader.
I went out to go for a walk.
Alt: Duolingo character Lucy with her mouth open wide
masculine, singular		 Nous sommes sortis nous balader.
We went out to go for a walk.
Alt: Duolingo character Lucy with her mouth open wide
masculine, plural
Je suis né à Paris.
I was born in Paris.
Alt: Duolingo character Lucy with her mouth open wide
masculine, singular		 Nous sommes nées à Paris.
We were born in Paris.
Alt: Duolingo character Lucy with her mouth open wide
feminine, plural

Here’s a comparison showing each form the past participle allé (from aller, to go) can take, depending on the gender and number of the subject:


A table titled “Agreement in passé composé” has four cells. The cell labeled “Masculine” and “Singular” has an illustration of Duolingo character Eddy with a speech bubble saying “Je suis allé.” The cell labeled “Feminine” and “Singular” has an illustration of Duolingo character Lucy with a speech bubble saying “Je suis allée,” with an “e” at the end of “allé” showing that the past participle is feminine. The cell labeled “Masculine” and “Plural” has an illustration of Duolingo characters Eddy, Junior, and Oscar with a speech bubble saying “Nous sommes allés,” with an “s” at the end of “allé” showing that the past participle is plural. The cell labeled “Feminine” and “Plural” has an illustration of Duolingo characters Lucy, Lin, and Bea with a speech bubble saying “Nous sommes allées,” with an “e” and an “s” at the end of “allé” showing that the past participle is both feminine and plural.

Verbs that can take avoir or être

Transitive vs. intransitive verbs

Even though the “Dr. & Mrs. Vandertrampp” verbs generally take être, there is one context where they take avoir instead: If they have a direct object (in other words, if they’re transitive), they’ll go with avoir!

Here are some examples:

Intransitive verb with être Transitive verb with avoir
Je suis monté au quatrième étage.
I went up to the fourth floor.		 J’ai monté l’escalier jusqu’au quatrième étage.
I went up the stairs to the fourth floor.

Direct object: l’escalier (the stairs)
Je suis sorti me balader.
I went out to go for a walk.		 J’ai sorti la voiture du garage.
I took the car out of the garage.

Direct object: la voiture (the car)
Je suis passé par ton bureau ce matin.
I passed by your office this morning.		 J’ai passé du temps avec mon frère.
I spent time with my brother.

Direct object: du temps (time)

Pronominal verbs

There is also one context in which verbs that typically take avoir in the passé composé take être instead: when they become reflexive or reciprocal (together, these are called pronominal verbs)—in other words, when the subject and the direct object are the same person or thing.

For example, Je lave la vaisselle (I wash the dishes) isn’t reflexive—the subject is je (I) and the direct object is la vaisselle (the dishes), but Je me lave les cheveux (I wash my hair) is reflexive in French, because the subject is je (I), and the object—mes cheveux (my hair)—is something that inextricably belongs to you.

Reciprocal verbs work similarly: J’aime mon chien (I love my dog) isn’t reciprocal, because the subject is je (I) and the direct object is mon chien (my dog), but Mon chat et mon chien s’aiment (My cat and my dog love each other) is reciprocal, because mon chat (my cat) and mon chien (my dog) represent both the subjects and the direct objects of the sentence.

Note: When a pronominal verb is in the passé composé, the past participle has to agree with the subject, just like any other verb that uses être in the passé composé!

Here are some examples of how this works in the passé composé:

Non-pronominal verbs with avoir Pronominal verbs with être
J’ai regardé les photos.
I looked at the photos.		 Je me suis regardée dans le miroir.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
Tu as cassé la fenêtre.
You broke the window.		 Tu t’es cassé le bras.
You broke your [own] arm.
Elle a réveillé sa colocataire.
She woke up her roommate.		 Elle s’est réveillée à huit heures.
She woke [herself] up at eight o’clock.
Nous avons compris la leçon.
We understood the lesson.		 Nous nous sommes compris immédiatement.
We immediately understood each other.
Vous avez rencontré ma tante.
You (all) met my aunt.		 Vous vous êtes rencontrés en 2007.
You (all) met each other in 2007.
Elles ont téléphoné au maire.
They called the mayor.		 Elles se sont téléphonées tous les jours.
They called each other every day.

Negation of passé composé

Now we know how to talk about what did happen in the past, but what about what didn’t happen? Since the passé composé requires two different parts (a form of avoir or être, plus a past participle), negation in the passé composé works a little bit differently than in many other tenses!

💡
The general rule for negation in the passé composé is to put ne and pas on either side of the auxiliary verb (avoir or être).

If there’s an object pronoun in the sentence, like me (me or to me), te (you or to you), etc., those go after the ne as well!

Here are some examples:

Affirmative passé composé Negated passé composé
Alice a écrit un livre.
Alice wrote a book.		 Alice n’a pas écrit un livre.
Alice didn’t write a book.
Paolo est parti tôt.
Paolo left early.		 Paolo n’est pas parti tôt.
Paolo didn’t leave early.
Hélène m’a parlé.
Hélène talked to me.		 Hélène ne m’a pas parlé.
Hélène didn’t talk to me.
Laurent s’est brossé les dents.
Laurent brushed his teeth.		 Laurent ne s’est pas brossé les dents.
Laurent didn’t brush his teeth.

But there are other important negation phrases besides ne… pas! There’s ne… jamais (never), ne… plus (not anymore), ne… rien (nothing), ne… que (only, no more than), and ne… personne (nobody). Of these, ne… jamais, ne… plus, and ne… rien go around the auxiliary verb only, while ne… que and ne… personne go around the auxiliary verb and the past participle. Here are some examples:

Affirmative passé composé Negated passé composé Position of negation
Marie est allée en Italie.
Marie went to Italy.		 Marie n’est jamais allée en Italie.
Marie never went to Italy.		 Around être or avoir only
Karim est retourné au Canada.
Karim went back to Canada.		 Karim n’est plus retourné au Canada.
Karim didn’t go back to Canada anymore.
Sandrine a cuisiné ce plat.
Sandrine cooked this dish.		 Sandrine n’a rien cuisiné.
Sandrine didn’t cook anything.
Antoine a lu trois livres.
Antoine read three books.		 Antoine n’a lu que trois livres.
Antoine only read three books.		 Around être or avoir and the past participle
Céline a vu sa famille.
Céline saw her family.		 Céline n’a vu personne.
Céline didn’t see anybody.

Note: Remember that you’re most likely to see ne in written or formal French. It’s often dropped in everyday, casual, or spoken French!

Leave your doubts in the passé!

The passé composé might seem like a lot of rules, but the more you practice, the easier it gets! And you can refer to this post or any of our other tips for learning French whenever you need a refresher 😉

Common regular past participles

Here’s a table of some of the most common verbs in French with regular past participles. Just keep in mind the patterns for -er, -ir, and -re verbs, and you’ll be able to form these past participles with no problem!

Infinitive Past participle
*Forms with an asterisk go with être in the passé composé
acheter
to buy		 acheté
adorer
to love		 adoré
aider
to help		 aidé
aimer
to like, to love		 aimé
ajouter
to add		 ajouté
aller
to go		 allé*
appeler
to call		 appelé
arrêter
to stop		 arrêté
arriver
to arrive		 arrivé*
attendre
to wait (for)		 attendu
brosser
to brush		 brossé
casser
to break		 cassé
changer
to change		 changé
chercher
to look for		 cherché
choisir
to choose		 choisi
commencer
to start, to begin		 commencé
cuisiner
to cook		 cuisiné
danser
to dance		 dansé
descendre
to go down, to descend		 descendu*
demander
to ask (for)		 demandé
donner
to give		 donné
dormir
to sleep		 dormi
écouter
to listen (to)		 écouté
entendre
to hear		 entendu
entrer
to go in, to enter		 entré*
essayer
to try		 essayé
étudier
to study		 étudié
fermer
to close		 fermé
finir
to finish		 fini
gagner
to win		 gagné
garder
to keep		 gardé
inviter
to invite		 invité
jouer
to play		 joué
laisser
to leave (behind)		 laissé
laver
to wash		 lavé
manger
to eat		 mangé
marcher
to walk		 marché
monter
to go up		 monté*
montrer
to show		 montré
nettoyer
to clean		 nettoyé
oublier
to forget		 oublié
parler
to speak, to talk		 parlé
partir
to leave		 parti*
passer
to spend, to pass		 passé*
payer
to pay		 payé
penser
to think		 pensé
perdre
to lose		 perdu
porter
to carry, to wear		 porté
préparer
to prepare		 préparé
regarder
to watch, to look at		 regardé
rencontrer
to meet		 rencontré
rendre
to give back, to return		 rendu
rentrer
to go back		 rentré*
répéter
to repeat		 répété
répondre
to respond, to reply		 répondu
rester
to stay, to remain		 resté*
retourner
to go back, to return		 retourné*
réveiller
to wake (someone) up		 réveillé
sentir
to feel, to smell		 senti
sortir
to go out, to leave		 sorti*
téléphoner
to call (on the phone)		 téléphoné
tomber
to fall		 tombé*
travailler
to work		 travaillé
trouver
to find		 trouvé
vendre
to sell		 vendu
visiter
to visit		 visité

Common irregular past participles

The verbs in this table all have irregular past participles, but they’re some of the most common verbs in French, so you’ll get plenty of practice with them!

Infinitive Past participle
*Forms with an asterisk go with être in the passé composé
apprendre
to learn		 appris
avoir
to have		 eu
boire
to drink		 bu
comprendre
to understand		 compris
conduire
to drive		 conduit
connaître
to know, to be familiar with		 connu
courir
to run		 couru
croire
to believe		 cru
devenir
to become		 devenu*
devoir
to have to, must		 dû
dire
to say, to tell		 dit
écrire
to write		 écrit
être
to be		 été
faire
to make, to do		 fait
lire
to read		 lu
mettre
to put, to put on		 mis
mourir
to die		 mort*
naître
to be born		 né*
pouvoir
to be able to, can		 pu
prendre
to take		 pris
recevoir
to receive		 reçu
revenir
to come back		 revenu*
rire
to laugh		 ri
savoir
to know		 su
venir
to come		 venu*
vivre
to live		 vécu
voir
to see		 vu
vouloir
to want		 voulu