Rules and usage
The passé composé is the most common past tense in spoken French and modern writing. It describes actions or events that happened in the past and are now finished. It is made up of two parts: an auxiliary verb (either avoir or être) in the present tense, plus the past participle of the main verb.
When to Use the Passé Composé
- Use it to talk about completed actions in the recent or distant past.
- Use it for actions that lasted a specific amount of time but are finished.
- Use it for a series of events in the past.
- Use it in conversation, emails, and everyday writing about the past.
- For example: J'ai mangé une pomme ce matin. Elle est arrivée hier.
✅ Positive sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| J'ai mangé une pomme ce matin. | I ate an apple this morning. |
| Elle a terminé son travail. | She finished her work. |
⛔ Negative sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| Je n'ai pas mangé. | I didn't eat. |
| Elle n'a pas terminé. | She didn't finish. |
❓ Question sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| As-tu mangé? | Did you eat? |
| A-t-elle terminé? | Did she finish? |