Passé Composé – Past Tense in French

Key takeaways

The passé composé is one of the most common French past tenses, used for completed actions.
Formed with avoir or être + past participle, it resembles the English past simple or present perfect.
Regular verbs follow predictable -er, -ir, -re endings, while irregular verbs must be memorized.
Motion verbs and reflexive verbs use être and require agreement in gender/number.
Understanding the difference between passé composé and imparfait is key to mastering French storytelling.

French learners often wonder: How do I talk about what I did yesterday, or last week? The answer lies in the passé composé. It’s one of the most frequent verb tenses in daily French conversation — from sharing weekend plans to retelling a funny story.

If you’re just starting out, this tense will be your first step toward natural past-time communication in French.

What Is the Passé Composé?

The passé composé is a compound tense used for completed past actions. In English, it often translates as:

I ate, I finished, I went (simple past)
I have eaten, I have finished (present perfect)

Examples:

Hier, j’ai regardé un film. → Yesterday, I watched a movie.
Elle est arrivée à midi. → She arrived at noon.

For a broader overview of how this tense interacts with others, explore our guide on French verb tenses.

How to Form the Passé Composé

The formula is simple:

Subject + Auxiliary verb (avoir/être in present) + Past participle

Auxiliary Verbs: Avoir vs. Être

Avoir: most verbs → J’ai mangé (I ate).
Être: verbs of motion and all reflexives → Elle est partie (She left).

Learners often use memory tricks like Dr. & Mrs. Vandertramp to remember common être verbs such as aller, venir, entrer, sortir, naître, and mourir. If you’d like a detailed explanation with extra tips, Lawless French offers a clear overview.

Passé Composé Endings

Regular verbs are predictable:

Verb type	Infinitive	Ending	Example	Translation
-er	parler → parlé	-é	J’ai parlé	I spoke
-ir	finir → fini	-i	Tu as fini	You finished
-re	vendre → vendu	-u	Nous avons vendu	We sold

Passé Composé Conjugation Examples

Regular Verbs

Verb	Je	Tu	Il/Elle	Nous	Vous	Ils/Elles
Parler	ai parlé	as parlé	a parlé	avons parlé	avez parlé	ont parlé
Finir	ai fini	as fini	a fini	avons fini	avez fini	ont fini
Vendre	ai vendu	as vendu	a vendu	avons vendu	avez vendu	ont vendu

Irregular Verbs

Verb	Past participle	Example	Translation
être	été	J’ai été malade	I was sick
avoir	eu	Elle a eu une idée	She had an idea
faire	fait	Nous avons fait nos devoirs	We did our homework
voir	vu	J’ai vu un ami	I saw a friend
prendre	pris	Ils ont pris le bus	They took the bus
mettre	mis	J’ai mis la table	I set the table

Passé Composé vs. Imparfait

The most common confusion is between passé composé (finished actions) and imparfait (ongoing or repeated actions). Imagine you’re telling a story: the imparfait paints the background, while the passé composé delivers the action.

Examples:

Quand j’étais enfant, je jouais au foot. → I used to play soccer when I was a child. (imparfait)
Hier, j’ai joué au foot avec mes amis. → Yesterday, I played soccer with my friends. (passé composé)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Agreement with être verbs
- ❌ Elle est allé au marché.
- ✅ Elle est allée au marché.
Confusing imparfait and passé composé
- ❌ Je mangeais une pizza hier soir. (I was eating pizza yesterday)
- ✅ J’ai mangé une pizza hier soir. (I ate a pizza yesterday)
Translating literally from English
- ❌ J’ai mangé hier = “I have eaten yesterday.”
- ✅ J’ai mangé hier = “I ate yesterday.”

Exercises: Practice the Passé Composé

Fill in the blanks:
- Hier, nous ________ (visiter) le musée.
- Ils ________ (prendre) le train pour Paris.
- Elle ________ (se réveiller) tard.
Translate:
- I finished my homework.
- We went to the beach.
- They saw a movie.
Correct the errors:
- Tu as allé au cinéma hier. → ________
- Elle est fait un gâteau. → ________

(Answers: 1. avons visité, ont pris, s’est réveillée | 2. J’ai fini mes devoirs, Nous sommes allés à la plage, Ils ont vu un film | 3. Tu es allé, Elle a fait un gâteau)

Tips for Mastering the Passé Composé

Group irregular verbs into families (pris, mis / vu, bu).
Practice with short sentences daily: Aujourd’hui, j’ai appris trois nouveaux mots.
Use flashcards for infinitives and past participles.
Strengthen speaking with Promova’s bite-sized lessons and AI role-play practice, which are designed to make learning interactive and stress-free.

Building confidence also means looking beyond memorization. If you want effective strategies for faster progress, check out our guide on learning French effectively. And as you explore different moods and tenses, the overview of French verb tenses will help you see how passé composé fits into the bigger picture.

Summary

The passé composé is your go-to tense for narrating completed actions in French. Built with avoir or être + a past participle, it’s simple once you know the patterns, though irregular verbs take practice. Mastering it will help you tell stories, share experiences, and communicate naturally.

To put it into action, start small: use short bilingual phrases in your daily practice or try role-plays while you learn French with Promova. As you gain confidence, you’ll see how passé composé connects with other forms and how long it really takes to learn French fluently.