Passé composé with avoir

Foreign Languages

Definition

The passé composé with avoir is the most common French past tense construction, used to describe completed actions. It is formed with the present tense of 'avoir' as the helping verb plus the past participle of the main verb. Most French verbs use avoir as their auxiliary.

How It Works

  1. Conjugate 'avoir' in the present tense to match the subject (j'ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont).
  2. Form the past participle: -er verbs → -é, -ir verbs → -i, -re verbs → -u.
  3. Combine: subject + avoir (conjugated) + past participle.
  4. For negation, wrap 'avoir' with ne...pas: 'Je n'ai pas mangé.'

Examples

  • 'J'ai mangé une pomme' — I ate an apple
  • 'Nous avons fini nos devoirs' — We finished our homework
  • 'Elle a vendu sa voiture' — She sold her car
Key Fact

Past participle endings: -er → -é, -ir → -i, -re → -u. Common irregulars: fait, dit, vu, pris, bu, écrit.

Related Terms

Passé composé with être Imparfait basics Être and avoir Preterite vs imperfect

Study This Concept

Practice passé composé with avoir with free review games in these units:

French 1-2 Unit 11: Past Tense (Passé Composé)