1. Le passé composé
The perfect tense

2. The “passé composé”, or the “perfect tense”, is a past tense and is used to talk about things:
that happened
(e.g. I did / I played / I went) or
that have happened
(e.g. I have done / I have played / I have been)

3. It is made up of _______ parts.1 on
It is made up of _______ parts.
three 2 3

4. Who did or has done the action?1 on
Who did or has done the action?
Remember the right order!

5. Find the conjugated verb forms in the wordsearch :
avoir and être
Find the conjugated verb forms in the wordsearch :
être: je
avoir: j’ tu
il / elle / on
nous
vous
ils /elles
ils/elles

6. 2 Follow these simple steps to decide which auxiliary verb to use.
Choose your infinitive
Is the verb reflexive?
(starts with “se” in the infinitive e.g. se laver / se brosser) M
Monter
To climb R
Rester
To stay S
Sortir
To go out V
Venir
To come A
Arriver
To arrive N
Naitre
To be born D
Descendre
To go down E
Entrer
To go in
Retourner
To go back T
Tomber
To fall
Rentrer
Aller
To go
mourir
To die P
Partir
To leave no
yes
Is the verb in Mrs Van der Tramp?
Use être
yes no
Use avoir

7. Choose your infinitive
Is the verb reflexive?
(starts with “se” in the infinitive e.g. se laver / se brosser) no
yes
Is the verb in Mrs Van der Tramp?
Use être
yes
Add the past participle no
Decide who did the verb.
Choose the correct part of avoir / être.
Use avoir

8. jouer Elle a joué Choose your infinitive Example 1 – She played
Finished!
Is the verb reflexive?
(starts with “se” in the infinitive e.g. se laver / se brosser) no no
Did you use être?
Is the verb in Mrs Van der Tramp?
Add the past participle no
Elle a
joué
Decide who did the verb.
Choose the correct part of avoir / être.
Use avoir

9. Irregular past participles have to be learnt by heart3 3
How many types of infinitive are there? ER RE IR
What are they?
What do you replace each one with to form the past participle of regular verbs? é u i
Summary:
Regular past participles are formed by taking the infinitive and replacing the “er”, “re” or “ir” with “é”, “u” or “i”
Irregular past participles have to be learnt by heart

10. Irregular past participles
These are a few of the most commonly used verbs which have irregular past participles:
French
English
Infinitive
Past participle
avoir eu
to have
had
boire bu
to drink
drank
conduire
conduit
to drive
drove
connaitre
savoir
connu su
to know
knew
courir
couru
to run
ran
croire
cru
to believe
believed
devoir du
to have to
had to
dire
dit
to say
said
écrire
écrit
to write
wrote
être
été
to be
was
French
English
Infinitive
Past participle
faire
fait
to do
did
lire lu
to read
read
mettre
mis
to put
put
mourir
mort
to die
died
naître né
to be born
was born
pouvoir pu
to be able
could
prendre
pris
to take
took
rire ri
to laugh
laughed
venir
venu
to come
came
voir vu
to see
saw
vouloir
voulu
to want
wanted

11. Make your past participle agree with the person doing the verb
(add “e” for feminine and “s” for plural)
Choose your infinitive
Finished!
Is the verb reflexive?
(starts with “se” in the infinitive e.g. se laver / se brosser) no
yes no
yes
Did you use être?
Is the verb in Mrs Van der Tramp?
Use être
yes
Add the past participle no
Decide who did the verb .
Choose the correct part of avoir / être.
Use avoir

12. aller Elles sont allé es
Make your past participle agree with the person doing the verb
(add “e” for feminine and “s” for plural)
Choose your infinitive
Example 2 – the girls went
aller
Finished!
Is the verb reflexive?
(starts with “se” in the infinitive e.g. se laver / se brosser)
yes no
Elles
sont
allé es
Did you use être?
Is the verb in Mrs Van der Tramp?
Use être
yes
Add the past participle
Decide who did the verb.
Choose the correct part of avoir / être.

13. se lever Je me suis levé (e) Don ‘t forget the reflexive pronoun
Make your past participle agree with the person doing the verb
(add “e” for feminine and “s” for plural)
Choose your infinitive
Example 3 – I got up
se lever
Finished!
Is the verb reflexive?
(starts with “se” in the infinitive e.g. se laver / se brosser)
yes
yes
Use être
Did you use être?
Don ‘t forget the reflexive pronoun
(me / te / se /
nous / vous / se)
Decide who did the verb.
Choose the correct part of avoir / être.
Add the past participle Je me
suis
levé
(e)

14. se réveiller Nous nous sommes réveillé s
Make your past participle agree with the person doing the verb
(add “e” for feminine and “s” for plural)
Choose your infinitive
Example 4 – Jack and I woke up
se réveiller
Finished!
Is the verb reflexive?
(starts with “se” in the infinitive e.g. se laver / se brosser)
yes
yes
Use être
Did you use être?
Don ‘t forget the reflexive pronoun
(me / te / se /
nous / vous / se)
Decide who did the verb.
Choose the correct part of avoir / être.
Add the past participle
Nous
nous
sommes
réveillé s

15. Now it is your turn
Translate the following sentences using the flow chart to help you:
He took the cake
I drank some champagne
You wrote a letter (1 friend)
We went out last night
You played football (3 friends)
She ate her dinner
Sarah and Lucie went to the cinema
Melissa stayed at home and she finished her homework.
Pierre and Brice sold the car
We met in front of the cinema

16. Une comptine dans le passé composé;
mais comment ça traduit en anglais?
Ce petit cochon est allé au marché,
Ce petit cochon à la maison est resté,
Ce petit cochon a eu du rôti,
Ce petit cochon n'en a pas eu mie,
Et ce petit cochon n‘a eu plus, pette-petit,
Qu'à s'en retourner chez lui.

17. Les réponses He took the cake Il a pris le gâteau
I drank some champagne
You wrote a letter (1 friend)
We went out last night
You played football (3 friends)
She ate her dinner
Sarah and Lucie went to the cinema
Melissa stayed at home and she finished her homework.
Pierre and Brice sold the car
We met in front of the cinema
Il a pris le gâteau
J’ai bu du champagne
Tu as écrit une lettre
Nous sommes sorti(e)s hier soir
Vous avez joué au foot
Elle a mangé son dîner
Sarah et Lucie sont allées au cinéma
Melissa est restée à la maison et elle a fini ses devoirs.
Pierre et Brice ont vendu la voiture
Nous nous sommes rencontré(e)s devant le cinéma

18. Worksheets online