# Passé Composé: j’ai mangé

https://langs123.com/en/french/passe/passe-compose/
CEFR A1–A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> The passé composé joins **avoir** or **être** to a past participle to say what happened: **j’ai mangé**, **je suis parti**. Almost every verb takes **avoir**; a short list of verbs takes **être**: J’**ai mangé** ici. Je **suis allé** là-bas.

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Form with avoir | **ai** / **as** / **a** / **avons** / **avez** / **ont** + past participle | J’**ai mangé** une pomme. | I ate an apple. |
| Form with être | **suis** / **es** / **est** / **sommes** / **êtes** / **sont** + past participle | Il **est parti** à huit heures. | He left at eight. |
| Regular participle | **-er** → **-é**, **-ir** → **-i**, **-re** → **-u** | J’ai **chanté**. / Il a **fini**. / Elle a **attendu**. | I sang. / He finished. / She waited. |
| Irregular participles | **été** / **eu** / **fait** / **pris** / **vu** / **dit** / **mis** / **bu** | Elle a **fait** un gâteau. | She made a cake. |
| Use | a finished event in the past | **Hier**, j’**ai vu** Paul. | I saw Paul yesterday. |
| Negation | **ne** … **pas** around the auxiliary | Je **n’ai pas mangé**. | I didn't eat. |
| Question | intonation or **est-ce que** before the sentence | **Est-ce que** tu as fini ? | Have you finished? |
| Agreement with être | with **être**, the participle agrees with the subject | Elles sont **parties**. | They left. |
| Reflexive verbs | always **être**, with the pronoun before the auxiliary | Je **me suis levé** tôt. | I got up early. |
| Trap | after the auxiliary, the participle in **-é**, not the infinitive in **-er** | J’ai **mangé** une pizza. | I ate a pizza. |
| Trap | **aller** takes **être**, not **avoir** | Je **suis allé** au marché. | I went to the market. |

## Overview

- The passé composé has two parts: the auxiliary **avoir** or **être** in the present, then the past participle. Nous **avons mangé** ensemble. / Ils **sont partis**. (We ate together. / They left.)
- Only the auxiliary changes with the person; the participle keeps its form. J’**ai fini**. / Tu **as fini**. / Nous **avons fini**. (I finished. / You finished. / We finished.)
- The present forms of **avoir** and **être**: Être and avoir.
- To describe how things were, the past uses the imparfait: Imperfect: je parlais.
- The choice between the two past tenses: Passé Composé or Imperfect.
- Object pronouns stand before the auxiliary: Object Pronouns.

## Form: with avoir

| Person | parler | finir | attendre |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| je / j’ | **ai** **parlé** | **ai** **fini** | **ai** **attendu** |
| tu | **as** **parlé** | **as** **fini** | **as** **attendu** |
| il / elle / on | **a** **parlé** | **a** **fini** | **a** **attendu** |
| nous | **avons** **parlé** | **avons** **fini** | **avons** **attendu** |
| vous | **avez** **parlé** | **avez** **fini** | **avez** **attendu** |
| ils / elles | **ont** **parlé** | **ont** **fini** | **ont** **attendu** |

- Before a vowel, **je** becomes **j’**: **j’ai fini**, **j’ai habité**. J’ai fini. / J’ai habité à Nice. (I finished. / I lived in Nice.)
- In speech, **on** replaces **nous** and takes the **il** form: **on a mangé**. On **a mangé** au restaurant. (We ate at the restaurant.)

## Form: the past participle

| Form | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **-er** → **-é** | Nous avons **chanté**. / Elle a **travaillé**. | We sang. / She worked. |
| **-ir** → **-i** | J’ai **fini**. / Tu as **choisi** ? | I finished. / Did you choose? |
| **-re** → **-u** | Il a **attendu**. / J’ai **perdu** mes clés. | He waited. / I lost my keys. |

- The participle in **-é** and the infinitive in **-er** sound the same: /e/.
- To choose between **-é** and **-er**, try **vendre**: **j’ai vendu**, so **j’ai mangé**. Il a **mangé**. / Il veut **manger**. (He ate. / He wants to eat.)

## Form: irregular participles

| Form | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **avoir** → **eu** | Nous avons **eu** un chat. | We had a cat. |
| **être** → **été** | Il a **été** malade. | He was ill. |
| **faire** → **fait** | Il a **fait** un gâteau. | He made a cake. |
| **prendre** → **pris** | J’ai **pris** le bus. | I took the bus. |
| **voir** → **vu** | Tu as **vu** ce film ? | Did you see this film? |
| **dire** → **dit** | Elle a **dit** oui. | She said yes. |
| **mettre** → **mis** | J’ai **mis** mon manteau. | I put on my coat. |
| **boire** → **bu** | Il a **bu** un café. | He drank a coffee. |
| **lire** → **lu** | J’ai **lu** ce livre. | I read this book. |
| **écrire** → **écrit** | Elle a **écrit** une lettre. | She wrote a letter. |
| **ouvrir** → **ouvert** | Il a **ouvert** la porte. | He opened the door. |
| **pouvoir** → **pu** | Je n’ai pas **pu** venir. | I couldn't come. |
| **vouloir** → **voulu** | Elle a **voulu** partir. | She wanted to leave. |

- The irregular verbs in the present: Present Tense: Irregular Verbs.

## Form: with être

- A short list of verbs, mostly of movement, takes **être**; every other verb takes **avoir**.

| Person | masculine | feminine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| je / j’ | **suis** **allé** | **suis** **allée** |
| tu | **es** **allé** | **es** **allée** |
| il / elle | **est** **allé** | **est** **allée** |
| nous | **sommes** **allés** | **sommes** **allées** |
| vous | **êtes** **allé** / **allés** | **êtes** **allée** / **allées** |
| ils / elles | **sont** **allés** | **sont** **allées** |

| Verbs | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **aller** / **venir** | Nous **sommes allés** au cinéma. / Il **est venu** hier. | We went to the cinema. / He came yesterday. |
| **arriver** / **partir** | Elle **est arrivée** à midi. / Ils **sont partis** tôt. | She arrived at noon. / They left early. |
| **entrer** / **sortir** | Je **suis entré** dans la classe. / Elle **est sortie** à six heures. | I went into the classroom. / She went out at six. |
| **rester** | Nous **sommes restés** à la maison. | We stayed at home. |
| **monter** / **descendre** | Il **est monté** au deuxième étage. / Je **suis descendu** du bus. | He went up to the second floor. / I got off the bus. |
| **naître** / **mourir** | Ma fille **est née** en mai. / Son chat **est mort**. | My daughter was born in May. / Her cat died. |
| **rentrer** / **retourner** | Elle **est rentrée** tard. / Nous **sommes retournés** à Nice. | She came home late. / We went back to Nice. |
| **tomber** | Le bébé **est tombé**. | The baby fell. |

## Agreement with être

| Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Feminine subject: the participle takes **e**. | Marie est **partie**. / Elle est **arrivée** à midi. | Marie left. / She arrived at noon. |
| Plural subject: **s**; feminine plural: **es**. | Les garçons sont **restés**. / Elles sont **parties**. | The boys stayed. / They left. |
| **Vous**: the participle follows the person or people it names. | Madame, vous êtes **arrivée** hier ? / Les enfants, vous êtes **restés** ici ? | Madam, did you arrive yesterday? / Children, did you stay here? |

- With **avoir**, the participle does not agree with the subject: **elles ont mangé**. Elles ont **mangé**. / Marie a **fini**. (They ate. / Marie finished.)
- The agreement **e** and **s** are almost never heard: **allé**, **allée**, **allés** and **allées** all sound /ale/.

## Form: negation and questions

| Form | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| subject + helper + past participle | Tu **as mangé**. / Elle **est partie**. | You ate. / She left. |
| subject + **ne** + helper + **pas** + past participle | Je **n’ai pas mangé**. / Elle **n’est pas partie**. | I didn't eat. / She didn't leave. |
| subject + **ne** + helper + **jamais** / **plus** / **rien** + past participle | Je **n’ai jamais vu** ce film. / Il **n’a rien dit**. | I have never seen this film. / He said nothing. |
| subject + helper + past participle + ↗ | Tu **as mangé** ? / Vous **êtes allés** au cinéma ? | Did you eat? / Did you go to the cinema? |
| **est-ce que** + subject + helper + past participle | **Est-ce que** tu as fini ? / Est-ce qu’elle est partie ? | Have you finished? / Did she leave? |
| helper + hyphen + subject + past participle | **As-tu** fini ? / **A-t-il** mangé ? | Have you finished? / Did he eat? |

- Negation and questions in detail: Negation and Questions.

## Form: reflexive verbs

| Form | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| subject + **me** / **te** / **se** / **nous** / **vous** + helper + past participle | Je **me suis levé** à sept heures. / Elle **s’est couchée** tard. | I got up at seven. / She went to bed late. |
| subject + **ne** + **me** / **te** / **se** / **nous** / **vous** + helper + **pas** + past participle | Je **ne me suis pas levé**. / Nous **ne nous sommes pas promenés**. | I didn't get up. / We didn't go for a walk. |
| subject + **me** / **te** / **se** / **nous** / **vous** + helper + past participle + ↗ | Tu **t’es couché** tard ? / **Est-ce que** vous vous êtes bien amusés ? | Did you go to bed late? / Did you have a good time? |

- Reflexive verbs always take **être**, and the pronoun stands before the auxiliary. Léa **s’est habillée**. (Léa got dressed.)
- With **se lever**, **se coucher** and **s’habiller**, the participle agrees with the subject. Elle s’est **levée**. / Ils se sont **couchés**. (She got up. / They went to bed.)
- Reflexive verbs in the present: Reflexive Verbs: se lever.

## Use

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A finished event at a given moment in the past | **Hier**, j’**ai vu** Paul. / Elle **est arrivée** **à midi**. | Yesterday I saw Paul. / She arrived at noon. |
| Events one after another | Je **me suis levé**, j’**ai pris** un café et je **suis parti**. | I got up, had a coffee and left. |
| The past of conversation: what someone did | Qu’est-ce que tu **as fait** hier ? — J’**ai travaillé**. | What did you do yesterday? — I worked. |
| A finished action that lasted, with its length | J’**ai habité** **deux ans** à Lyon. | I lived in Lyon for two years. |
| A stated number of times | Nous **sommes allés** **deux fois** en Italie. | We went to Italy twice. |
| An experience, with **déjà** or **jamais** | Tu **as** **déjà** **mangé** des escargots ? / Je n’**ai** **jamais** **vu** la mer. | Have you ever eaten snails? / I have never seen the sea. |

## Signal words

| Time word | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| hier, hier soir, avant-hier | **Hier soir**, nous **avons regardé** un film. | We watched a film last night. |
| ce matin, cet après-midi | **Ce matin**, j’**ai pris** le bus. | This morning I took the bus. |
| lundi dernier, la semaine dernière, l’année dernière | **La semaine dernière**, elle **est venue** chez moi. | Last week she came to my place. |
| **il y a** + number + unit | Je **suis arrivé** **il y a** une heure. | I arrived an hour ago. |
| un jour, une fois | **Un jour**, il **a gagné** un prix. | One day he won a prize. |
| déjà, jamais, pas encore | Tu **as** **déjà** **fini** ? / Elle n’**a** **pas encore** **mangé**. | Have you already finished? / She hasn't eaten yet. |

- Short adverbs such as **bien**, **déjà** and **beaucoup** stand between the auxiliary and the participle. Elle a **beaucoup** **travaillé**. / J’ai **bien** **dormi**. (She worked a lot. / I slept well.)
- **il y a** and the other prepositions of time: Prepositions of Time; adverbs: Adverbs.

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Je ai mangé. | J’ai mangé. | **je** becomes **j’** before **ai** |
| J’ai manger une pomme. | J’ai **mangé** une pomme. | after the auxiliary comes the participle **mangé**, not the infinitive **manger** |
| J’ai allé au marché. | Je **suis allé** au marché. | **aller** takes **être**: **je suis allé** |
| Je suis mangé une pizza. | J’**ai** mangé une pizza. | **manger** takes **avoir**, like almost every verb |
| Je n’ai mangé pas. | Je n’ai **pas** mangé. | **pas** goes between the auxiliary and the participle |
| Elle est allé à Paris. | Elle est **allée** à Paris. | with **être**, the participle agrees with the subject |
| Je suis levé à sept heures. | Je **me** suis levé à sept heures. | a reflexive verb keeps its pronoun: **me suis levé** |
| J’ai vu lui hier. | Je l’ai vu hier. | the object pronoun goes before the auxiliary: **je l’ai vu** |