The passé composé tense is equivalent to the English present perfect. It is used more commonly in French than in English.
The passé composé (past indefinite or compound past, literally "mixed past") combines an auxiliary verb — avoir or être — with the past participle.
In English, the past often is expressed with a past participle: "I went to the market." However, in contemporary French, expressions of the definite past — where an action started and was completed — are always preceded with either aller or être.
| J'ai allé au marché. | — I have gone to the market. |
| Il est parti ici. | — "He is left here," or "He is gone." |
The passé composé can be formed with avoir as an auxiliary verb:
I have…
| J’ai allé a la marche. | — I have gone to the market. — I went to the market. — I did go to the market. |
All three tenses in English are covered by this one tense in French.
| J’ai mangé un sandwich. | — I ate a sandwich. |
| Avez-vous attendu à le voir? | — Have you waited to see it? |
| Il a pris un taxi. | — He has taken a taxi. |
| Nous avon cherché por notre voiture. | — We did look for our car. |
The tense is formed by using être as an auxiliary verb. This form is required when referring to coming or going. Another way to consider this group is a change in state or position. It also can refer to a spatial expression — which explains why rester (to stay) uses être in this tense.
I am…
| Je suis allé à l’hotel. | — I am gone (male) went to the hotel. |
| Vous été arrivée à Paris. | — You are arrived (female) have arrived in Paris. |
| Il est parti à l’hotel. | — He is left (male) left the hotel. |
| Elles sont sorties por ce soir. | — They are gone (plural women) have gone out for the night. |
“I have eaten a sandwich” makes sense in English. “I am gone to the hotel” doesn’t sound correct.
However, this formation was common in English several centuries ago, and there are some vestigal remnants, particularly with the past participle of "to go":
Note that the être phrasing, “I am,” imposes gender and number agreements on the past participle. One man who has arrived at a hotel would be Il est arrivé à l’hotel, whereas a group of women would be Elles sont arrivées à l’hotel.
Change in position:
| Aller | — to go |
| Arriver | — to arrive |
| Descendre | — to descend |
| Enter | — to enter |
| Monter | — to go up; to climb |
| Partir | — to leave |
| Rentrer | — to return |
| Retourner | — to return |
| Sortir | — to go out |
| Tomber | — to fall |
| Venir | — to come |
Change in state…
| Devenir | — to become |
| Mourir | — to die |
| Naître | — to be born |
No change in spatial location…
| Rester | — to stay |
Grammar note: Verbs that use être in the passé composé are intransitive — they do not have direct objects nor indirect objects, although they can be followed by a preposition.
Using the passé composé with negation
The negative formation must precede the auxiliary verb:
| Je n’ai ne mangé pas un sandwich. | — I , no, have not eaten a sandwich. |
| Il n'est parti pas à l’hotel. | — He , no, is left (male) not did not leave the hotel. |
Exercises