Passé Composé – past tense

Part 1: Regular Verbs that take Avoir as the Helping Verb

The passé composé consists of two elements: (1) the present tense of an auxiliary or helping verb (avoir or être)
and (2) a past participle.
Step 1. Conjugate helping verbs avoir and être
avoir être
j'ai nous avons je suis nous sommes
tu as vous avez tu es vous êtes
il, elle, on a ils ont il, elle, on est ils sont

Step 2a. How to form the past participle of:

regular verbs:
French Verb Groups
ER: parler, travailler, dîner, aimer
IR: finir, choisir, réussir, bâtir
RE: vendre, attendre, répondre, perdre
How to Form the Past Participle Examples
ER in the infinitive to é. parlé, travaillé, dîné, aimé
IR in the infinitive to i. fini, choisi, réussi, bâti
RE in the infinitive to u. vendu, attendu, répondu, perdu

irregular verbs:

Irregular Past Irregular Past

Infinitive English Infinitive English
Participle Participle
être été to be mettre mis to put, place, put on
apprendre appris to learn
voir vu to see comprendre compris to understand
avoir eu to have
boire bu to drink conduire conduit to drive
devoir dû to have to découvrir découvert to discover
pleuvoir plu to rain dire dit to say, tell
pouvoir pu to be able écrire écrit to write
recevoir reçu to receive faire fait to do, make
vouloir voulu to wish, want offrir offert to offer

lire lu to read
tenir tenu to hold, to have
connaître connu to know

Step 3. Examples of verbs conjugated in the passé composé:

Travailler (to work)
J'ai travaillé I worked, have worked
 Tu as travaillé You familiar worked, have worked
Il, elle a travaillé He, she worked, has worked
Nous avons travaillé We worked, have worked
Vous avez travaillé You worked, have worked
Ils, elles ont travaillé They worked, have worked
Finir (to finish) conjugated in the passé composé:
J'ai fini I finished, have finished
Tu as fini You familiar finished, have finished
Il, elle a fini He, she finished, has finished
Nous avons fini We finished, have finished
Vous avez fini You finished, have finished
Ils, elles ont fini They finished, have finished
Perdre (to lose) conjugated in the passé composé:
J'ai perdu I lost, have lost
Tu as perdu You familiar lost, have lost
Il, elle a perdu He, she lost, has lost
Nous avons perdu We lost, have lost
Vous avez perdu You lost, have lost
Ils, elles ont perdu They lost, have lost