Le passé composé
Everything you can say about last weekend depends on one structure: avoir (or être) plus a past participle. Build it once, correctly, and the whole past tense opens up.
Part of your national curriculum
- Grammar and vocabulary: Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
Key learning points
- • The formula
- • Irregular participles worth memorising
- • The être verbs
This lesson at a glance
- 30 minutes
- 20 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 20
Visual introductionPicture this
Le passé composé
Everything you can say about last weekend depends on one structure: avoir (or être) plus a past participle. Build it once, correctly, and the whole past tense opens up.
In a nutshell
Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 20
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · The formula
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 20
Learn
The formula
subject + avoir in the present + past participle. J'ai mangé (I ate / I have eaten). Tu as visité. Elle a joué. Nous avons regardé. For -er verbs the participle ends in -é: manger → mangé, visiter → visité.
Reset break
Part 4 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 20
Learn
Irregular participles worth memorising
faire → fait, voir → vu, prendre → pris, boire → bu, avoir → eu, être → été, lire → lu, écrire → écrit. J'ai fait du vélo. J'ai vu un film. J'ai pris le train.
Quick check
Part 6 of 20
Quick check
Part 7 of 20
Reset break
Part 8 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 20
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · The être verbs
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 20
Learn
The être verbs
A small group of movement verbs uses être instead: aller, venir, partir, arriver, rester, sortir, entrer, monter, descendre, tomber, naître, mourir. With être, the participle agrees: 'Je suis allé' (boy), 'Je suis allée' (girl), 'Nous sommes allés'.
Quick check
Part 11 of 20
Reset break
Part 12 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 13 of 20
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 20
Worked example
Worked example
Present: 'Je vais à la plage et je mange une glace.' Past: 'Je suis allée à la plage et j'ai mangé une glace.' Aller takes être and adds -e for a girl; manger takes avoir and never agrees.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 20
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Reset break
Part 16 of 20
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 5 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 17 of 20
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
subject + avoir in the ____ + past participle.
Challenge round
Part 18 of 20
Game · Recall cards
Which sentence is in the past?
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 19 of 20
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Le passé composé
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Which sentence is in the past?
2. The past participle of 'faire' is...
3. How do you say 'I am going to play' in French?
4. What is the past participle of the regular -er verb 'jouer'?
Lesson round-up
Part 20 of 20
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
Not sat
Games
Not played
Points this lesson
0
Best run
0 in a row
Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?
Ask LunaPart 1 of 20 · Watch & discover
How this is going
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Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied