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LanguagesLes vacances et le passé30 min★★ difficulty

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
  • 16 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

tensesstructuresconveypresentfuture

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 16 · Discover6%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 16

Watch first

Le passé composé

An English teaching video on this topic from Sebastien Véjux. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 16

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · The formula

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 16

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.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 16

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.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 16

Quick check

What is the past participle of 'faire'?

6

Quick check

Part 6 of 16

Quick check

Complete: 'Nous ___ regardé un film.'

7

Reset break

Part 7 of 16

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 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.

Stop here for now
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 16

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · The être verbs

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 16

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'.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 16

Quick check

Which verb takes être in the passé composé?

11

Quick check

Part 11 of 16

Quick check

A girl writes 'I went to Paris'. Which is correct?

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 16

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.

13

Challenge round

Part 13 of 16

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

14

Challenge round

Part 14 of 16

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

subject + avoir in the ____ + past participle.

15

Mastery quiz

Part 15 of 16

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Le passé composé

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. The past participle of 'faire' is...

  2. 2. What is the past participle of 'faire'?

  3. 3. Complete: 'Nous ___ regardé un film.'

  4. 4. Which verb takes être in the passé composé?

16

Lesson round-up

Part 16 of 16

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 Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Extract

Une journée à Lyon

Samedi matin, je me lève à sept heures et demie. Je prends le petit déjeuner avec ma sœur — du pain, du beurre et un chocolat chaud. Ensuite, nous prenons le bus jusqu'au centre-ville.

J'aime beaucoup Lyon parce qu'il y a un grand marché près du fleuve. Ma sœur préfère les magasins, mais moi, je préfère le marché : c'est moins cher et c'est plus intéressant. À midi, nous mangeons un sandwich au parc.

L'après-midi, il commence à pleuvoir, alors nous rentrons à la maison en tram. Le soir, je fais mes devoirs et je regarde un film avec mes parents.

Original text written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. In English, say what the writer does in the morning, at midday and in the evening.
  2. Find the phrases that give an opinion and a reason, and copy them out.
  3. Write 8–10 sentences about your own Saturday, using at least three phrases from the text.

  • Written practice

    Writing

    Write the sentences out in the language, then translate them back into English.

    8–10 sentences

  • Vocabulary page

    Working out

    Copy the new words, cover them, and test yourself. Note the ones you keep missing.

    15 words

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 16 · Watch & discover

How this is going

  • Not looked at yet

    Identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past and future as appropriate to the language being studied

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