Lesson 13 — French A1
In this lesson you will master the formation and use of the compound past tense (passé composé) with the auxiliary verbs avoir and être, including the rules for agreement of the past participle.
About this lesson
In lesson 13 you will dive into one of the most important grammar topics in French — the compound past tense (le passé composé). You will learn how it is formed with the auxiliary verbs avoir and être in the present tense, followed by the past participle (participe passé) of the verb being conjugated. You will find out which verbs are conjugated with être (verbs of movement and reflexive verbs) and which with avoir, as well as the rules for agreement of the participle with the subject. Through dialogues, exercises and stories told by real people you will consolidate your new knowledge in an authentic context.
40 minutes
What you'll learn
- Form the passé composé with avoir and être for different verbs.
- Know the 14 verbs of movement that are conjugated with être.
- Form the past participle of verbs from groups I, II and III correctly.
- Apply the rules for agreement of the participle with the subject when using être.
- Ask questions and make negative sentences in the passé composé.
- Talk about past events — trips, activities, everyday life.
Lesson vocabulary
- voyager J'ai voyagé en Espagne.
- aller Je suis allé à la Sorbonne.
- arriver Je suis arrivé en France le 12 janvier 1972.
- trouver J'ai trouvé du travail à Marseille.
- voir Vous avez vu l'Alhambra?
- faire Vous avez fait des photos?
- aimer Vous avez aimé la cuisine espagnole?
- visiter J'ai visité Montparnasse.
- parler J'ai parlé avec des Français.
- partir La voiture est partie d'Alexandrie à 5 heures.
- venir Ma femme et mes enfants sont venus en 1982.
- lire Tu as lu le journal?
- commencer J'ai commencé à travailler à 10 heures.
- acheter Nous avons acheté une maison.
- chercher Tu cherches du travail.
In other languages: Български