CEFR A1
What you will learn
- Build the passé composé with a conjugated auxiliary and a past participle.
- Choose être with the basic group that requires it and apply elementary agreement.
Before you start
- Recognise the vocabulary and forms shown in this lesson’s key idea and paradigm.
The idea
French very often uses two pieces for a completed everyday event: “avoir” or “être” plus the participle; the auxiliary is part of the construction.
First the participle. Verbs in “-er” make it in “-é” — “mangé”, “parlé” — second-group verbs in “-i” — “fini”, “choisi” — and the rest go their own way: “vu”, “pris”, “fait”, “écrit”. Those last ones are learnt one at a time.
Most verbs use “avoir”: “j’ai mangé”, “nous avons fini”. At this level you also learn a frequent group that uses “être”, including “aller, venir, partir, arriver, entrer, sortir, monter, descendre, rester, tomber, naître, mourir, passer” and “retourner”. Some switch to “avoir” when used with a direct object; that contrast appears below.
With “être” the participle behaves like an adjective and agrees with the subject: “elle est partie”, “ils sont arrivés”, “elles sont allées”. With “avoir”, in the ordinary sentence, the participle does not change: “elle a mangé”, not “mangée”.
With “avoir”, participle agreement has an additional case studied later. Here, keep two decisions separate: choose the auxiliary required by the verb and, when it is “être”, make the participle agree with the subject.
Passé composé formation
| construction | forme | accord |
|---|---|---|
| most verbs | avoir au présent + participe passé | pas d'accord avec le sujet |
| basic être group | être au présent + participe passé | accord avec le sujet |
| pronominal verb | être au présent + participe passé | accord à vérifier |
| -er / -ir / -re | -é / -i / -u | parlé / fini / vendu |
How it sounds
- J'ai mangé une pomme.Auxiliary “avoir”, which is the ordinary case.
- Elle est partie à huit heures.“Partir” is on the “être” list, and the participle agrees: “partie”.
- Ils sont arrivés hier soir.Masculine plural subject: the participle adds an “-s”.
- Nous avons fini le travail.With “avoir” the participle stays put, whoever the subject is.
Check objective 1Another case
A proposed answer is “sommes” for this case: “Nous sommes fini le travail.”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “avez” for this case: “Nous avez fini le travail.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: avons — Finir takes “avoir”, and “nous” calls for “avons”.
“Finir” takes “avoir”, and “nous” calls for “avons”.
Answer: avons — Finir takes “avoir”, and “nous” calls for “avons”.
“Finir” takes “avoir”, and “nous” calls for “avons”.
Check objective 2Another case
A proposed answer is “a” for this case: “Elle a partie très tôt ce matin.”. Choose the only valid form.
A proposed answer is “sont” for this case: “Elle sont partie très tôt ce matin.”. Choose the only valid form.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: est — Partir takes “être”, and the subject is singular.
“Partir” takes “être”, and the subject is singular.
Answer: est — Partir takes “être”, and the subject is singular.
“Partir” takes “être”, and the subject is singular.
When it doesn't hold
What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.
- “Sortir, monter, descendre, passer” and “rentrer” switch to “avoir” when they take a direct object, and the meaning shifts with it.J'ai sorti la poubelle.
- Every verb that carries a pronoun — “se lever”, “se laver” — takes “être”, with no exceptions.Je me suis levé à six heures.
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong J'ai allé au cinéma hier.
Right Je suis allé au cinéma hier.
The English perfect uses “have”, which can tempt you to write “j’ai allé”. French “aller” takes “être”: “je suis allé”. The French passé composé can correspond to both an English simple past and an English present perfect, depending on context.
Challenge: apply both rules
Solve both cases and justify each choice: 1) Una propuesta responde «sommes» a este caso: «Nous sommes fini le travail.». Elige la única forma válida. 2) Una propuesta responde «a» a este caso: «Elle a partie très tôt ce matin.». Elige la única forma válida.
Answer available without interaction
- Build the passé composé with a conjugated auxiliary and a past participle.
- Choose être with the basic group that requires it and apply elementary agreement.
Answer: avons · est
“Finir” takes “avoir”, and “nous” calls for “avons”. “Partir” takes “être”, and the subject is singular.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- CEFR A1 · elementary repertoire for concrete needs and very simple interaction. · Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Companion Volume
- French-specific descriptions used to cross-check A1 language forms; the page selection remains editorial. · Reference Level Descriptions · French
- MCER como referencia; sin asignación estatal A1 por curso. · Real Decreto 217/2022, currículo básico de ESO
- 7.º ano alcanza A1.2 en este itinerario; A1.1 es subdivisión editorial. · Aprendizagens Essenciais · Francês · 7.º ano
- A1 al final de classe terza; A1.1/A1.2 son subdivisiones editoriales. · Decreto 9 dicembre 2025, n. 221 · nuove Indicazioni nazionali
Continue along this corridor
Practise this: Passé composé: avoir or être?Gender and the article: le, la, l', un, uneThe present tense and the explicit subjectTwo-part negation: ne… pas wraps around the verbAccents and the cedilla: they do not tell you where the stress fallsDu, de la, des: the article your language leaves outAu, aux, du, des: when à and de collide with the article