{"id":2467,"date":"2026-05-14T12:51:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/?p=2467"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:51:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T10:51:29","slug":"mastering-the-french-passe-compose-choosing-between-avoir-and-etre-and-understanding-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sillabi.com\/en\/mastering-the-french-passe-compose-choosing-between-avoir-and-etre-and-understanding-agreement\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering the French Pass\u00e9 Compos\u00e9: choosing between avoir and \u00eatre and understanding agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For English speakers learning French, the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/strong> is often one of the first major grammar obstacles. At first, it looks reassuringly familiar: after all, English also uses an auxiliary verb plus a past participle (I have eaten, she has arrived)<\/em>. But the similarities only go so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very quickly, learners run into a series of confusing questions. Why does French sometimes use avoir <\/em>and sometimes \u00eatre?<\/em> Why does the past participle occasionally change form? And how can you tell when agreement is actually required?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difficulty comes from the fact that French handles compound tenses very differently from English. In English, the present perfect always uses “have”, and past participles never change form. French, by contrast, uses two different auxiliaries and a system of grammatical agreement that affects spelling and writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that the system is much more regular than it first appears. Once you understand the underlying patterns, the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9 becomes far more predictable \u2014 both when speaking and when writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll look at how the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/strong> is formed, when to choose avoir <\/em>or \u00eatre<\/em>, which verbs behave differently, and how past participle agreement actually works in real French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. How the Pass\u00e9 Compos\u00e9 is formed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9 is the most commonly used past tense in everyday spoken French. It covers many situations where English would use either the simple past (I went<\/em>) or the present perfect (I have gone<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is used to talk about completed actions, specific past events, and past experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9 is formed with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

auxiliary verb (avoir <\/em>or \u00eatre<\/em>) in the present tense + past participle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are two examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarder (avoir)<\/strong><\/td>Aller (\u00eatre)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
j\u2019ai regard\u00e9<\/td>je suis all\u00e9(e)<\/td><\/tr>
tu as regard\u00e9<\/td>tu es all\u00e9(e)<\/td><\/tr>
il\/elle\/on a regard\u00e9<\/td>il\/elle\/on est all\u00e9(e)<\/td><\/tr>
nous avons regard\u00e9<\/td>nous sommes all\u00e9(e)s<\/td><\/tr>
vous avez regard\u00e9<\/td>vous \u00eates all\u00e9(e)(s)<\/td><\/tr>
ils\/elles ont regard\u00e9<\/td>ils\/elles sont all\u00e9(e)s<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you can see from the table, when the auxiliary is \u00eatre<\/em>, the past participle may change according to gender and number, whereas with avoir <\/em>it usually remains unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need a refresher on how French past participles are formed, you can consult the Sillabi grammar sheet dedicated to the pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/a>, which includes a complete table of the most common regular and irregular past participles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. When to use \u00eatre<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In French, most verbs use avoir <\/em>in compound tenses. However, there is an important group of verbs that require \u00eatre<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.1 Reflexive verbs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All reflexive verbs are conjugated with \u00eatre <\/em>in compound tenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Elle s\u2019est r\u00e9veill\u00e9e<\/strong> tr\u00e8s t\u00f4t.
– Nous nous sommes rencontr\u00e9s<\/strong> \u00e0 Paris.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.2 The main verbs of movement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Verbs such as aller, venir, devenir, revenir, partir, arriver, entrer, sortir, descendre, monter, na\u00eetre, mourir, retourner, rester, tomber,<\/em> and passer <\/em>use \u00eatre<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These verbs generally describe movement or a change of state affecting the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Elle n’est <\/strong>pas venue <\/strong>au travail parce qu’elle est tomb\u00e9e malade.
– Mes cousins sont <\/strong>d\u00e9j\u00e0 arriv\u00e9s<\/strong>.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. When to use avoir<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most French verbs use the auxiliary avoir<\/em>, including many cases where English learners might instinctively expect \u00eatre<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.1 The verb \u00eatre<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Oddly enough, the verb \u00eatre <\/em>itself always uses avoir <\/em>in compound tenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– J\u2019ai \u00e9t\u00e9<\/strong> tr\u00e8s contente de le revoir.
– Elles ont \u00e9t\u00e9<\/strong> tr\u00e8s gentilles avec nous.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.2 Verbs expressing change<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Verbs such as changer, grandir, grossir, maigrir, augmenter,<\/em> and diminuer <\/em>are conjugated with avoir<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Elle a <\/strong>beaucoup maigri<\/strong>.
– Le prix de l\u2019essence a augment\u00e9<\/strong>.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.3 Some verbs of movement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not all movement verbs take \u00eatre<\/em>. Some regularly use avoir<\/em>, including courir, glisser, fuir, atterrir<\/em>, and d\u00e9coller<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– L\u2019avion a d\u00e9coll\u00e9 <\/strong>\u00e0 8h30.
– Il a couru<\/strong> toute la journ\u00e9e.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.4 Weather verbs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Verbs used to describe weather conditions are formed with avoir<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Il a plu<\/strong> toute la nuit.
– Il a neig\u00e9<\/strong> hier soir.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.5 Some very common verbs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many frequently used verbs always take avoir<\/em>, including vivre, pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, r\u00e9ussir, plaire, co\u00fbter, sembler, durer, para\u00eetre,<\/em> and dispara\u00eetre<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Il a v\u00e9cu<\/strong> \u00e0 Londres pendant trois ans.
– Je n\u2019ai <\/strong>pas r\u00e9ussi <\/strong>\u00e0 lui t\u00e9l\u00e9phoner.<\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Verbs that can use either \u00eatre <\/em>or avoir<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some verbs can be used with both auxiliaries. The choice depends on whether the verb has a direct object.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This happens with verbs such as monter, descendre, entrer, rentrer, sortir, passer, <\/em>and retourner<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the verb simply describes movement performed by the subject, French uses \u00eatre<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the verb is followed by a direct object, French uses avoir <\/em>instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compare these examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n