The perfect tense 1 (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
The perfect tense 1
What is the perfect tense?
The perfect tense is a key tense used to talk about actions that happened in the past. In French, it's called the passé composé. This tense is essential for describing completed actions that occurred at specific times in the past.
Most verbs use the auxiliary verb avoir (to have) to form the perfect tense, combined with a past participle.
The perfect tense is one of the most frequently used tenses in spoken French, so mastering it is crucial for effective communication.
How to form the perfect tense
The perfect tense follows this simple formula:
Subject + avoir + past participle
Conjugation of avoir
| French | English |
|---|---|
| j'ai | I have |
| tu as | you have |
| il/elle/on a | he/she/one has |
| nous avons | we have |
| vous avez | you have |
| ils/elles ont | they have |
Basic Perfect Tense Example:
J'ai joué au tennis = I played tennis / I have played tennis
Notice how the auxiliary verb "ai" (I have) combines with the past participle "joué" (played).
Forming past participles
Understanding how to form past participles is essential for using the perfect tense correctly.
Regular verbs
The way you form the past participle depends on the verb ending:
-er verbs: Remove -er and add -é
- manger → mangé (eaten)
- regarder → regardé (watched)
-ir verbs: Remove -ir and add -i
- finir → fini (finished)
- dormir → dormi (slept)
-re verbs: Remove -re and add -u
- répondre → répondu (answered)
- attendre → attendu (waited)
Irregular verbs
Many common verbs have irregular past participles that you need to memorise:
Common Irregular Past Participles - Set 1:
| Verb | Past Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| avoir | eu | had |
| boire | bu | drunk |
| courir | couru | run |
| dire | dit | said |
| écrire | écrit | written |
| être | été | been |
| faire | fait | done/made |
| lire | lu | read |
| voir | vu | seen |
Common Irregular Past Participles - Set 2:
| Verb | Past Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| mettre | mis | put |
| ouvrir | ouvert | opened |
| prendre | pris | taken |
| recevoir | reçu | received |
| rire | ri | laughed |
| devoir | dû | had to |
| pouvoir | pu | been able to |
| savoir | su | known |
| vouloir | voulu | wanted |
These irregular forms must be memorised as they don't follow the regular patterns.
When to use the perfect tense
Use the perfect tense when talking about something that happened at a specific time in the past:
Perfect Tense Usage Examples:
- Hier soir j'ai regardé un film = Last night I watched a film
- L'année dernière, mes parents ont acheté une voiture = Last year my parents bought a car
Both examples refer to completed actions that happened at specific times in the past.
Making negative sentences
To make a negative sentence, place ne before the part of avoir and pas after it:
Negative Perfect Tense Examples:
- Je n'ai pas vu le film = I haven't seen the film
- Il n'a pas joué au foot = He did not play football
Notice the ne ... pas pattern that surrounds the auxiliary verb "avoir".
Useful time phrases
These expressions work well with the perfect tense and help indicate when actions occurred:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| samedi dernier | last Saturday |
| la semaine dernière | last week |
| le week-end dernier | last weekend |
| hier | yesterday |
Time Phrases in Context:
- Samedi dernier, j'ai mangé une crêpe = Last Saturday, I ate a pancake
- Hier, nous avons fini nos devoirs = Yesterday, we finished our homework
These time expressions clearly indicate that the actions happened at specific moments in the past.
Practice exercise
Translation Practice:
Translate these sentences into English:
- J'ai pris le bus hier → I took the bus yesterday
- Elle a écrit une lettre → She wrote a letter
Translate these sentences into French:
- We bought some bread → Nous avons acheté du pain
- They finished their work → Ils ont fini leur travail
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- The perfect tense uses avoir + past participle for most verbs
- Regular past participles follow patterns: -er → -é, -ir → -i, -re → -u
- Many common verbs have irregular past participles that must be memorised
- Use it to talk about completed actions at specific times in the past
- For negatives, put ne before avoir and pas after it