Past participle in French
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Past participle (French participe passé) is a verbal form which is used for several roles, such as adjective and as part of compound tenses. The French past participle usually ends by -é, -i, -s, -u, -us, while the equivalents in English are -ed, -en.
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.When to use the past participle in French?
- 1.1.Past participle in French verbs is used as an adjective
- 1.2.Past participle is used for build the compound tenses
- 2.How to form past participle in French?
- 3.Agreement of the past participle
- 4.Exercises
- 4.1.Quiz about the past participle in French
- 4.2.Multiple choice questions about the past participle in French
- 4.3.Fill in the blank exercise for the agreement of the past participle in French
- 4.4.Fill in the blank exercise for the past participle in French
When to use the past participle in French?
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Past participle in French verbs is used as an adjective
Examples:
- La porte ouverte (The open door)
- L'étudiant occupé (The busy student)
Past participle is used for build the compound tenses
(such as Compound Past, Pluperfect, Past conditional etc)
Examples:
- J'ai ouvert la porte (I opened the door)
- Il a parlé à ses amis (He spoke with his friends)
How to form past participle in French?
In order to form the past participle, we add to the stem of the verb the ending, depending on the group of verb:
| 1 group (parler = to speak) | 2 group (finir = to finish) | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | - é (parlé = spoken) | - i (fini = finished) |
| Masculine plural | - és (parlés) | - is (finis) |
| Feminine singular | - ée (parlée) | - ie (finie) |
| Feminine plural | - ées (parlées) | - ies (finies) |
The 3rd group of French verbs has three different models of the past participle formation:
| 3rd group of verbs | 1 model | 2 model | 3 model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | - s (appris) | - (fait, suivi, vu, cuit) | - us (dissous) |
| Masculine plural | - s (appris) | - s (faits, suivis, vus, cuits) | - us (dissous) |
| Feminine singular | - se (apprise) | - e (faite, suivie ,vue ,cuite) | - ute (dissoute) |
| Feminine plural | - ses (apprises) | - es (faites, suivies, vues, cuites) | - utes (dissoutes) |
Agreement of the past participle
We agree the past participle in gender and number when:
- it is used as an adjective: la fenêtre fermée
- it is a part of a compound tense and the main verb is conjugated with the auxiliary verb "être": je suis allée à la maison
- it is used as a passive form of the verb: il est blessé
- it is made of the pronominal verb: elle s'est appelée
We do not agree the past participle when:
- it is the part of a compound tense and the verb is conjugated with the auxiliary verb "avoir": ils ont ouvert la porte
Stay motivated and do not hesitate to take use of our free exercises!
Exercises
- Quiz about the past participle in French
- Multiple choice questions about the past participle in French
- Fill in the blank exercise for the agreement of the past participle in French
- Fill in the blank exercise for the past participle in French
Quiz about the past participle in French
Multiple choice questions about the past participle in French
Fill in the blank exercise for the agreement of the past participle in French
Fill in the blank exercise for the past participle in French
Exercises
- Quiz about the past participle in French
- Multiple choice questions about the past participle in French
- Fill in the blank exercise for the agreement of the past participle in French
- Fill in the blank exercise for the past participle in French
Quiz about the past participle in French
Multiple choice questions about the past participle in French
Fill in the blank exercise for the agreement of the past participle in French
Fill in the blank exercise for the past participle in French
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My classes are structured according to my students' needs, I use different teaching methods and I rely on listening each of my students' expectations and goals. Dynamism and constant learning are my purposes in my classes.
I have worked as a French teacher for more than ten years.
I have academic studies in English and French from Montréal, Canada, where I lived for several years. I have a Bachelor in Teaching French as a foreign language from the Université de Bourgogne.
I learned French at an early age in immersion in a French-speaking region and I studied French formally for 11 years, obtaining a native level.
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Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
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Hello,
My name is Tiska. I am a French Teacher with experiences with adults and teenagers in Public Education (USA) and Language Schools. I am holding a Master Degree in FLE (Teaching French as a Foreign Language).
Join a small group of learners of 2 or 3 for conversation lessons with me. An article or video to watch before the lesson and a conversation with personalized corrections during the lesson. This option saves you at least 10 euros per lesson on Colanguage.
Group opening:
Monday and/or Wednesday from 17:30 to 18:30 (French time).
Level: intermediate (B1)
Also, standard French lessons
- level A2 (low intermediate)
- 2 hours a week
- ask for schedule
Don’t know your level? Ask for a free level test.
I give Skype lessons to people who need or want to improve their French language. I like to use material from the internet (videos, article etc.) to introduce a theme which leads to a lesson and a conversation.
I like to create engaging learning with my students. I will give as homework a document to watch or to read with comprehension exercises so the time we have on skype is only speaking practice and explanation if needed.
I can help you prepare DELF-DALF Exams or work on specific needs (as professional French).
Really like to speak about all the subjects with the student especially those the student like so it gives the motivation to speak in the foreign language.
The free first lesson is organize to know your tastes, your level and your needs so we can plan the next lessons about the objectives you fixed.
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