Elle est allée au marché.
English: She went to the market.
- Language
- French
- Level
- B1
- Unit
- Accord du participe passé
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
The 'accord du participe passé' in French means that the past participle sometimes changes its ending to agree with the gender and number of the noun it refers to.
When to use it
You use the past participle agreement in French mainly with verbs that use 'être' (to be) as the auxiliary verb, and sometimes with 'avoir' (to have) if the direct object comes before the verb. The participle agrees in gender and number with the subject (with 'être') or with the preceding direct object (with 'avoir').
Key forms
- J'ai mangé (no agreement needed)
- Elle est allée (agreement with subject: -e)
- Les lettres que j'ai écrites (agreement with direct object: -es)
Examples
Ils sont partis tôt.
English: They left early.
Les pommes que j'ai mangées étaient délicieuses.
English: The apples that I ate were delicious.
Nous avons vu les filles.
English: We saw the girls.
La lettre que tu as écrite est sur la table.
English: The letter you wrote is on the table.
Tips
- With 'être', always make the past participle agree with the subject in gender and number.
- With 'avoir', only make the agreement if the direct object comes before the verb.
- Remember: -e for feminine, -s for plural, -es for feminine plural.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some verbs can use both 'avoir' and 'être' depending on their meaning (e.g., 'sortir', 'monter').
- The past participle does not agree with the subject when used with 'avoir' unless there is a preceding direct object.