Verbs – Passé Composé MCQs Quiz | Class 9
This is a multiple-choice quiz for Class 9 French (Code 018), Unit: Grammar. The topic is Verbs – Passé Composé MCQs Quiz | Class 9, covering the basics of the passé composé tense, including the use of auxiliary verbs avoir and être, and the formation of the participe passé. Submit your answers to see your score and download a PDF of your results.
Understanding the Passé Composé
The passé composé is a past tense in French used to talk about actions that were completed in the past. It is a “compound” tense, meaning it is formed with two parts: an auxiliary (or “helping”) verb and a past participle. It is the most common way to express the past in spoken French.
Formation of the Passé Composé
The basic structure is:
Subject + Auxiliary Verb (avoir or être) + Past Participle
1. Choosing the Auxiliary Verb: Avoir or Être?
Avoir (to have) is the most common auxiliary verb. It is used with the vast majority of verbs.
- Example: J’ai mangé une pomme. (I ate an apple.)
- Example: Nous avons regardé un film. (We watched a movie.)
Être (to be) is used with a smaller, specific group of verbs, often related to movement or a change of state. A common way to remember them is with the mnemonic “DR & MRS VANDERTRAMP”.
- Devenir (to become)
- Revenir (to come back)
- Monter (to go up)
- Rester (to stay)
- Sortir (to go out)
- Venir (to come)
- Aller (to go)
- Naître (to be born)
- Descendre (to go down)
- Entrer (to enter)
- Rentrer (to return)
- Tomber (to fall)
- Retourner (to return)
- Arriver (to arrive)
- Mourir (to die)
- Partir (to leave)
Note: All pronominal (reflexive) verbs also use être (e.g., se lever -> je me suis levé).
2. Forming the Past Participle (Participe Passé)
The past participle changes based on the verb’s infinitive ending:
- For regular -er verbs: remove -er and add -é (e.g., parler -> parlé)
- For regular -ir verbs: remove -ir and add -i (e.g., finir -> fini)
- For regular -re verbs: remove -re and add -u (e.g., vendre -> vendu)
Many common verbs have irregular past participles that must be memorized.
| Infinitive | Past Participle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| avoir | eu | had |
| être | été | been |
| faire | fait | done/made |
| prendre | pris | taken |
| voir | vu | seen |
| lire | lu | read |
| écrire | écrit | written |
3. Agreement of the Past Participle (L’accord)
This is a crucial rule:
- When using avoir, the past participle generally does NOT agree with the subject.
- When using être, the past participle MUST agree in gender and number with the subject.
- Add -e for feminine singular subjects.
- Add -s for masculine plural subjects.
- Add -es for feminine plural subjects.
Examples with être:
- Il est allé. (He went.)
- Elle est allée. (She went.)
- Ils sont allés. (They, masculine/mixed, went.)
- Elles sont allées. (They, feminine, went.)
Quick Revision Points
- Passé Composé = completed action in the past.
- Structure = Subject + Auxiliary (Avoir/Être) + Past Participle.
- Most verbs use ‘avoir’.
- Verbs of motion/state (DR MRS VANDERTRAMP) and reflexive verbs use ‘être’.
- With ‘être’, the past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number.
- Memorize irregular past participles for common verbs.
Practice Questions
- Paul et Marc ___ au cinéma. (aller)
- J’___ une nouvelle voiture. (acheter)
- La fille ___ de l’arbre. (tomber)
- Vous ___ la porte ? (ouvrir)
- Elles ___ pour le Canada. (partir)
