French Perfect Participle ~ Passé composé du participe présent
Learn how to conjugate and use the French perfect participle
The French perfect participle is used to describe a condition existing in the past or an action that took place right before another action. It is equivalent to "having + past participle" in English and is similar to the après + past infinitive construction.
The perfect participle is a compound verb. It is formed with the present participle of the auxiliary verb (either avoir or être) plus the past participle of the main verb.
| AIMER | ayant aimé | |
| DEVENIR (être verb) | étant devenu(e)(s) | |
| SE LEVER (pronominal verb) | s'étant levé(e)(s) |
The perfect participle means the
same thing as après + past infinitive, with one
difference: the present perfect participle can have a different subject than the
main clause (see the third and fourth examples).
| Ayant fait mes devoirs, j'ai regardé la télé. (Après avoir fait mes devoirs...) |
Having finished my homework, I watched TV. Since I had finished my homework.... After finishing my homework.... |
| Étant partie très tôt, elle a dû conduire seule. (Après être partie très tôt...) |
Having left very early, she had to drive alone. Because she left very early.... |
| Ses enfants ayant grandi, Chantal est rentrée à l'école. | Her kids grown, Chantal went back to school. Her kids having grown... |
| Mon père étant parti, j'ai pleuré. | My father gone, I cried. My father having left... |
As with most compound tenses, when using the perfect participle,
personal pronouns precede the
auxiliary verb and negative adverbs surround it.
| Lui ayant donné le livre, je suis parti. | Having given him the book, I left. After I gave him the book... |
| N'ayant pas étudié, elle a raté l'examen. | Not having studied, she failed the test. Since she didn't study... |
| Test on the French perfect participle |
| The free, twice-weekly About French newsletter keeps you informed about changes
to this site, including new lessons, articles, and forum discussions. Subscribe today!
|
