passé composé

French

Etymology

Literally, “compound past”, because, unlike the imparfait and passé simple, which use endings and/or root flexion, it uses an auxiliary verb and the past participle.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pa.se kɔ̃.po.ze/ ~ /pɑ.se kɔ̃.po.ze/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

passé composé m (plural passés composés)

  1. a past tense in French grammar, to express a completed ('perfect') action. In English, it can either be called the perfect tense or referred to by its French name. The name 'passé composé' reflects the fact that it is a compound tense, unlike the passé simple.

See also

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