Appendix J
Participe passé Agreement
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Participe passé - Agreement |
To see the various forms of the French Participe passé (p.p.), see the Participe passé section of this site.
The agreement of the French Participe passé is a challenge for learners of French because sometimes it agrees with other words and sometimes it doesn't.
This behaviour of the Participe passé (p.p.) merits an entire section of its own, so this Appendix covers the details of when and how to make a "participe passé" agree in gender and number with other words.
It's best to study this section when your mind is clear and fresh, and to read the whole section through. Reading it a few times will get these concepts firmly established in your mind, and will help build solid understanding.
In addition, the rules of agreement for the Participe passé (p.p.) are indicated in all the relevant sections of this site where applicable.
You can also download the powerful French Verb Tense Sample Gallery – the 270-page volume (pdf) for a handy reference volume packed with examples and English translations of every verb tense in every format explained on this site.
You can get it HERE.
So, let's begin our in-depth exploration of the rules of agreement of the French Participe passé (p.p.).
In a nutshell, as the links A-E below show, the Participe passé (p.p.) must agree with other words ...
A) When the p.p. is acting "independently", as an adjective.
B) When the p.p. is used with "être" to create "direct passive action".
C) When the p.p. is used with "être" to create the "temps composés" with the "Secret Travel Club" set of verbs. (Appendix B)
D) In certain cases when the p.p. is used with "être" to create any compound tense (a "temps composé") in the pronominal format - explained in Appendix D.
E) When the p.p. is used with "avoir", the "p.p." agreement with other words is "trickier".
| A) |
The Participe passé (p.p.) adjusts its spelling to agree with other words when the p.p. is acting "independently", as an adjective. When the p.p. is acting independently, like a normal adjective, it agrees in gender and number with the word it's describing. |
Examples
"La lettre écrite ..." ("lettre" is féminin singulier)
"The written letter . . ."
"Blessés et fatigués, ils ont décidé de se reposer." ("ils" is masculin pluriel)
"Wounded and tired, they decided to rest."
| B) |
The Participe passé (p.p.) agrees with other words when the p.p. is used with "être" to create "direct passive action". (which is when the subject of the verb (and its mirror pronoun) is also the direct object of that verb.) Whenever a p.p. is being used with "être" to create the direct passive voice, it's really acting like an adjective. |
Examples
"La présentation a été complétée." ("présentation" is féminin singulier)
"The presentation has been/was completed."
"Les réponses seront vérifiées." ("réponses" is féminin pluriel)
"The answers will be checked."
| C) |
The Participe passé (p.p.) agrees with other words when the p.p. is used with "être" to create the "temps composés" with the "Secret Travel Club" set of verbs. (Appendix B) Whenever a p.p. is being used to create a compound tense (a "temps composé") with one of the verbs from the "Secret Travel Club", it must use "être" as the auxiliary verb and the p.p. automatically agrees in gender and number with the subject of the main verb. |
Examples
"Elle est retournée à Toronto." ("elle" – féminin singulier)
"She returned / She has returned / She did return (went back) to Toronto."
"Les étudiantes étaient descendues à la cafétéria." ("étudiantes" – féminin pluriel)
"The female students had gone down to the cafeteria."
| D) |
In certain cases the Participe passé (p.p.) agrees with other words when the p.p. is used with "être" to create a compound tense (a "temps composé") in the pronominal format – a verb form that requires the subject to also include its "mirror pronoun". The mirror pronouns are: (je – me/m'; tu – te/t'; il – se/s'; elle – se/s'; on – se/s'; nous – nous; vous – vous; ils – se/s'; elles – se/s'). (For further details, see Appendix D). Whenever a p.p. is being used to create a Compound tense (a "temps composé" – defined and illustrated in Appendix A) in the pronominal verb format, it must always use "être" as the auxiliary verb. |
Examples
IMPORTANT:
The handling of the pronominal verb format is fully explained and illustrated in Appendix D. The rules below are summary details regarding only the agreement of the p.p. in gender and number with other words (when the p.p. is being used as part of the pronominal format of verbs.)
The reader is also encouraged to download the pdf edition of The French Verb Tense Sample Gallery for the full range of examples covering all forms of the pronominal verb format. It's a handy reference for exploration, discovery, and review! You can get it HERE.
How to handle the p.p. of the pronominal form of verbs, according to their types, when used in the "Temps composés" (Compound tenses – Defined in Appendix A) |
As explained and illustrated in detail in Appendix D , there are eight possible pronominal formats:
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1) Le pronominal "essentiel" |
5) Le pronominal "réciproque direct" |
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2) Le pronominal "idiomatique" |
6) Le pronominal "réciproque indirect" |
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3) Le pronominal "réfléchi direct" |
7) Le pronominal "passif" |
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4) Le pronominal "réfléchi indirect" |
8) Le pronominal "impersonnel" (passif) |
When using the pronominal format in any of the "temps composés", the auxiliary verb "être" is always used and the p.p. agrees in different ways according to which verbs are being used.
The basic rules of agreementof the Participe passé (p.p.) with examples are presented below.
The illustrations below will examine the handling of the p.p. in the pronominal format of the French Compound Tenses (les Temps composés – an auxiliary verb combined with the p.p. of the main verb – Defined in detail in Appendix A).
Since each Temps composé contains a p.p., the correct handling of the p.p. is always under consideration!
Reminder: The pronominal format of a temps composé always uses a mirror pronoun and the auxiliary "être".)
1) With the "Verbes essentiellement pronominaux", the p.p. agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb.
Example:
"Elles se sont absentées deux jours de suite."
"They (females) were absent two days in a row."
NOTE: See Appendix E for more verbs from this group.
2) With the "Verbes pronominaux idiomatiques", the p.p. agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb.
Example:
"Est-ce que les avocates se sont rendues à la réunion?"
"Did the (female) lawyers get to the meeting?"
NOTE: See Appendix F for more verbs from this group.
3) to 6) below:
Next there exists the "optional" pronominal format of French verbs (also called accidentel – explained in detail in Appendix D).
With the "Verbes optionellement pronominaux", there are four possible relationships:
the "réfléchi direct",
the "réfléchi indirect",
the "réciproque direct", and
the "réciproque indirect".
As will be seen in each of these cases, the p.p. ONLY agrees in gender and number with the mirror pronoun if the mirror pronoun is also functioning as the direct object of the main verb.
3) With the "Pronominal "réfléchi direct", the p.p. agrees in gender and number with the mirror pronoun (because the mirror pronoun is also functioning as a direct object)
Example:
" Sylvie s'est préparée avant 20h00."
" Sylvie got herself ready before 8:00 pm."
(The direct object – s', representing Sylvie, comes before the p.p., therefore there is agreement.)
NOTE: See Appendix G for more examples of verbs that can function this way.
4) With the "Pronominal "réfléchi indirect", the p.p.'s spelling is left unchanged – (the mirror pronoun is functioning as an indirect object) – the participe passé never agrees with indirect objects.
Example:
"La jeune fille s'est parlé en jouant."
"The little girl talked to herself while playing."
(The p.p.'s spelling is left unchanged – (the mirror pronoun "s'" – representing "la jeune fille" – is functioning as an indirect object) – the participe passé never agrees with indirect objects.)
NOTE: See Appendix G for more examples of verbs that can function this way.
5) With the "Pronominal "réciproque direct", the p.p. agrees in gender and number with the mirror pronoun (because the mirror pronoun is also functioning as a direct object)
Example:
"Les enseignantes se sont saluées à la réunion."
"The (female) teachers greeted each other at the meeting."
(The direct object – se, representing les enseignantes, comes before the p.p., therefore there is agreement)
NOTE: See Appendix G for more examples of verbs that can function this way.
6) With the "Pronominal "réciproque indirect", the p.p.'s spelling is left unchanged – (the mirror pronoun is functioning as an indirect object) – the participe passé never agrees with indirect objects.
Example:
"Les enseignantes se sont parlé à la réunion."
"The (female) teachers spoke to each other at the meeting."
(The p.p.'s spelling is left unchanged – (the mirror pronoun "se" – representing "les enseignantes" – is functioning as an indirect object) – the participe passé never agrees with indirect objects.)
NOTE: See Appendix G for more examples of verbs that can function this way.
7) With the "Verbes pronominaux passifs", the p.p. agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb because the subject is also functioning as a direct object).
Example:
"Une lumière s'est allumée dans le salon."
"A light was turned on in the living room." (Passive idea - was turned on by someone not specified)
(The p.p. agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb because the subject is also functioning as a direct object).
NOTE: See Appendix H for more examples of verbs that can function this way.
8) With the "Verbes pronominaux impersonnels" (which also create a "passive" meaning), the p.p. agrees with "il", which means that it always remains masculine, singular.
Example:
"Il s'est vendu plusieurs maisons la semaine dernière."
"Several houses were sold last week." (Passive idea - were sold by someone not specified)
(The p.p. agrees with "il", which means that it always remains masculine, singular.)
NOTE: See Appendix H for more examples of verbs that can function this way.
| E) |
When the p.p. is used with "avoir", the " p.p. " agreement with other words is trickier. |
When a p.p. is being used in a "temps composé" (Appendix A) with "avoir" as its auxiliary verb (Appendix B) a specific set of rules of p.p. agreement goes into effect.
It all becomes a question of whether or not the p.p. agrees in gender and number with a nearby "grammatical object".
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In French, when someone or something is the "receiver of a verb's action", it's called an object (grammatically speaking). It can be an "indirect" object, or a "direct" object, and can be in the form of a noun or a pronoun. |
Preview: Follow the guidelines below when deciding whether or not to make the p.p. of a Compound tense (which is using "avoir") agree with other words: (Just read the short rule-set below for the moment. Everything else will be explained and illustrated shortly.)
Rules of agreement between a p.p. and a grammatical object (when using the verb"avoir" to create temps composés – Compound Tenses.
To know when to use "avoir" see Appendix B)
1) If there is no grammatical object, the spelling of the p.p. remains unchanged.
2) If there is a grammatical object and it comes after the p.p., the spelling of the p.p. remains unchanged.
3) If there is a grammatical object and it comes before the p.p., see a) and b) (next)
a) if the grammatical object is indirect, the spelling of the p.p. remains unchanged,
b) if the grammatical object is direct, the spelling of the p.p. will change to agree in gender and number with the direct object. (whether the grammatical object appears as a noun or as a pronoun).
How To Know if a Verb Takes a Direct or an Indirect Object: |
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First of all, look up the verb in a good English-French, or French dictionary. |
(Examples: "téléphoner à quelqu'un"; "appeler quelqu'un") - (To phone someone, to call someone) |
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(ex. téléphoner à quelqu'un – the "quelqu'un" in this particular arrangement is an indirect object because according to the dictionary an " à " is required to link the action to the object).The verb is forced to make a "detour" around the preposition à to get to the object. It is considered to be an indirect route. |
(ex. appeler quelqu'un – the "quelqu'un" in this particular arrangement is a direct object because according to the dictionary, no " à " is required). |
Let's restate this rule that applies across the entire French language, with various effects in spelling of the participe passé (p.p.) as well as in the choice of direct or indirect pronouns.
If the dictionary shows that the preposition " à " needs to be inserted between the verb and the grammatical object of the verb (in the context you intend), that "object" is considered to be "indirect", because the verb must make a "detour" around the word " à " to reach the object.
Examples of indirect-object combinations:
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parler à quelqu'un |
In this context, the fact that the preposition " à " is required between the verb and its grammatical object makes the "quelqu'un" an "indirect" object. |
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to speak to someone |
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écrire à quelqu'un |
In this context, the fact that the preposition " à " is required between the verb and its grammatical object makes the "quelqu'un" an "indirect" object. |
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to write to somebody |
Now let's take a look at a couple of direct-object combinations:
Let's review: What makes an object "direct"?
If no " à " is required between a verb and the grammatical object of the verb, the "object" is called a "direct" object because the verb does not have to make a detour around the word " à " to reach its object.
It's that simple. As explained in the "How To Know if a Verb Takes a Direct or Indirect Object" table above, when in doubt of whether or not a verb requires an " à " between itself and its object, find the verb in the dictionary. Look for the way the verb behaves in the context you have in mind, and you'll find the " à " there somewhere if it's required.
Examples:
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lire quelque chose |
The fact that no " à " is required between the verb and its grammatical object, makes the "quelque chose" a direct object. |
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to read something |
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appeler quelqu'un |
The fact that no " à " is required between the verb and its grammatical object, makes the "quelqu'un" a direct object. |
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to call somebody |
Now let's take a detailed look at the effect that indirect or direct objects have (or do not have) on the Participe passé (p.p.) when used with the auxiliary verb avoir to create any compound tense (Temps composés)
Below we will see a Three-Point Participe passé (p.p.) Agreement Filter, a set of three simple questions to enable us to instantly decide whether or not to make a p.p. agree with a grammatical "object". Remember that this set of questions is dealing with the p.p. of a main verb which is using the verb "avoir" as its auxiliary verb to create a "temps composé" (as defined and illustrated in Appendix B).
Reminder: Follow these guidelines when deciding whether or not to make the p.p. of a temps composé –Compound tense (which is using "avoir") agree with other words:
1) If there is no grammatical object, the spelling of the p.p. remains unchanged.
2) If there is a grammatical object and it comes after the p.p., the spelling of the p.p. remains unchanged.
3) If there is a grammatical object and it comes before the p.p., see a) and b) (next)
a) if the grammatical object is indirect, the spelling of the p.p. remains unchanged,
b) if the grammatical object is direct, the spelling of the p.p. will change to agree in gender and number with the direct object. (whether the grammatical object appears as a noun or as a pronoun).
The Three-Point p.p. Agreement Filter– When using the verb "avoir" to create temps composés – Compound Tenses – Appendix B |
We need to answer the three following questions:1) Is there an "object"? 2) Where is the object located relative to the p.p. – before or after? 3) What "kind" of object is it? Direct or Indirect? |
Let's discuss the implications of each of these questions to get an idea of how this agreement filter works.
After looking at how the filter works, we'll apply it to several examples.
The Three-Point p.p. Agreement Filter(A Few More Details)– When using the verb "avoir" to create temps composés – Compound Tenses – Appendix B |
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1) Is there an "object"? - If not, the p.p. doesn't agree with anything, and therefore doesn't change its spelling. There's no need to proceed any further in the analysis. - But if there is an "object", proceed to Question 2. (Also see below: "Illustration of the Three-Point Agreement Filter") |
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2) Where is the object located relative to the p.p. – after or before? - If there is an "object", is it located after the p.p., or before the p.p.? - If the "object" comes after the p.p., the p.p. does NOT change its spelling. No need to proceed any further. - If the "object" comes before the p.p., proceed to Question 3. (Also see Section below "Illustration of the Three-Point Agreement Filter") |
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3) What "kind" of object is it? - If there is an "object", AND it's located before the p.p., what kind of "object" is it – "Indirect" or "Direct"? (See the Box above titled " How to know if a verb takes a direct or indirect object) - If the "object" is "indirect", the p.p. does NOT change its spelling. - If the "object" is "direct" (No " à " is required between the verb and its object), the p.p. must agree in gender and in number with that "object". (Also see Section below "Illustration of the Three-Point Agreement Filter") |
Let's now apply the "Three-Point p.p. Agreement Filter" to a few examples to see the thinking in action.
Step-by-Step Illustration of the Three-Point p.p. Agreement Filter– When using the verb "avoir" to create temps composés – Compound Tenses – Appendix B |
Question 1) Is there an "object"?
Example 1) "J'ai mangé." = "I have eaten." Question 1: Is there an "object" (an "action receiver")? Answer: No. Therefore, there is no p.p. agreement. No need to proceed any further.
Example 2) "J'ai mangé la pomme." = "I have eaten the apple / I ate the apple / I did eat the apple." Question 1: Is there an "object" (an "action receiver")? Answer: Yes. (la pomme) Therefore, proceed to Question 2. |
Question 2) Where is the object located relative to the participe passé (p.p.) – after or before?
Example 1) "J'ai mangé la pomme." = "I have eaten the apple. / I ate the apple. / I did eat the apple." Question 2: Where is the object located? Is the "object" after or before the p.p.? Answer: After the p.p. Therefore, there is no p.p. agreement. No need to proceed any further.
Example 2) (I am taking Example 1 above and replacing la pomme by the direct-object pronoun "la" (la becomes l' in front of a vowel) "Je l'ai mangée. Question 2: Where is the object located this time? Is the "object" after or before the p.p.? Answer: Before the p.p. Therefore, proceed to Question 3 (in the next table)
Example 3) "J'ai parlé à Marie." = "I have spoken to Marie / I spoke to Marie. / I did speak to Marie.." Question 2: Where is the object located? Is the "object" after or before the p.p.? Answer: After the p.p. Therefore, there is no p.p. agreement. No need to proceed any further.
Example 4) (I am taking Example 4 above and replacing à Marie by the indirect personal pronoun "lui" (Note: The indirect personal pronoun "lui" is used for male or female) "Je lui ai parlé." = I have spoken to her." · Question 2: Where is the object located this time? Is the "object" after or before the p.p.? · Answer: Before the p.p. · Therefore, proceed to Question 3 (in the next table) |
Question 3) What "kind" of object is it? Indirect or Direct?
Is the "object" "indirect" or "direct"? How can you know?A reasonably good dictionary will show whether or not the preposition " à " is required between the verb and the object.
Example 1) "Je lui ai parlé." = I have spoken to him/her. / I spoke to him/her. I did speak to him / her." Question 3: What "kind" of object is it? Answer: For this context, the dictionary entry for the verb "parler" will show something like "parler à qqn" for the context I want (to speak to somebody). The "qn" means quelqu'un (someone), and the dictionary also shows that the preposition " à " is required between the verb and the "object" (qn), so I have used the indirect pronoun "lui" in the example. Since "lui" is an indirect object, there is no p.p. agreement. The p.p. never agrees with an indirect object. Compare this to the next example which shows the effect of a direct-object pronoun coming before the p.p. of the main verb.
Example 2) "Je l'ai mangée." = I have eaten it. / I ate it. / I did eat it." (the l' is representing "pomme" as in Example 2, above – previous table) Question 3: What "kind" of object is it? Answer: For this context, the dictionary entry for the verb "manger" will show something like "manger qch" (to eat something). The "qch" means quelque chose (something), and the dictionary also shows that the preposition " à " is not required between the verb and the "object" (qch) which means that the object is a direct object. So I have used the "direct-object pronoun "la (l')" in the example. Since "la (l')" is a direct-object pronoun and it is coming before the p.p., the p.p. must agree with that object (féminin singulier). This is similar to the next example which shows the effect of a direct-object noun coming before the p.p. of the main verb.
Example 3) "Où est la pomme que j'ai achetée? = "Where is the apple (that) I bought?" Question 3: What "kind" of object is it? Answer: For this context, the dictionary entry for the verb "manger" will show something like "manger qch" for the context I want. The dictionary also indicates that no " à " is required between the verb and the object. Therefore, the "object" is "direct" AND is coming before the p.p., so the p.p. must agree in gender and number with the "object". The p.p. receives an additional " e " to represent "pomme" (féminin singulier) as shown in the example. |
Review:
Remember to follow these guidelines when deciding whether or not to make the p.p. of a temps composé – Compound tense (which is using "avoir") agree with other words:
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1) If there is no grammatical object, the spelling of the p.p. remains unchanged.
2) If there is a grammatical object and it comes after the p.p., the spelling of the p.p. remains unchanged.
3) If there is a grammatical object and it comes before the p.p., see a) and b) (next)
a) if the grammatical object is indirect, the spelling of the p.p. remains unchanged,
b) if the grammatical object is direct, the spelling of the p.p. will change to agree in gender and number with the direct object. (whether the grammatical object appears as a noun or as a pronoun).
A Few Final Considerations on p.p. Agreement with Pronominals (Defined in Appendix D)
Reflexive Action and p.p. Agreement |
Consider the short sentence:"Elle s'est lavée." = "She washed herself. / She has washed herself. / She did wash herself." The verb "laver" is a "normal" verb being forced by the speaker to function reflexively. The "action receiver" or "object" is "se" (herself). The dictionary indicates that no " à " is required between the verb "laver" and the object (the action receiver), so the "se" is a direct object. For this reason, the p.p. must agree with that object in gender and number, as shown in the sentence. However, consider the following case of a reflexive pronominal where an additional direct object is inserted after the p.p. :
A) "Elle s'est lavé les mains." = "She washed her hands. / She has washed her hands. / She did wash her hands." Again, the verb "laver" is a "normal" verb being forced by the speaker to function reflexively. But this time, the direct "action receiver" or direct object is "les mains" (the hands). The hands (of the girl) received the washing, and not the girl herself. This direct object (les mains) comes after the p.p., so in this case the p.p. does not change its spelling. It works just like Question 2 of the Three-Point Agreement Filter Illustration shown above when using "avoir" as the auxiliary verb. Now let's place the direct object (the hands) before the p.p. in the form of a pronoun to see what happens.
B) Elle se les est lavées. = She washed them. / She has washed them. / She did wash them. (them = her hands) In this example, the pronoun "les" has replaced the article and noun "les mains" from the previous example. The auxiliary is still "être" because I am still using the pronominal format with a Temps composé. But because the object receiving the action is now coming before the p.p., we need to identify what kind of object it is. The dictionary shows something like "laver qch" – qch meaning quelque chose (something). The "les" replacing "les mains" is therefore functioning as a direct object because the dictionary indicates that no " à " is required between the verb "laver" and its object. So we have a direct object coming before the p.p., and whenever the direct object comes before the p.p., the p.p. must agree in gender and number with that direct object. Since "mains" is feminine plural, the p.p. "lavé" must be spelled "lavées" (féminin pluriel). |
Reciprocal Action and p.p. Agreement |
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Consider the short sentence: Elles se sont parlé. = They (females) spoke to each other. / They have spoken to each other. / They did speak to each other." The verb "parler" is a "normal" verb being forced by the speaker to function reciprocally (both action doers are sending the same action back and forth to each other). The "action receiver" or "object" is "se" (each other) and comes before the p.p.. For my intended context, the dictionary shows something like "parler à qn", indicating that the preposition " à " is required between the verb "parler" and its object (its action receiver) which makes the object an indirect object. So the "se" in this case is an "indirect" object. The p.p. therefore does not agree with that object, because a p.p. never agrees with indirect objects. |
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Les gagnantes se sont félicitées. = The (female) winners congratulated each other. The verb "féliciter" is a "normal" verb being forced by the speaker to function reciprocally (both action doers are sending the same action back and forth to each other). The "action receiver" or "object" is "se" (each other) and comes before the p.p. The dictionary shows something like "féliciter qn", indicating that no " à " is required between the verb "féliciter" and its object (its action receiver), which makes the object in this example a direct object. Because the direct object is coming before the p.p., the p.p. must agree with that object in gender and number. The mirror direct-object pronoun "se" represents "les gagnantes" – the (female) winners – so the p.p. "félicité" will receive an additional "es" as shown in the example. |
The agreement of the French participe passé is very sensitive to the context in which it's being used, as this section has discussed in detail.
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