This French A2 lesson explains passé composé weekend step by step, with examples in French and English. Then practise with the worksheet on passé composé weekend and check yourself with the quiz.
Quick answer: To talk about last weekend in French, use the passé composé: the present of avoir or être plus a past participle. Most verbs take avoir (j’ai mangé); movement verbs such as aller and rester take être and agree with the subject (elle est partie). Add markers like hier and samedi dernier.
Level: French A2 (CEFR elementary) · Standards: CEFR A2, Spoken production
Passé composé weekend: the lesson
What is the passé composé and when do you use it?
Definition
The passé composé reports a finished action: what you did, saw or decided. It has two parts, an auxiliary verb in the present (avoir or être) and a past participle. In conversation it replaces the English simple past (I ate) and the present perfect (I have eaten).
How do you form it with avoir?
Most verbs use avoir. Take the present of avoir, then add the participle: -er becomes -é, -ir becomes -i, -re becomes -u.
| Subject | cuisiner | finir | attendre |
|---|---|---|---|
| je / j’ | j’ai cuisiné | j’ai fini | j’ai attendu |
| tu | tu as cuisiné | tu as fini | tu as attendu |
| il / elle | il a cuisiné | il a fini | il a attendu |
| nous | nous avons cuisiné | nous avons fini | nous avons attendu |
| vous | vous avez cuisiné | vous avez fini | vous avez attendu |
| ils / elles | ils ont cuisiné | ils ont fini | ils ont attendu |
Common irregular participles: faire → fait, prendre → pris, voir → vu, boire → bu, avoir → eu, être → été.
Which verbs use être?
Rule
About fifteen verbs of movement or change take être: aller, venir, arriver, partir, entrer, sortir, rentrer, rester, tomber, monter, descendre. So do all reflexive verbs (Je me suis levé tôt). The participle then agrees with the subject, like an adjective.
Examples
- Inès est allée au marché de Rabat. — Inès went to the Rabat market.
- Mes amis sont restés à Lille. — My friends stayed in Lille.
- Nous sommes rentrées à minuit. — We (two women) got home at midnight.
How do you make it negative and place the time?
Wrap the auxiliary: Je n’ai pas dormi. Elle n’est pas sortie. Time markers go at the start or end of the sentence:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| hier, hier soir | yesterday, last night |
| samedi dernier, le week-end dernier | last Saturday, last weekend |
| il y a deux jours | two days ago |
| d’abord, ensuite, enfin | first, then, finally |
Watch out
English speakers say j’ai allé because “I have gone” uses “have”. In French, aller takes être: je suis allé(e). Also, j’ai regardé means both “I watched” and “I have watched”.
Culture note
French speakers say le week-end, an English loanword. Sunday morning often means la grasse matinée (sleeping in) or a trip to the open-air market.
Zoé’s tip
Picture a house: if you go in, out, up, down, or stay in it, the verb moves into the être house. Everything else lives with avoir.
Key points to remember
- Most verbs form the passé composé with avoir + participle: nous avons visité.
- About fifteen verbs of movement or change, plus reflexive verbs, take être: je suis allé(e).
- With être, the participle agrees with the subject: elles sont arrivées.
- Negation surrounds the auxiliary: je n’ai pas travaillé.
- Useful markers: hier soir, samedi dernier, le week-end dernier, il y a deux jours.
Telling Friends What You Did Last Weekend: frequently asked questions
How do you say “I went to the market” in French?
Say je suis allé(e) au marché. Aller takes être, so the participle agrees with the subject: allé for a man, allée for a woman.
How do you choose between avoir and être?
Use avoir for most verbs. Use être for about fifteen verbs of movement or change (aller, partir, rester, sortir…) and for reflexive verbs. Learning them as a short list works best.
When does the past participle agree?
With être, it agrees with the subject: Inès est partie, ils sont partis. With avoir, it stays unchanged: elle a mangé, ils ont mangé.
How do you say “last weekend” in French?
Say le week-end dernier. For a specific day, put dernier after it: samedi dernier. For “yesterday” use hier, and for “two days ago” use il y a deux jours.
How do you ask someone about their weekend?
Ask Qu’est-ce que tu as fait ce week-end ? or, more formally, Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait ce week-end ?. Another friendly option is Tu as passé un bon week-end ?