By the end of this lesson you'll be able to write about your last weekend and your last holiday, using the passé composé with confidence.
What you've learned
This unit has been all about the past. Skim this list, and go back to anything that feels shaky.
- Use irregular verbs. You know eleven of them in the present, from the lesson on common irregular verbs.
- Form the past with avoir. You know how from the lesson on the passé composé with avoir.
- Use irregular participles. You know fait, pris, vu and the rest, from the lesson on irregular past participles.
- Form the past with être. You know the verbs and the agreement, from the lesson on the passé composé with être.
- Give dates. You know years and ordinals, from the lesson on numbers over 100, ordinals and years.
- Say when. You know hier, la semaine dernière and déjà, from the lesson on time expressions for the past.
- Say never and nothing. You know jamais, rien and personne, from the lesson on other negative expressions.
- Chat about it. You know how to ask and answer, from the lesson on talking about your weekend.
A few words for your holiday
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| les vacances | lay vah-KAHNSS | the holidays, the vacationAlways plural. |
| la montagne | lah mohn-TAH-nyuh | the mountains |
| la mer | lah MEHR | the sea |
| l'été dernier | lay-tay dehr-NYAY | last summer |
| C'était super. | say-teh sew-PEHR | It was great.Fixed phrase for now. |
| un peu | uhn PUH | a little |
A model: last weekend
Here's Sarah's weekend, line by line. Look at each verb and ask yourself why it uses avoir or être.
Le week-end dernier, je suis allée à Strasbourg avec Paul.
Last weekend, I went to Strasbourg with Paul. (said by a woman)
Nous avons pris le train samedi matin.
We took the train on Saturday morning.
Nous avons visité la cathédrale et nous avons bu un chocolat chaud.
We visited the cathedral and we drank a hot chocolate.
Dimanche, je n'ai rien fait, et Paul n'a vu personne.
On Sunday, I did nothing, and Paul saw nobody.
Nous sommes rentrés dimanche soir.
We got back on Sunday evening.
A model: last holiday
Now the same writer goes further back.
L'été dernier, nous sommes partis à la mer.
Last summer, we went to the seaside.
Il y a trois mois, je suis allée à la montagne.
Three months ago, I went to the mountains. (said by a woman)
J'ai déjà vu la Bretagne, mais je n'ai jamais vu les Alpes.
I've already seen Brittany, but I've never seen the Alps.
C'était super, mais je n'ai pas encore lu mon guide !
It was great, but I haven't read my guidebook yet!
Notice the agreement. Nous sommes rentrés has an -s because the subject is plural and includes a man. Je suis allée has an -e because Sarah is the one speaking.
Your turn
Write two short paragraphs on paper or in a notes app. They can be true or invented.
Last weekend, in five or six sentences. Include:
- a time word for each sentence or two (samedi, dimanche matin, hier)
- two verbs with avoir, one regular and one irregular
- two verbs with être
- something you didn't do, with rien, personne or ne…pas
Your last holiday, in five or six sentences. Include:
- when it was, with l'été dernier, a year, or il y a and a length of time
- where you went
- something you've never done, with jamais
- something you've already done, with déjà
Check your work
Go through your paragraphs once for each question below.
- Does each verb have the right auxiliary, avoir or être?
- With être, does the participle agree with the subject?
- Is rien before the participle, and personne after it?
- Are déjà, jamais and pas encore between the two parts of the verb?
What's next
The next unit moves on to health and the body. It starts with the lesson on the body and health, where you'll learn how to say what hurts.