Past tense
To form the simple past tense, I gave/I have given, I finished/I
have finished, combine the present tense of the verb
avoir - to have with the past participle
of the verb
(donné,
fini,
répondu),
e.g.
|
j'ai donné
|
I gave/I have given
|
|
j'ai fini
|
I finished/I have finished
|
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j'ai répondu
|
I replied/I have replied
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Not all verbs take avoir
(j'ai..., il
a...) as their auxiliary verb; some verbs take
être (je
suis..., il est...). These are
intransitive verbs (which have no object),
e.g.
|
|
je suis allé
|
I went
|
|
|
je suis né
|
I was born
|
When the auxiliary verb être is
used, the past participle (allé,
né, etc.) becomes adjectival and
agrees with the subject of the verb,
e.g.
|
|
nous sommes allés
|
we went (plural)
|
|
|
je suis née
|
I was born (female)
|
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