Download French Perfect Participle ~ Passé composé du participe présent

French Perfect Participle ~ Passé composé du participe présent
The French perfect participle is used to describe a condition existing in the past or an action that took
place right before another action. It is equivalent to "having + past participle" in English and is similar to the
après + past infinitive construction.
The French perfect participle is used to describe a condition existing in the past or an action that took place
right before another action. It means the same thing as après + l'infinitif passé, with one difference: the
perfect participle can have a different subject than the main clause. Having studied this lesson, you'll have
no trouble with the French perfect participle.
The perfect participle is a compound verb. It is formed with the present participle of the auxiliary verb
(either avoir or être) plus the past participle of the main verb.
AIMER
ayant aimé
DEVENIR (être verb)
étant devenu(e)(s)
SE LEVER (pronominal verb)
s'étant levé(e)(s)
The perfect participle means the same thing as après + past infinitive, with one difference: the present
perfect participle can have a different subject than the main clause (see the third and fourth examples).
Ayant fait mes devoirs, j'ai regardé la télé.
(Après avoir fait mes devoirs...)
Having finished my homework, I watched TV.
Since I had finished my homework....
After finishing my homework....
Étant partie très tôt, elle a dû conduire seule.
(Après être partie très tôt...)
Having left very early, she had to drive alone.
Because she left very early....
Ses enfants ayant grandi, Chantal est rentrée à l'école. Her kids grown, Chantal went back to school.
Her kids having grown...
Mon père étant parti, j'ai pleuré.
My father gone, I cried.
My father having left...
As with most compound tenses, when using the perfect participle, personal pronouns precede the
auxiliary verb and negative adverbs surround it.
Lui ayant donné le livre, je suis parti.
Having given him the book, I left.
After I gave him the book...
N'ayant pas étudié, elle a raté l'examen. Not having studied, she failed the test.
Since she didn't study...
French Past Infinitive
Infinitif passé
The French past infinitive indicates an action that occurred before the action of the main verb, but only
when the subject of both verbs is the same. The past infinitive sounds awkward in English - we usually
change it to another tense or reword the sentence completely, as you can see in the following examples:
Je veux avoir terminé avant midi. I want to finish (to have finished) by noon.
Il regrette d'être venu.
He regrets coming (having come).
The past infinitive is a compound verb. It is formed with the infinitive of the auxiliary verb (either avoir or
être) plus the past participle of the main verb.
AIMER
avoir aimé
DEVENIR (être verb)
être devenu(e)(s)
SE LEVER (pronominal verb) s'être levé(e)(s)
Since the infinitive auxiliary verb is unconjugated, the past infinitive is the same conjugation for all subjects.
Je veux avoir terminé...
I want to have finished...
Il veut avoir terminé...
He wants to have finished...
Nous voulons avoir terminé... We want to have finished...
However, you do need to follow the normal rules of agreement:
Après être allés, nous...
After having gone, we...
J'ai téléphoné à Anne après l'avoir vue. I called Anne after having seen her.
And pronominal verbs still need a reflexive pronoun:
Je veux m'être habillé
I want to have gotten dressed
Après vous être lavé... After you've washed up...
The French past infinitive indicates an action that occurred before the action of the main verb. In order to
use the past infinitive, the subject of both verbs has to be the same.
Uses:
A. To modify the verb in the main clause:
J'aurais préféré t'avoir vu hier.
I would have preferred seeing you yesterday.
Il se rappelle d'être venu ici il y a un an. He remembers coming here a year ago.
B. To modify the adjective in the main clause:
Je suis ravi de t'avoir vu.
I'm delighted to have seen you.
Il est content d'être venu ici il y a un an. He's happy that he came here a year ago.
C. With the preposition après (after):
Après t'avoir vu, j'étais heureux.
After seeing you, I was happy.
Après être venu ici, il a acheté une voiture. After coming here, he bought a car.
D. When expressing gratitude:
Je vous remercie de m'avoir aidé. I thank you for helping me.
Merci de m'avoir envoyé la lettre.
Thank you for sending me the letter.
Notes on word order
A. In everyday French negative adverbs do not surround the infinitive; they both precede it:
Excusez-moi de ne pas être venu.
Excuse me for not coming (not having come).
Je suis ravi de ne jamais avoir raté un
examen.
I'm delighted that I've never failed a test (to have never failed a
test).
In formal French, however, they may surround it.
B. As with the other compound tenses, personal pronouns precede the auxiliary verb of the past infinitive:
Après t'avoir vu...
After seeing you... (After having seen you...)
Il se rappelle d'y être allé. He remembers going there (...having gone there).