FrenchConjugationPassé Composé

Manger (to eat) · Passé Composé

By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated May 29, 2026

Manger in the French passé composé is: j'ai mangé, tu as mangé, il/elle/on a mangé, nous avons mangé, vous avez mangé, ils/elles ont mangé. The passé composé of manger uses AVOIR + participle 'mangé'. 'J'ai mangé une pizza' = 'I ate a pizza'. The participle 'mangé' is invariable unless preceded by a direct object.

manger conjugation in the Passé Composé
To Eat	Manger
I ate	j'ai mangé
you ate	tu as mangé
he/she ate	il/elle/on a mangé
we ate	nous avons mangé
you ate	vous avez mangé
they ate	ils/elles ont mangé

Examples

Manger (to eat) in context

Sentences that use manger in the passé composé. Tap each to hear it.

J'ai mangé une pizza hier soir.

I ate a pizza last night.

Tu as mangé à midi?

Did you eat at noon?

Elle a mangé trop de chocolat.

She ate too much chocolate.

Nous avons mangé un délicieux repas.

We ate a delicious meal.

Vous avez mangé chez vos parents?

Did you eat at your parents'?

Ils ont mangé toute la tarte.

They ate the whole pie.

Tip

Working with the passé composé

The passé composé is French's dominant past tense — used in almost every spoken past reference ("j'ai mangé" = "I ate" or "I have eaten"). It's a COMPOUND tense formed with an auxiliary (avoir for most verbs, être for ~17 motion/state verbs and all reflexives) plus a past participle. Two things to memorise: which verbs take être (aller, venir, partir, sortir, arriver, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, rester, tomber, devenir, retourner, entrer, rentrer, passer, revenir — the so-called "house of être"), and agreement rules (être verbs agree with the subject; avoir verbs only agree with a preceding direct object).

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you form the passé composé of manger?

Use avoir + the past participle 'mangé' (drop -er, add -é): j'ai mangé, tu as mangé, il a mangé, nous avons mangé, vous avez mangé, ils ont mangé. The participle 'mangé' is regular — no -ger spelling adjustment needed before -é.

Does 'mangé' agree with the subject?

Since manger takes avoir, 'mangé' is invariable in standard cases. Exception: preceding direct object triggers agreement ('la pomme que j'ai mangée' = the apple I ate — feminine singular).

When do I use 'j'ai mangé' instead of 'je mangeais'?

Use 'j'ai mangé' for a specific completed meal: 'hier, j'ai mangé une pizza' (yesterday, I ate a pizza). Use 'je mangeais' for habitual or ongoing past eating: 'chaque jour, je mangeais à la même heure' (every day, I used to eat at the same time).