Parler (to speak) · Passé Composé
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Parler in the French passé composé is: j'ai parlé, tu as parlé, il/elle/on a parlé, nous avons parlé, vous avez parlé, ils/elles ont parlé. The passé composé of parler uses AVOIR + participle 'parlé'. 'J'ai parlé avec lui' = 'I spoke with him'. The participle is invariable unless there's a preceding direct object.
| To Speak | Parler |
|---|---|
| I spoke | j'ai parlé |
| you spoke | tu as parlé |
| he/she spoke | il/elle/on a parlé |
| we spoke | nous avons parlé |
| you spoke | vous avez parlé |
| they spoke | ils/elles ont parlé |
Parler (to speak) in context
Sentences that use parler in the passé composé. Tap each to hear it.
I spoke with him yesterday.
Did you speak to your brother?
He spoke for hours.
We talked about everything and nothing.
Did you speak to the director?
They talked too loudly in the cinema.
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).
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the passé composé of parler?
Why does '-é' appear instead of '-é' agreement?
When do I use 'j'ai parlé' instead of 'je parlais'?
Practice Parler (To Speak) in real conversations
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