Past Participle Agreement with Avoir

This rule is all about the Direct Object (COD). The COD is the 'what' or 'who' of the sentence. In the sentence J'ai mangé la pomme, the apple is the COD. Here, the apple is after the verb. Nothing happens to the verb mangé. However, what if we move the apple? If we say La pomme que j'ai mangée, the apple is now first. Because la pomme is feminine, we must add an e. This is called 'agreement'. It works for gender (feminine) and number (plural). The verb reflects the identity of the object it already passed. It is like a mirror. The verb looks back and sees the object. Then, it changes its outfit to match. If it sees a group of girls (les filles), it adds es. If it sees a group of books (les livres), it adds s. This only happens with avoir verbs. Remember, the subject (the person doing it) does not matter here. Only the object matters.

1. 1Identify the main verb in the passé composé using avoir.
2. 2Find the Direct Object (the person or thing being acted upon).
3. 3Check the location of this Direct Object.
4. 4If the object is *after* the verb, do nothing. Use the standard past participle.
5. 5If the object is *before* the verb, change the ending.
6. 6Add e for feminine singular objects.
7. 7Add s for masculine plural objects.
8. 8Add es for feminine plural objects.
9. 9Double check that the object is truly a Direct Object.
10. 10Do not agree with Indirect Objects (like people you talk *to*).

There are three main scenarios where the object jumps in front. The first is with the relative pronoun que. This happens a lot when describing things. For example: Les fleurs que j'ai achetées. The flowers are feminine plural. They come before ai achetées. So we add es. The second scenario is using direct object pronouns. These are le, la, les, me, te, nous, and vous. Imagine you are talking about your keys. You say Je les ai perdues. Since les refers to clés (feminine plural), we add es. The third scenario is in questions. This usually involves quel or combien de. You might ask: Quelles chaussures as-tu choisies?. The shoes are the object. They are at the start of the sentence. Therefore, the verb must agree. This is common when shopping or ordering food.

Most of the time, you don't need agreement. If you follow the standard SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) order, you are safe. J'ai vu mes amis. No agreement. The friends are at the end. Another big 'no' is Indirect Objects. These often follow the preposition à. Verbs like parler à, téléphoner à, or sourire à never agree. Even if the person is before the verb! If you say Je leur ai parlé, there is no s. Leur is an indirect object. This is a very common trap. Also, do not agree with the pronoun en. If you say J'en ai mangé, leave it alone. Even if en refers to five apples. Impersonal verbs like falloir also never agree. Les efforts qu'il a fallu. No s on fallu. These exceptions are small but important.

The biggest mistake is agreeing with the subject. This is what you do with être verbs. For avoir, the subject is irrelevant. Elle a mangé is correct, not Elle a mangée. People also forget to check the gender of pronouns. If la refers to a car, Je l'ai réparée needs that e. Another slip-up is agreeing with en. It's tempting to add an s, but stay strong. Resist the urge! Some learners also get confused with reflexive verbs. Those use être, so they follow different rules. Finally, watch out for the 'preceding object' rule in long sentences. Sometimes the object is far away at the start. You have to be a grammar detective to find it.

Let's compare this to être agreement. With être, you always agree with the subject. Elle est allée. Simple. With avoir, the subject is a ghost. It doesn't affect the verb ending. The only thing that matters is the preceding COD. Think of être as a marriage (verb matches subject). Think of avoir as a brief encounter (verb matches the object it just met). Also, contrast this with the present tense. In the present, we never worry about the object's position for endings. This is strictly a 'past participle' party.