Verbs & tenses

What did you do yesterday?

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

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Ten questions. One at a time.

Build the past tense with a present-tense helper and a past participle. Check each answer, read why it works, then retry if you want.

Refresh the pattern before starting

Most verbs use avoir. Verbs such as aller and partir use être in these examples. With aller and être, check agreement with the subject.

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Build the verb

Questions 1–3 · Choose the helper or supply the past participle.

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1. Complete the sentence.Hier, j’___ un café.

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Use ai pris. Je takes ai with avoir, and pris is the past participle of prendre. Suis pris has a different meaning; a pris goes with il or elle.

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2. Léa is talking about yesterday.Léa ___ au cinéma.

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Use est allée. Aller takes être in this construction, and allée agrees with Léa. A allé uses the wrong auxiliary; est allé misses the feminine agreement.

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3. Add the past participle of faire.Nous avons ___ une pause.

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Use fait. Nous avons fait une pause means We took a break. Faire has the irregular past participle fait.

Use it in a sentence

Questions 4–7 · Try negatives, questions and verb choices.

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4. Choose the full written negative.I did not see the message.

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Use Je n’ai pas vu le message. Ne and pas surround ai. The other options put pas after the participle or leave the verb in the infinitive.

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5. Complete this inverted question.___-tu mangé ?

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Use As-tu mangé ? The auxiliary for tu with manger is as. Es is a form of être; a goes with il or elle.

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6. Choose the auxiliary for marcher.Nous ___ marché jusqu’au village.

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Use avons. Marcher takes avoir even though walking is movement. Sommes is the wrong auxiliary; avons été introduces an extra participle that does not fit here.

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7. Add the past participle of voir.Tu as ___ ce film ?

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Use vu, the past participle of voir. As is the auxiliary for tu.

Put the parts together

Questions 8–10 · Form a verb, spot an error and read a short sequence.

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8. Use finir in the passé composé.Hier, nous ___ nos devoirs.

Enter the auxiliary and past participle. Capitalisation and final punctuation are ignored.

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Use avons fini: nous takes avons and finir becomes fini. Enter both parts of the verb.

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9. Find the incorrect part.Elle a allé au marché.

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A allé is the incorrect verb group. Write Elle est allée au marché. Aller takes être here; allée agrees with elle. Elle and au marché are already correct.

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10. Which version correctly describes completed actions?Yesterday, we ate and then we left.

Here, nous refers to a masculine or mixed group. Choose one answer.

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Use Nous avons mangé, puis nous sommes partis. Manger takes avoir; partir takes être. Partis assumes a masculine or mixed nous group here. The alternatives swap one or both auxiliaries.

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