Un 10.4
The Passé Composé with Object Pronouns (COD and COI)
To tell more terse and precise stories, object pronouns are a must. That said, using object pronouns with the passé composé requires some extra attention.
Object Pronouns in the Passé Composé – Le passé composé et les compléments d’objet (COD/COI)
In the passé composé, direct and indirect object pronouns are placed in front of the conjugated auxiliary. The forms of the object pronouns are the same as in the present tense. Contraction can occur.
e.g.
|
Elle a trouvé mon chapeau. -> Elle l’a trouvé. |
She found my hat. -> She found it. |
|
Tu as demandé au client ? -> Tu lui as demandé ? |
You asked the client? -> You asked him/her? |
|
Le prince, l’avez-vous vu ? |
The prince, did you see him? |
Direct Object-Past Participle Agreement – Les accords COD-participe passé
When the direct object of a verb in the passé composé is in front of the verb, the verb’s past participle needs to agree with the direct object according to grammatical gender and grammatical number. This is most commonly seen when using direct object pronouns, since they are always placed in front of their corresponding verb in the passé composé. There is no agreement, however, for indirect objects.
e.g.
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
Masculine Direct Object |
Nous l’avons mangé. |
Nous les avons mangés. |
|
Feminine Direct Object |
Nous l’avons mangée. |
Nous les avons mangées. |
Although this agreement doesn’t change the pronunciation of past participles of -er verbs, it can have an influence on the pronunciation of other verbs whose past participles end in a consonant.
e.g.
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
Masculine Direct Object |
Il l’a fait. /fɛ/ |
Il les a faits. /fɛ/ |
|
Feminine Direct Object |
Il l’a faite. /fɛt/ |
Il les a faites. /fɛt/ |
The verb ‘devoir’ undergoes a slight spelling change when agreement occurs, however this doesn’t impact pronunciation.
e.g.
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
Masculine Direct Object |
Il l’a dû. /dy/ |
Il les a dus. /dy/ |
|
Feminine Direct Object |
Il l’a due. /dy/ |
Il les a dues. /dy/ |
Negation with object pronouns in the passé composé – La négation avec les COD et COI au passé composé
When object pronouns are used in negative sentences, they are placed directly in front of the auxiliary, in between the two negative particles. If the second negative particle is one that can move to another part of the sentence, the object pronouns does not move; it stays behind the first negative particle.
e.g.
|
Le chiot ? Non, ils ne l’ont pas acheté. |
The puppy? No, they didn’t buy it. |
|
La grande tortue ? Malheureusement, je ne l’ai pas encore vue. |
The big turtle? Unfortunately, I haven’t seen it yet. |
|
Personne ne leur a demandé. |
No one asked them. |
