Past participle agreement: the avoir/être decision tree

A three-question method that resolves 95% of agreement cases, including the tricky preceding direct object.

IntermediateScoreRoute7 min

Participle agreement is almost invisible in speech but glaring in writing — and written production is exactly where TEF/TCF candidates lose easy points. The good news: three questions, asked in order, settle nearly every case.

The decision tree

Auxiliary être (movement/state verbs and all reflexives)? → agree with the subject: « Elle est partie. Ils sont arrivés. »
Auxiliary avoir with a direct object placed BEFORE the verb? → agree with that object: « les lettres que j'ai écrites ».
Auxiliary avoir, object after the verb or no object? → no agreement: « j'ai écrit les lettres ».

Voici les documents que j'ai préparés pour mon dossier d'immigration.

Here are the documents I prepared for my immigration file.

Reflexive verbs: the elegant exception

Reflexive verbs use être but secretly follow the avoir logic: the participle agrees with the reflexive pronoun only when that pronoun is the direct object. When a body part or other object follows the verb, agreement disappears.

Elle s'est lavée. / Elle s'est lavé les mains.

She washed (herself). / She washed her hands.

Original ScoreRoute lesson — written for TEF Canada / TCF Canada preparation.

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