Participle Agreement

The three questions

1. Is the auxiliary être, on a non-reflexive verb? Agree with the subject. 2. Is the auxiliary avoir? Agree with a direct object placed before the verb, otherwise never. 3. Is the verb reflexive? Agree with a preceding direct object. If there's none, and se means 'to oneself or each other', don't agree.

Verbs that take être

All reflexive verbs, and this list with most of its compounds. Some take avoir when they have a direct object, and then the être rule stops applying.

• Elle est montée au deuxième.She went up to the second floor.
• Elle a monté les valises.She took the suitcases up.
• Elles sont rentrées tard.They came home late.
• Elles ont rentré la voiture.They put the car away.

Spotting a preceding direct object

It's one of three things: a pronoun (me, te, le, la, l', nous, vous, les), the relative que, or a question or exclamation with quel, combien de or lequel. Lui, leur, y and en are not direct objects, so they never trigger agreement.

Reflexive verbs

Test: can you rephrase with quelqu'un or à quelqu'un? Laver quelqu'un: direct, agree. Parler à quelqu'un: indirect, no agreement.

Verbs where the participle is always invariable after se

These never agree because se is always indirect: se parler, se téléphoner, se sourire, se ressembler, se plaire, se déplaire, se mentir, se nuire, se succéder, se rendre compte, s'en vouloir.

Verbs used essentially in reflexive form always agree with the subject: s'évanouir, s'enfuir, se souvenir, se moquer, s'absenter, se méfier, s'envoler. The one exception is s'arroger.

• Elles se sont rendu compte de leur erreur.They realised their mistake.
• Elle s'est évanouie.She fainted.
• Elle s'est souvenue de lui.She remembered him.
• Elles se sont plu tout de suite.They liked each other at once.

With an object after the participle

When a direct object follows a reflexive verb, agreement stops. If that object then moves before the verb, agreement returns with it.

• Elle s'est cassé la jambe.She broke her leg.
• Elle s'est lavé les cheveux.She washed her hair.
• Les cheveux qu'elle s'est lavés.The hair she washed.
• Elle se l'est cassée.She broke it.

Participle + infinitive

Agree only if the object before the verb does the action of the infinitive. Fait + infinitive never agrees. Since the 1990 recommendations laissé + infinitive may stay invariable too.

Other invariable cases

Impersonal verbs never agree. Pu, dû, voulu with an understood infinitive don't agree. With coûter, valoir, peser, mesurer, courir, vivre and marcher, literal amounts are not direct objects and don't agree. Figurative senses do.

Agreement you can hear

Participles ending in a silent consonant sound different in the feminine. Examiners and native speakers notice these.

On, vous, c'est

On can agree with who it means: on est partis, nous étions tous là. Polite vous agrees with the real person: Vous êtes arrivée, madame ? With qui, the verb and participle follow the antecedent: c'est moi qui suis partie.

• Ma sœur et moi, on est restées à la maison.My sister and I stayed at home.
• Madame, vous êtes sortie hier ?Did you go out yesterday, madam?
• C'est nous qui sommes arrivés les premiers.We were the ones who arrived first.